Joe Dempsie is no stranger to gripping dramas, having made his name in E4’s Skins before landing a role in Game of Thrones. Now, he’s starring in Channel 4’s new detective series, Get Millie Black, about an ex-Scotland Yard detective who returns to her native Jamaica where a missing persons case threatens to turn her world upside down.
Joe portrays Scotland Yard detective Luke, whose investigation takes him from London to Jamaica. The 37-year-old actor is a familiar face on our screens thanks to his roles in Toxic Town, Showtrial and Deep State, but how much do you know about his life off-camera? Find out all you need to know here…
Joe’s family life and upbringing
Joe was born in Liverpool but moved to Nottingham with his family when he was around 18 months old.
Opening up about his childhood, Joe previously told GQ that he comes from “a middle class background”. His father was a social worker before retiring while his mother worked as an educational psychologist.
© Channel 4 / HBO / Des Willie“I grew up in a nice suburb of Nottingham, but I have a younger sister who has cerebral palsy and I have older half-sisters who are Indian,” explained the Game of Thrones star. “I guess I come from a diverse and interesting family, and we were always fine, but we were never well off. We got by and managed. I never wanted for anything but I guess, for me anyway, having a disabled sibling gives you a real sense of perspective.”
Joe’s love life
Joe likes to keep his relationships out of the spotlight, so it’s not currently known if he’s dating anyone.
We do know, however, that one of his ex-girlfriends was a makeup artist. When asked to reveal the most romantic thing he’d ever done, Joe told GQ in 2017: “This isn’t particularly romantic but I tried to woo back an ex-girlfriend. I knew she was at the zoo.
© BBC / World Productions“I literally just stood there with some flowers after work. That’s it,” he expanded, adding that his girlfriend at the time was a make-up artist.
In the same interview, Joe opened up about life as a single man. “What I have realised is that I barely ever date. Most of the girls that I have been out with have been people I’ve met at work or friends of friends,” explained the actor.
© James Stack/Netflix“I’m not the kind of person that is great at going over and chatting to a person. If your motives are really obvious, I’ve never been good at dealing with that. I like to get to know someone first, then work my way in.”
Get Millie Black is available to stream on Channel 4.
