Noel Clarke

Noel Anthony Clarke (born 6 December 1975) is a British actor, screenwriter, director, and comic book writer. Rising to prominence for playing Mickey Smith in '' Doctor Who'' (2005–2010), he played Sam in the films ''Kidulthood'' (2006), '' Adulthood'' (2008) and '' Brotherhood'' (2016), which he also wrote and directed. He played Aaron Bishop in the TV series '' Bulletproof'' (2018–2021), which he also wrote and produced.

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, and received the BAFTA Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award in 2021. The latter was suspended on 29 April 2021, however, in the wake of allegations of verbal abuse, bullying, and sexual misconduct by 26 different women.

Early life

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.

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.

Career

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 became the series' first black 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.

Clarke's other television work includes appearances in '' Casualty'' and '' Metrosexuality''. He 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. Clarke starred in the film ''Doghouse'', directed by Jake West and produced by Carnaby Films International. The film was shot primarily in Midhurst, a small town in West Sussex, on the grounds of the old King Edward VII Hospital. He also participated in Neil Marshall's film ''Centurion'', about which Clarke said, "it's about the Roman Legion and I'm one of the soldiers".

Clarke began his writing career in 2005 when he wrote the screenplay for the film ''Kidulthood'' which was released in 2006. He also directed and starred in the sequel, ''Adulthood'', which was released in 2008. 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." ''Kidulthood'' earned £1,209,319 during the opening weekend of its release. His other writing credits include "Combat" which is an episode of the ''Doctor Who'' spin-off series '' Torchwood'', and '' West 10 LDN'', a pilot for BBC Three which is about kids on a rough housing estate.

In 2008, he starred in the video for The Prodigy single " Invaders Must Die".

In 2009, Clarke was awarded a BAFTA award in the category of Orange Rising Star Award. As a result of the success of ''Kidulthood'', ''Adulthood'', and his BAFTA win, he was ranked at number 83 in the MediaGuardian 100, an annual ranking of media people in ''The Guardian''. In 2010, he signed a deal with Icon.

He also played the role of A.J., opposite Jim Sturgess, in Philip Ridley's film, ''Heartless''. Clarke has worked with BBC Blast, a project for teenagers that aims to inspire and get people being creative. Shortly after winning his BAFTA he gave a talk to inspire young people telling them to "broaden your mind".

His next project, ''4.3.2.1.'', a heist movie, was released on 2 June 2010, and starred Tamsin Egerton, Emma Roberts, Shanika Warren-Markland and Adam Deacon. The film was shot in London and New York. He played an uncredited role in 2012's '' Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance'' as a priest. The scene was cut from the movie, but can be seen in the Deleted Scenes in the Special Features of the DVD.

He played Thomas Harewood, a family man with a wife and a young daughter, in '' Star Trek Into Darkness''. The film was released on 15 May 2013.

In 2015, Clarke created a short-lived superhero series, ''The Troop'', for Titan Comics. The first issue was released in December 2015, and received critical acclaim.

In 2016, Clarke wrote, directed, and starred in '' Brotherhood'', a sequel to ''Adulthood'' that went on to earn £1.98m in its opening week.

Personal life

Clarke lives in London with his wife, Iris Da-Silva, with whom he has four children.

In 2015, Clarke's former co-star Adam Deacon was banned by West London Magistrates' Court from contacting Clarke after Deacon was found guilty of harassment without violence due to sending a "barrage" of abusive social media messages. The pair reportedly fell out in 2010, and among the messages he sent out, Deacon also accused Clarke of "bullying" him and "sabotaging" his career.

Sexual misconduct allegations

On 29 April 2021, ''The Guardian'' published allegations by 20 women of verbal abuse, bullying, and sexual harassment by Clarke; by the following day, ''The Guardian'' had spoken to a further six women with allegations against Clarke. One of the accusations is that he filmed a nude audition by Jahannah James without her consent and showed it to a producer who worked for him. The same producer accuses him of exposing his genitals to her in the back of a car and groping her in a lift the next day. The actress Jing Lusi, who appeared with Clarke in the film '' SAS: Red Notice'' alleges that he sexually propositioned and threatened her. Other women allege that Clarke pressured them to perform sex scenes nude, and grew angry if they refused.

In response to the claims, BAFTA announced it was suspending both his membership and his Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award. The following day, ITV announced that it would not broadcast the final episode of ''Viewpoint'', in which Clarke starred, and international distribution of the series was suspended. Industry Entertainment declared they would no longer be representing Clarke and Sky immediately halted his involvement in any future productions.

Clarke issued a statement through the PA news agency denying "any sexual misconduct or criminal wrongdoing" but conceding that one allegation was true, that he had repeatedly made remarks on the buttocks of an employee, Helen Atherton, who was art director on '' Brotherhood''. Clarke apologised and said he was seeking professional help "to change for the better".

On 7 May 2021, Clarke was accused by five more women of sexual harassment on the set of '' Doctor Who'' and at a promotional event relating to the show. One of these accusations was made by an anonymous actress who said that Clarke "made advances on me" and asked her regularly if she "wanted a piece of his dark chocolate". She explained that when she rejected his advances, Clarke badmouthed her to people in the industry. Clarke denied these allegations. Sky and production company Vertigo Films said they would no longer proceed with further series of ''Bulletproof.''

On 27 March 2022, it was revealed that Metropolitan Police had decided not to proceed investigating the sexual harassment claims against Clarke.

On 7 September 2022, it was reported that Clarke had dropped the legal action he had taken against BAFTA following its suspension of his membership and honorary award.

Filmography

Film

Television

Short film

Theatre

* 2003: ''Where Do We Live'' at the Jerwood Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Noel
1975 births
Male actors from London
English male film actors
English film directors
English people of Grenadian descent
English people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines descent
English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent
English screenwriters
English male screenwriters
English male television actors
English television writers
Living people
Black British male actors
BAFTA Rising Star Award winners
Alumni of the University of North London
People from Notting Hill
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
English film producers
British male television writers
Black British filmmakers
Sexual harassment in the United Kingdom