Joe Anders

Joe Alfie Winslet Mendes (born December 22, 2003), known professionally as Joe Anders, is an American-British actor, screenwriter and composer. He is the son of actress Kate Winslet and film director Sam Mendes, and the younger half-brother of actress Mia Threapleton. He began his career with a small part in the war drama 1917, the Channel 4 film I Am Ruth (2022) and the biographical war drama Lee (2023) before starring in the musical coming-of-age romantic comedy Bonus Track (2023). He also wrote the screenplay for the film Goodbye June (2025), his mother's directorial debut.

Early life Anders was born Joe Alfie Winslet Mendes in New York City on December 22, 2003, to English actress Kate Winslet and film director Sam Mendes. His parents separated in 2010, when he was six years old, and divorced in 2011. His father identifies as a secular Jew. He has three half-siblings: an older half-sister from his mother's first marriage to painter-filmmaker Jim Threapleton, actress Mia Threapleton (born 2000); His stepfather, Edward Abel Smith, is the former head of marketing promotion and astronaut experience at Virgin Galactic and the nephew of the company's co-founder, English business mogul Richard Branson. After marrying Winslet in 2012, Abel Smith became a stay-at-home dad helping her raise her children.

His maternal grandmother worked as a nanny and waitress, and his maternal grandfather was a struggling actor who took labouring jobs to support the family. His maternal great-grandparents were both actors and ran the Reading Repertory Theatre Company. His paternal grandfather, Jameson Peter Mendes, was a Roman Catholic University professor of Portuguese descent from Trinidad and Tobago, His paternal great-grandfather was the Trinidadian writer Alfred Mendes. His maternal five times great-grandfather, Anders Jonsson, was an agricultural slave labourer in Sweden and was arrested for stealing potatoes and honey to feed his family and died in prison from typhoid in 1832, while waiting for his appeal. In 2010, he relocated with his mother and half-sister from New York to England to avoid paparazzi, and since 2013 they have lived in West Wittering, Sussex.

Career Acting In 2019, Anders made his feature film debut at the age of 15 with a small part as Private Willock in the war drama 1917, directed by his father, Sam Mendes. He was credited as "Joe Mendes" in the film.

In 2022, he changed his stage name to Joe Anders and had a small part in the Channel 4 television drama film I Am Ruth (2022), directed by Dominic Savage, appearing alongside his mother Kate Winslet and his sister Mia Threapleton, portraying their son and brother, respectively.

In 2023, Anders had a small part as an American soldier in the biographical war drama Lee, directed by Ellen Kuras, and had his first leading role in the musical coming-of-age romantic comedy Bonus Track, directed by Julia Jackman. For his performance in Bonus Track, he was longlisted for the British Independent Film Awards in the Breakthrough Performance category, but did not get the nomination.

In October 2024, Anders joined the cast of Zoe Kazan's upcoming miniseries East of Eden, adapted from John Steinbeck's 1952 novel of the same name. In May 2025, Anders joined the cast of Apple TV+'s series Cape Fear.

Writing and music Anders is also a musician and learned how to play the piano in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown. In 2024, he composed the score for Mike Gilbert's short film Big Cat.

At the age of 19, Anders attended a screenwriting course at the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, England, where he wrote the screenplay for the British family drama film Goodbye June (2025), inspired by the death of his maternal grandmother when he was 13 years old. The film marks both Anders' screenwriting debut and Winslet's directorial debut, and was released by Netflix on 24 December 2025.

Filmography

As actor Film Year Title Role Notes 2019 1917 Private Willock as Joe Mendes2023 Lee Frank Kleeman, American GI Bonus Track George Bobbin

Television Year Title Role Notes 2022 I Am Ruth Billy Television film2026 Cape Fear Zack Bowden Miniseries Aron Trask Miniseries

As screenwriter Year Title 2025 Goodbye June