Joe Caffrey

Joe Caffrey is an English actor born in 1966 in Wallsend, Northumberland, a town with deep roots in shipbuilding. His father worked at Swan Hunter's Shipyards, and both of his grandfathers were miners. His grandfather Ned Murray was a trade unionist, Labour Party politician, and district councillor, while his mother, Lynne, has served as a councillor in Gateshead.

Caffrey trained for three years at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, beginning his professional career at the age of 22. During 1984 and 1985, while still developing as a performer, he was a member of the a cappella group The Workey Tickets, which performed fundraising concerts for striking miners and their families, including a performance at the Albert Hall in London.

His theatre career spans London's West End and Broadway. He gained West End recognition through Lee Hall's farce Cooking with Elvis, in which he played Dad/Elvis at Live Theatre between 1998 and 2001. He originated the role of Tony, Billy's older brother, in the London cast of Billy Elliot the Musical, then returned to the production in December 2008 in the role of Jackie Elliot, Billy's father. His Shakespeare's Globe credits include Gerry in We the People (2007), Costard in Love's Labour's Lost (2007), and Borachio/Friar in Much Ado About Nothing (2011). On Broadway, Caffrey appeared in The Last Ship in 2020.

Caffrey has accumulated extensive television credits across ITV and BBC productions. He played D.I. Matthew Squires across 14 episodes of Doctors for the BBC in 2007, and Ben Perkins across 14 episodes of The Bill for ITV between 2004 and 2005. Additional television appearances include Heartbeat, Distant Shores, Byker Grove, Holby City, Colour Blind, Ain't Misbehavin', Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, Soldier Soldier, and Spender, among others. His film work includes the 2004 release Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, as well as In Fading Light (1989) for Amber Films and Film 4, and Women in Tropical Places (1989) for Film 4. He also contributed writing and performance to the charity event Sunday for Sammy in 2006, 2008, and 2010.

Caffrey maintains a long association with Live Theatre, a venue on Newcastle's Quayside. He has cited playwright Alan Plater as a significant influence on his career.