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Revision as of 00:54, 27 July 2014 by George Ho (talk | contribs) (→Career: rm statement about Brooke Shields)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other people named Michael French, see Michael French (disambiguation).
| Michael French | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Clark Bow, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Michael French (born Michael Clark) is an English actor, known for his roles as David Wicks in EastEnders, and consultant Nick Jordan in Casualty and former cardiothoracic registrar in its spin-off series Holby City.
Early life
French (took surname to get an Equity Card), was born Michael Clark to parents David (a greengrocer) and Sheila in East London, but grew up in Theydon Bois, Essex. where he attended Theydon Bois County Primary School. 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. 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.
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.
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. However, he was unable to lose his desire to act and French quit his job as an air steward with British Airways and began taking acting lessons. He was trained at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and graduated in 1992.
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.
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. 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.
He went on to appear as Nick Jordan in Casualty in 1998 and 2005, and its sister programme, Holby City. He also appeared in The Fabulous Bagel Boys (2001); as 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, but resigned suddenly on 2 May 2005.
On 13 May 2008 it was confirmed French would be returning to his role of Nick Jordan for a third stint in Casualty. French returned to EastEnders as David Wicks in 2012 after more than 15 years away for the departure of Pam St Clement, who played his on-screen mother, Pat Butcher. His return was aired on New Year's Day 2012 and he again departed the soap on 13 January 2012. French left Casualty in early February 2013. French returned to EastEnders as David Wicks from the episode broadcast on 26 September 2013 for what show bosses said would be a fairly short stint. He left the soap once again during the episode broadcast on 30 May 2014.
Filmography
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1996, 2012, 2013–2014 | 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—2013 | Casualty | Nick Jordan | Series regular |
| 2010 | Holby City | 1 episode: Downstairs, Upstairs |
References
- ^ Sutton, Caroline (17 March 1996). "French connection". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- ""People would shout 'We love you'. But I didn't like myself". Evening Standard.
- "SOAP ACTORS A - K". Trading Places Ltd. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- "Drama faces: Michael French actor profile". BBC. Archived from the original on 26 July 2014. Retrieved 13 February 2007.
{{cite web}}:|archive-date=/|archive-url=timestamp mismatch; 16 July 2011 suggested (help) - "FRENCH AND JOHNSTON; PARTNERS IN TIME". Sunday Mirror. 1997. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
- "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. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2008.
- "EastEnders: Michael French leaving David Wicks role". Digital Spy. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2014.