Who is Joseph Morgan?
Joseph Morgan is a British actor, born in London, United Kingdom, on 16th May 1981. Standing at 5ft 11ins (1.80m) tall and weighing 170lbs (77kgs), the attractive blonde earned himself a loyal fanbase following his stint on the long-running paranormal series “The Vampire Diaries”.
Education
Joseph studied at Morriston Comprehensive School in Swansea, Wales, and later attended a lesser-known local college before moving to London and enrolling in the Central School of Speech and Drama. Graduating with a performing arts degree, he wasted little time in making his acting debut.
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With Joseph’s father, Nick Martin, being a painter, it’s possible that he nurtured his son’s interest in the arts from a young age. As for siblings, the thespian has a sister named Crystal.
First Roles
Before becoming an award-winning actor, Joseph’s debut role in the 2003 TV movie “Eroica” failed to open many doors. Hard work and perseverance landed him the role of Thomas Culpepper in the TV movie “Henry VIII”, which was released in the same year.
Things began looking up for Joseph when he appeared in “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World”, which was directed by Peter Weir and based on Patrick O’Brien’s novels. The movie went on to win two Oscars and was nominated for a total of ninety awards.
“The Vampire Diaries”
In 2011, Joseph joined the cast of “The Vampire Diaries”, playing antagonist Klaus Mikaelson, one of the ‘Originals’. He was first mentioned in the show’s second season during a conversation between the main characters. With a complicated backstory that slowly came to light as the show progressed, viewers discovered that Klaus spent over a thousand years trying to break a curse which was placed on him. In his search for the Petrova doppelganger and the moonstone, the two things he needed to break the curse, he took desperate measures with the goal of creating a deadly species of werewolf-vampire hybrids.
Fans were surprised to learn that back in the 1920s, Klaus developed a close relationship with Stefan Salvatore, the show’s male protagonist. During his time on the show, Klaus also dated Caroline Forbes and fell in love with her; the two eventually became friends. From seasons two to four, Klaus was one of the main characters; his popularity waned in season five, and in seasons six and seven he was only mentioned in a handful of episodes.
Thanks to the success of “The Vampire Diaries”, Klaus appeared in seasons one to five of its spin-off series “The Originals”. The spin-off failed to reach the popularity of its predecessor and was not renewed for further seasons.
Dating History
Emily VanCamp, Claire Holt, and Erin Richards are just some of Joseph’s former flames. It’s rumored that Joseph and Claire hooked up while co-starring in “The Originals” sometime in late October 2011, which they neither confirmed nor denied. It’s also common practice for show producers to leak fake dating rumors in a spur to boost their shows’ publicity, so fans didn’t take the speculations seriously.
From 2010 to 2011, Joseph dated his co-star Emily, a Canadian actress known for her roles in ABC dramas and the 2014 box office hit “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”. Both kept their relationship pretty lowkey, a much easier feat before social media really took off, and ended things on a drama-free note.
To date, Joseph’s longest relationship has been with his wife Persia White. He met his future wife Persia, actress of “Girlfriends” fame, on the set of “The Vampire Diaries” in 2011, when she appeared in seven episodes as the mother of Bonnie. According to Joseph, the pair bumped into each other behind the scenes when working on their first joint episodes and had a conversation which lasted for two hours. They tied the knot in Jamaica three years later; they don’t have children. The attractive couple have been pictured together at dozens of red carpets and other events and regularly post together on Instagram with doting captions.
Persia has one child, Mecca, from a previous relationship who was born in 1995. Mecca’s father, Saul Williams, is an eccentric actor and musician known for exploring different genres. Saul and Persia married in 2008 after dating for five years and are thought to remain on amiable terms.
Latest Projects
In 2020, Joseph appeared in all nine episodes of “Brave New World”, an adaption of Aldous Huxley’s 20th-century sci-fi novel. The series, a Peacock Original production, was well-received by viewers when it premiered on 15th July on streaming platforms; the cast included Nina Sosanya, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Alden Ehrenheich.
In the series, the citizens of New London were unable to form long-lasting connections due to a lack of monogamy, and frequently engaged in wild parties and orgies. Joseph played several characters, and said of his time on set: “…it certainly felt like something that I had never seen. There’s a lot of dystopian drama out there and a lot of post-apocalyptic, so this was a vision of the future that I thought hadn’t been done”.
Joseph’s extensive directing experience also helped him improve his craft on this particular project. He explained: “…seeing my own performance on camera, seeing all the different takes really helped me hone in on: ‘What am I doing and what do I think that I am doing in this moment?’”.
In 2021, Joseph took the year off and wasn’t seen on screens, although fans think that he’ll focus more on directing in the future. Other quiet years for the actor include 2018 and 2019, having only appeared in one series and one TV movie after “The Originals” ended.
Net Worth
As of late 2021, Joseph’s net worth is estimated at $4 million following his time in the industry. With an enviable career trajectory and scores of loyal fans who flock to support his latest releases, it’s very likely that the Englishman will soon hit the $5 million mark.
Persia herself is worth $700,000, thanks to acting and other creative ventures.
