Clarke Peters
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- April 7, 1952 (age 74)
- Birthplace
- New York City, New York, USA
Biography
Peter Clarke (born April 7, 1952), known professionally as Clarke Peters, is an American actor, writer, and director, who has spent much of his adult life in the United Kingdom. He is best known for his roles as Lester Freamon in the television series The Wire (2002–2008) and Albert Lambreaux in the television series Treme (2010–2013). He also wrote the book for the musical revue Five Guys Named Moe (1990). Peters is also known for his roles in the films Silver Dream Racer (1980), Endgame (2009), John Wick (2014), Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), Harriet (2019), and Da 5 Bloods (2020), the lattermost of which earned him a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. Peters was born Peter Clarke, the second of four sons, in New York City, and grew up in Englewood, New Jersey. At the age of 12, he had his first theater experience, in a school production of My Fair Lady. He began to have serious ambitions to work in the theater at the age of 14. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in 1970. In 1971, Peters' older brother enabled him to work as a costume designer for a production of the musical Hair in Paris, in which Peters later starred. In 1973, Peters moved to London and changed his name to Clarke Peters, because Equity already had a few namesake members. While in London, he formed a soul band, The Majestics, and worked as a backup singer on such hits as "Love and Affection" by Joan Armatrading, "Boogie Nights" by Heatwave, and some David Essex songs. However, music was not Peters' main ambition, and he preferred to work in the theater. His first West End theatre musical roles, which he received with assistance from his friend Ned Sherrin, were I Gotta Shoe (1976) and Bubbling Brown Sugar (1977). Other West End credits include Blues in the Night, Porgy and Bess, The Witches of Eastwick, Guys and Dolls, Chicago, and Chess. Peters starred in the Sean Connery space Western Outland (1981) as the treacherous Sgt. Ballard, and he played an almost wordless role as Anderson, a vicious pimp in Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa (1986). Peters is familiar to television viewers as Detective Lester Freamon in the HBO series The Wire. Peters also starred in the HBO mini-series The Corner, portraying a drug addict named Fat Curt, as well as the FX series Damages, as Dave Pell. Both The Wire and The Corner were created by writer and former The Baltimore Sun journalist David Simon. Peters also stars in Simon's HBO series Treme, in the role of Mardi Gras Indian chief Albert Lambreaux. Peters appeared in two episodes of the American time-travel/detective TV series Life on Mars (2008) as NYPD Captain Fletcher Bellow. He also appeared in the British show Holby City, as Derek Newman, the father of nurse Donna Jackson. He voiced a part in the Doctor Who animated episode Dreamland, and in the In Plain Sight episode "Duplicate Bridge" as a man in Witness Protection named Norman Baker/Norman Danzer. In 2010, Peters read Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption for BBC 7. In that year, he also had a guest appearance as Professor Mark Ramsay in the pilot episode of the USA Network TV series Covert Affairs. From 2012 to 2013, Peters had a recurring role as Alonzo D. Quinn in the CBS TV series Person of Interest.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Sexual Healing
Movie · as Harvey Fuqua
Untitled Roald Dahl Series
TV · 1 ep
The Boroughs
TV · as Art Daniels · 8 eps
Small Town, Big Story
TV · as Chet Donald · 2 eps
Towards Zero
TV · as Frederick Treves · 3 eps
Watson
TV · as Hamish Watson · 1 ep
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin
Movie · as Reverend Powell Sr.
