Some of his most notable roles include Luke in Skins, John Shelby in Peaky Blinders, Marzin and Beckwith in Secret in Their Eyes, Billy Moore in A Prayer Before Dawn, Frank in the Black Mirror episode "Hang the DJ", Sean Wallace in Gangs of London, and Iver Iversen in Against the Ice.

The oldest of five boys, Joe Cole was born 28 November 1988 and grew up in Kingston upon Thames in London.

His younger brother is actor Finn Cole, who starred alongside him in Peaky Blinders.

In 2017, he starred in a season 4 episode of Charlie Brooker's Black Mirror, earning a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor.

For his role as Billy Moore in A Prayer Before Dawn, Cole won Best Actor at the 2018 British Independent Film Awards.