Michael French
| Michael French | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Clark 17 September 1962 Bow, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Michael French (born Michael Clark, 17 September 1962, Bow, London) is an English actor, most notable for his role as consultant Nick Jordan in Casualty and former cardiothoracic registrar in Holby City. He also played the role of David Wicks on EastEnders.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
French was born Michael Clark to parents David (a greengrocer) and Sheila in East London, but grew up in Theydon Bois, Essex.[1] where he attended Theydon Bois County Primary School along with his older sister Helen.
He was soon appearing in school productions, while weekends and evenings were spent at dancing classes and rehearsals for shows put on by the local drama club.[1] He then attended West Hatch Technical High School in Chigwell, Essex where he was a main contributor to school plays.
At the age of 20, French landed a job as an entertainer ("blue coat") at the Holiday Club International in Majorca.[1]
When he returned to Britain, at the age of 22, French got his first acting break in the musical Godspell at the Kenneth More Theatre in Ilford, London. Bit parts on stage followed, including playing the Genie in Aladdin in a Christmas pantomime.[1]
He spent the next three years touring in small productions, before becoming disillusioned with his lack of success and taking a job as an Air Steward for British Airways.[1] However, he was unable to lose his desire to act and French quit his job as with British Airways and began taking acting lessons. He was trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and graduated in 1992.[1]
[edit] Career
After graduating from acting school, French was primarily employed in West End musicals. He was in West Side Story, Chicago, Joseph — playing romantic juvenile leads — and then played Javert in Les Misérables.[2]
French became well known for appearing in the BBC soap opera EastEnders. French was spotted by an EastEnders casting agent whilst on stage in the musical Les Misérables.[3] He was subsequently offered a role in the popular soap opera and first appeared in 1993, playing the womanising car-dealer, David Wicks. French quit the soap in 1996. 19 million viewers tuned in to watch the character's exit from Albert Square.[4]
Other regular TV roles include Nick Jordan in Casualty (1998, 2005, 2008 onwards) and its sister programme, Holby City (1999–2000; 2005–2006); The Fabulous Bagel Boys (2001); Gary Lescott in Dalziel and Pascoe (2005); Jeff Slade in Crime Traveller (1997) and Tom Gilder in Born and Bred (2001–2004).
Among his other stage credits include Art (2000) as Marc and Sacred Heart (1999) as Jerry. He also replaced John Barrowman as Billy Flynn in the London run of Chicago from 13 December 2004,[5] but resigned suddenly on 2 May 2005 amid rumours of differences with his co-star Brooke Shields.[6]
On 13 May 2008 it was confirmed Michael French would be returning to his role of Nick Jordan for a third stint, but this time in the Holby City parent programme Casualty.[7]
In November 2011 it was announced French would be returning to EastEnders as David Wicks after more than 15 years away, and his return was aired on New Year's Day 2012 but he departed the serial on 13 January 2012.
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1996 | EastEnders | David Wicks | Series regular |
| 1997 | Crime Traveller | Detective Jeff Slade | 8 part series |
| 1998 | Casualty | Nick Jordan | Series Regular |
| 1999–2000 | Holby City | Series regular | |
| 2001 | The Fabulous Bagel Boys | DS Alexander Murchison | |
| The Gentleman Thief | Ellis Bride | ||
| 2004 | The Afternoon Play | Hardy Rose | 1 episode: Sons, Daughters and Lovers |
| 2001–2005 | Born and Bred | Dr. Tom Gilder | Series regular |
| 2005 | Casualty@Holby City | Nick Jordan | 2 episodes: Deny Thy Father (Parts 1&2) |
| 2006 | Holby City | Recurring; 16 episodes | |
| Dalziel and Pascoe | Gary Lescott | 1 episode: Wrong Place, Wrong Time | |
| 2008—present | Casualty | Nick Jordan | Series regular |
| 2010 | Holby City | 1 episode: Downstairs, Upstairs | |
| 2012 | EastEnders | David Wicks | 9 episodes |
[edit] References
- General
- Specific
- ^ a b c d e f Sutton, Caroline (17 Mar 1996). "French connection". Sunday Mirror. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4161/is_19960317/ai_n14449161. Retrieved 17 Oct 2011.
- ^ ""People would shout 'We love you'. But I didn't like myself". Evening Standard. http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_20000204/ai_n11919332.[dead link]
- ^ "Drama faces: Michael French actor profile", BBC. URL last accessed on 2007-02-13.
- ^ "FRENCH AND JOHNSTON; PARTNERS IN TIME", Sunday Mirror. URL last accessed on 2007-02-13.
- ^ "Michael French Resigns From London", Playbill. URL last accessed on 2006-02-11.
- ^ "and co-star isn't a fan either", Evening Standard. URL last accessed on 2007-02-13.
- ^ "Role is deja vu for French". The Sun Online. 2008-05-13. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/soaps/article1155215.ece. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
