Noel Clarke
Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975)[1] is an English actor, producer, screenwriter, and director. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in Doctor Who (2005–2010),[2] he received critical acclaim for writing, directing, and starring as Sam Peel in the films Kidulthood (2006); Adulthood (2008); and Brotherhood (2016)[3] and for starring in, co-creating, and writing Bulletproof (2018–2021), which all depicted black working-class characters in London.
For the former Australian rules football player, see Noel Clarke (footballer).
Noel Clarke
- Actor
- writer
- producer
- director
1999–present
Iris Da-Silva
4
Making his film debut in I'll Sleep When I'm Dead (2003), Clarke has gone on to star in films including Centurion (2010); 4.3.2.1. (2010); Fast Girls (2012); Storage 24 (2012); Star Trek Into Darkness (2013); I Am Soldier (2014); The Anomaly (2014); I Kill Giants (2017); Mute (2018); 10x10 (2018); The Corrupted (2019); Twist (2021); and SAS: Red Notice (2021), some of which he also wrote, directed, or produced.
In 2015, Clarke founded the company Unstoppable Film and Television with friend and fellow actor Jason Maza, and they have written, directed, and starred in several productions.
Clarke won the Laurence Olivier Award for Most Promising Performer in 2003, the BAFTA Orange Rising Star Award in 2009,[4] and received the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 2021.[5] The latter was suspended on 29 April 2021 in the wake of allegations of verbal abuse, bullying, and sexual misconduct[6][7][8] by 26 different women.[9]
Early life[edit]
Clarke was born in Notting Hill, West London, to Trinidadian parents Gemma (née Clarke), a nurse and part-time laundrette worker, and Alphaeus Baptiste "Alf" Clarke, a carpenter. He has an older half-brother. His parents divorced shortly after he was born, and he was brought up by his mother on a council estate in Ladbroke Grove where his mother still lives. In 2018, when appearing on the BBC genealogy series Who Do You Think You Are?, Clarke discovered that his maternal great-grandparents emigrated to Trinidad from Saint Vincent, while his paternal grandmother, Menelvia Clarke (née Bedeau), emigrated there from Grenada.[10]
Clarke studied media at the University of North London, and worked as a personal trainer before going on to take acting classes at London's Actors Centre.[11]
Career[edit]
2001–2005: Early career in television and stage[edit]
Clarke has had recurring television roles as Wyman Norris in the revived series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet (2002–2004) and as Mickey Smith in the first two series of the revival of the BBC science-fiction series Doctor Who (2005–2006). He later became a series companion in the episode "School Reunion", and reprised his role as Mickey in the episode "Journey's End" in 2008 and in 2010 in "The End of Time" Part 2, and also starred in the Doctor Who audio series Dalek Empire: The Fearless, which was released from September to December 2007.[12]
Clarke's other television work includes appearances in Casualty and Metrosexuality. He also wrote "Combat" which is an episode of the Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood, and West 10 LDN, a pilot for BBC Three about kids on a rough housing estate. Clarke has also acted on the stage, and won the Laurence Olivier Award for "Most Promising Newcomer" in 2003 for his performance in the play Where Do We Live at the Royal Court Theatre.
2006–2012: Emerging success as an actor and filmmaker[edit]
Clarke began his filmmaking career when he wrote the screenplay for the film Kidulthood, a film about a group of teenagers growing up in Ladbroke Grove, West London. Clarke wrote the film based on his own experiences growing in Ladbroke Grove, which he began developing with director Menhaj Huda and producer George Isaac. Made on a budget of £560,000, Kidulthood was released theatrically on 3 March 2006, earned £1,209,319 during the opening weekend of its release and received praise and some controversy for its depiction of teenage life in London.[13]
In 2008, following the success of Kidulthood, Clarke was hired to write and star in Adulthood, where he also made his directoral debut. On directing his first film, Clarke described his experience: "Directing for the first time was definitely a challenge and tiring at times. It was a steep learning curve and if you're willing to do stuff and go with it, then it pays off."[14] Adulthood grossed £1,203,319 during its UK opening weekend,[15][16] with an overall gross of £6 million, becoming the second-highest grossing British film of 2008.[17]