Michael French (born Michael Clark, 17 September 1962) is an English actor, known for his roles as David Wicks in EastEnders; Nick Jordan, a consultant and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant in emergency medicine in Casualty and former cardiothoracic registrar in its spin-off series Holby City; and Jeff Slade in the BBC sci-fi crime series Crime Traveller.
Michael French | |
|---|---|
| Born | Michael Clark 17 September 1962 (age 62)[1] Bow, London, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1983– |
Biography
editMichael French was born Michael Clark in Bow, London, on 17 September 1962.[1][2] He appeared in school productions and shows put on by a local drama club.[2] When he was 20, French worked as an entertainer at the Holiday Club International in Majorca.[2] 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, east London.[2] 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.[2] Later, French quit his job with British Airways, began studying acting at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and graduated in 1992.[2] He chose to take his mother's maiden surname for professional purposes.
After his family moved to central London and then Essex when he was a child, his first stage experience was as a teenager when the mother of television presenter Ben Shephard cast him in a production at the drama group that she ran in Theydon Bois.[citation needed]
In 1993, an EastEnders casting agent saw him performing in Les Misérables in London's West End and he was cast as David Wicks in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.[1][3] He appeared in EastEnders between 1993 and 1996, and later reprised his role in 2012 for the departure of Pam St Clement who played his on-screen mother Pat Butcher, and again between 2013 and 2014.[4][5][6] Due to the high-profile role, he was outed as gay by tabloids in 1996.[7] He also appeared as Nick Jordan in Casualty and its spin-off programme Holby City, between 1998 and 2000, returning to the role in Casualty between 2006 and 2013.[8][9][10]
Other television work included Crime Traveller (1997),[11] and Born and Bred (2002-2004).[12] His other theatre work included Sacred Heart (1999),[3][13] Art (2000),[14] Chicago (2004),[15] and The Sound of Music (2014).[16] In July 2024, it was announced that French would be reprising his role of David Wicks in EastEnders for a short stint later in the year.[17]
Filmography
edit| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–1996, 2012–2014, 2024 | EastEnders | David Wicks | Series regular (463 episodes) |
| 1997 | Crime Traveller | Detective Jeff Slade | 8 part series |
| 1998, 2008–2013 | Casualty | Nick Jordan | Series regular |
| 1999–2000, 2006, 2010 | Holby City | ||
| 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" |
| 2001–2004 | Born and Bred | Dr. Tom Gilder | Series regular |
| 2005 | Casualty@Holby City | Nick Jordan | 2 episodes: "Deny Thy Father" (Parts 1&2) |
| 2006 | Dalziel and Pascoe | Gary Lescott | 1 episode: "Wrong Time, Wrong Place" |
| 2018 | Bargain Hunt | Self | 1 episode |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Michael French". BBC Drama. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Sutton, Caroline (17 March 1996). "French connection". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 26 July 2014 – via The Free Library.
- ^ a b Benedict, David (30 March 1999). "Arts: French without tears". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ "Michael French returns to EastEnders as David Wicks". BBC News. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ Brown, David (24 July 2013). "EastEnders confirms Michael French to return as David Wicks later this year". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ Brown, David (18 May 2014). "EastEnders: Michael French to bow out as David Wicks". Radio Times. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ Theil, Michele (4 October 2024). "Remembering when Michael French was cruelly outed by tabloids in 1996 as he returns to EastEnders". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
- ^ Reynolds, Simon; Green, Kris (13 May 2008). "Michael French joins 'Casualty'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ Lambert, Doug (12 January 2013). "Michael French To Leave Casualty". ATV Today. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
- ^ Brown, David (1 February 2013). "Casualty: Michael French bows out as Nick Jordan – video preview". Radio Times. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
- ^ Stewart, Alastair (21 November 2016). "Crime Traveller: celebrating an underappreciated 90s sci-fi". Den of Geek. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ "Born and Bred". BBC Drama. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ "Michael French on... Sacred Heart". Evening Standard. London. 25 March 1999. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ "United Kingdom: Fourteenth cast of theatre comedy "Art" speak about the hit play". Reuters. 25 January 2000. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
- ^ ""Chicago" cast changes from 13 Dec 2004 Michael French & Josefina Gabrielle join cast". London Theatre. 3 December 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ Hickling, Alfred (8 December 2014). "The Sound of Music review – Paul Kerryson says so long with terrific show". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
- ^ "David Wicks returns to Eastenders as Michael French reprises the role later this year". BBC. Retrieved 16 July 2024.