Michael French

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 was born Michael Clark in Bow, London and grew up in Theydon Bois, Essex.[1] where he attended Theydon Bois County Primary School. He appeared in school productions and shows put on by the local drama club.[1] He then attended West Hatch Technical High School in Chigwell, Essex.

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] Later, French quit his job with British Airways and began studying acting at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and graduated in 1992.[1]

Career

French appeared in West End musicals such as West Side Story, Chicago, Joseph and Les Misérables.[2][3] An agent saw him perform in Les Misérables[4] and cast him in a role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1993 to 1996.[5] He went on to appear as Nick Jordan in Casualty in 1998–2000 and 2008–13 and its sister programme, Holby City, in 1999–2000, 2005, and 2006.[6][7] He also appeared as Detective Sergeant Alexander Murchison in The Fabulous Bagel Boys (2001);[8] as Gary Lescott in Dalziel and Pascoe (2006);[9] Jeff Slade in Crime Traveller (1997)[10] and Tom Gilder in Born and Bred (2001–2004).[11] 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. He returned to EastEnders for a few episodes in January 2012 and left the Casualty show in early February 2013.[12] French returned to EastEnders in September 2013 and left again in May 2014.[13]

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,[14] but resigned in May 2005.[15]

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
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 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
2012 EastEnders David Wicks 9 episodes
2013–2014 Series regular

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sutton, Caroline (17 March 1996). "French connection". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  2. ↑ ""People would shout 'We love you'. But I didn't like myself". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2016-01-11.
  3. ↑ "SOAP ACTORS A - K". Trading Places Ltd. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Drama faces: Michael French actor profile". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2007.
  5. ↑ "FRENCH AND JOHNSTON; PARTNERS IN TIME". Sunday Mirror. 1997. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  6. ↑ Brown, David (1 February 2013). "Casualty: Michael French bows out as Nick Jordan - video preview". RadioTimes. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Lambert, Doug (12 January 2013). "Michael French To Leave Casualty". ATV Today. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  8. ↑ MacCaskill, Julie (19 May 2001). "TELEVISION: YOUR ESSENTIAL TV & SATELLITE GUIDE FOR THE WEEK AHEAD; It May Sound like a Sitcom, but Michael French's New Drama Is an Original Cop Show". Daily Record. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  9. ↑ "Dalziel and Pascoe: Series 10". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  10. ↑ "Crime Traveller (1997)". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Born and Bred". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Role is deja vu for French". The Sun Online. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  13. ↑ "EastEnders: Michael French leaving David Wicks role". Digital Spy. 17 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  14. ↑ "Michael French Resigns From London", Playbill. URL last accessed on 2006-02-11.
  15. ↑ "and co-star isn't a fan either", Evening Standard. URL last accessed on 2007-02-13.
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