Testament: The Story of Moses
TV · as God (voice) · 3 eps
Truelove
TV · as Ken · 6 eps
Eric
TV · as George · 6 eps
Royal Crackers
TV · as Deshaun (voice) · 1 ep
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
Movie · as John Houston
BBC Proms - The Golden Age of Broadway
Movie · as Singer
The Man Who Fell to Earth
TV · as Josiah Falls · 10 eps
Cameron Mackintosh - The First 50 Years
Movie · as Self
Letters Live from the Archive: Freemasons’ Hall
Movie
The Royale
Movie · as Wynton
The Irregulars
TV · as Linen Man · 8 eps
Foundation
TV · as Abbas · 4 eps
La Fortuna
TV · as Jonas Pierce · 6 eps
Come Away
Movie · as Mad Hatter
Da 5 Bloods
Movie · as Otis
Count Basie: Through His Own Eyes
Movie · as Voice of Count Basie
Bumps
Movie · as Charles
The Mandela Effect
Movie · as Dr. Fuchs
Harriet
Movie · as Ben Ross
Christmas Under the Stars
Movie · as Clem Marshwell
An Acceptable Loss
Movie · as Phillip Lamm
The Opera Game
Movie · as Narrator
His Dark Materials
TV · as The Master · 3 eps
Bulletproof
TV · as Ronald Pike Snr · 6 eps
The Big Narstie Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
Love Is___
TV · as "Wiser" Yasir · 10 eps
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Movie · as Abercrombie
Division 19
Movie · as Perelman
The Blacklist: Redemption
TV · as Richard Whitehall · 2 eps
Rebirth in New Orleans
Movie · as Narrator
Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Movie · as Narrator
Jericho
TV · as Ralph Coates · 8 eps
Chance
TV · as Carl, Carl Allan · 2 eps
The Benefactor
Movie · as Dr. Romano
Sean Connery: In His Own Words
Movie · as Self
Roy Orbison: One of the Lonely Ones
Movie · as Roy Orbison (Voice)
The Bad Education Movie
Movie · as Commander Andrews
London Spy
TV · as The American · 1 ep
Marvel's Jessica Jones
TV · as Det. Oscar Clemons · 4 eps
Show Me a Hero
TV · as Robert Mayhawk · 2 eps
Partners in Crime
TV · as Julius Hersheimmer · 3 eps
John Wick
Movie · as Harry
The Best of Me
Movie · as Morgan Dupree
Grace
Movie · as Father Michael
The Divide
TV · as Isaiah Page · 8 eps
True Detective
TV · as Minister · 1 ep
Forever
TV · as Jerry Charters · 1 ep
Red Hook Summer
Movie · as Da Good Bishop Enoch Rouse
Searching for Sonny
Movie · as The Narrator
Person of Interest
TV · as Alonzo Quinn · 11 eps
Death in Paradise
TV · as Marlon Croft · 1 ep
Locked In
Movie · as Frank
Legacy
Movie · as Ola Adenuga
Treme
TV · as Albert "Big Chief" Lambreaux · 36 eps
Blue Bloods
TV · as Nathan Anderson · 1 ep
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Movie · as Subject #31
Nativity!
Movie · as Studio Boss
Endgame
Movie · as Nelson Mandela
Chess in Concert
Movie · as Walter de Courcy
Turnipseed
Movie · as A.B. Turnipseed
Archer
TV · as Popeye (voice) · 2 eps
Doctor Who: Dreamland
TV · as Night Eagle (voice) · 4 eps
Marley & Me
Movie · as Editor
Gigantic
Movie · as Roger Stovall
The Poker House
Movie · as Maurice
Sympathetic Details
Movie · as Carson
Life on Mars
TV · as Captain Bellow · 2 eps
In Plain Sight
TV · as Norman Baker / Norman Danzer · 1 ep
The Wire: The Last Word
Movie · as Self
The Wire Odyssey
Movie · as Self
Tapping the Wire
Movie · as Self
Damages
TV · as Dave Pell · 8 eps
Meadowlands
TV · as Professor Campbell · 1 ep
Freedomland
Movie · as Reverend Longway
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
TV · as Rex da Silva · 1 ep
James Brown: Soul Survivor
Movie
Head of State
Movie · as Fundraiser Demo-Tape Man
The Wire
TV · as Lester Freamon · 59 eps
K-PAX
Movie · as Homeless Veteran
Waking the Dead
TV · as Howard Boorstin · 2 eps
The Corner
TV · as Fat Curt · 6 eps
Notting Hill
Movie · as 'Helix' Lead Actor
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
Movie · as Moe
Oz
TV · as Afsana · 1 ep
Midsomer Murders
TV · as Frank Wainwright · 1 ep
Jonathan Creek
TV · as Hewie Harper · 2 eps
Chandler & Co
TV · as Jasper · 1 ep
Death Train
Movie · as Whitlock
The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance
Movie · as Narrator
A Masculine Ending
Movie · as Theo Sykes
Between the Lines
TV · 1 ep
Murder Most Horrid
TV · as American · 1 ep
Red King, White Knight
Movie · as Jones
A Casualty of War
Movie · as Grover T. Fleming
Menace Unseen
TV · as Mark Hallstrom · 3 eps
Blind Justice
TV · as Alton Phillips · 5 eps
Up Line
Movie · as Alex du Bois
Up Line
TV · as Alex du Bois · 4 eps
Mona Lisa
Movie · as Anderson
American Masters
TV · as Self - Narrator · 1 ep
Boon
TV · as Clarke Peters · 1 ep
King
Movie · as Stevie
Facelift
Movie · as Bob Jangles
Travelling Man
TV · as Alan Downing · 1 ep
Saigon: Year of the Cat
Movie · as Soldier
Studio
TV · as Frankie · 1 ep
Outland
Movie · as Sgt. Ballard
Number on End
Movie · as Yankee Billy
Silver Dream Racer
Movie · as Cider Jones
The Music Machine
Movie · as Laurie
The Professionals
TV · as President Ojuka · 1 ep
Play for Today
TV · as Stevie · 1 ep