Joseph Morgan (born Joseph Martin; 16 May 1981) is a British actor and director. He is best known for his role as Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson on

The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

's '' The Vampire Diaries'' and its

spin-off Spin-off may refer to: *Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work *Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity * Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...

'' The Originals'', in which he is the lead.

Early life

Morgan was born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, but lived in Swansea for 11 years. He is the oldest child in his family. He was a student at Morriston Comprehensive School and then studied a BTEC Performing Arts course at

Gorseinon College Coleg Gorseinon College was a further education college situated to the west of Swansea, in the suburb of Upper Loughor in Gorseinon. It was frequently ranked as one of the best sixth-form colleges in Wales and the United Kingdom. Recently the co ...

(now Gower College Swansea), before moving back to

to study at the Central School of Speech and Drama in his late teens.

Career

Joseph Morgan's first ever acting audition was for '' Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' for Tom Riddle. Morgan starred in the first series of the

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1 ...

television series ''

Hex Hex or HEX may refer to: Magic * Hex, a curse or supposed real and potentially supernaturally realized malicious wish * Hex sign, a barn decoration originating in Pennsylvania Dutch regions of the United States * Hex work, a Pennsylvania Dutch ...

'', as Troy and has appeared in supporting roles in films such as '' Alexander'' and '' Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World'' and the

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream ...

television series '' The Line of Beauty''. He has also appeared in the television series '' Doc Martin'' and '' Casualty'' and co-starred in '' Mansfield Park'' alongside Billie Piper. In 2010 he played the title role in the mini-series "Ben Hur" which first aired on CBC television in Canada and ABC TV in America, on 4 April 2010. Morgan played Niklaus Mikaelson in

's '' The Vampire Diaries'', and played Lysander in the 2011 film '' Immortals'', alongside

Henry Cavill Henry William Dalgliesh Cavill ( ; born 5 May 1983) is a British actor. He is known for his portrayal of Charles Brandon in Showtime's '' The Tudors'' (2007–2010), DC Comics character Superman in the DC Extended Universe (2013–2022), Ge ...

. BuddyTV ranked him number 84 on its list of "TV's Sexiest Men of 2011". In January 2013, a back-door pilot for '' The Originals'', a

series of ''The Vampire Diaries'', began airing with Morgan starring as Niklaus Mikaelson. In 2020, Joseph Morgan starred in Peacock's science fiction drama '' Brave New World'' as CJack60/Elliot.

Personal life

Morgan met actress Persia White on the set of '' The Vampire Diaries''. They began dating in 2011 and became engaged in 2014. They married on 5 July 2014 in Ocho Rios,

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

. He is stepfather to White's daughter. He has been a vegan since 2014. Morgan is a supporter of the charity

Positive Women Positive Women is a registered UK international development charity working in UK and Eswatini. The charity works to improve the lives women and children affected by the HIV/Aids virus, which is particularly prevalent in Eswatini Positive Women ma ...

Filmography

Film

Television

As director

Awards

References

External links

*
Acting CV and profile at Curtis Brown Talent Agency
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morgan, Joseph 1981 births English male film actors English male television actors Living people Male actors from London Male actors from Swansea 21st-century English male actors