Clarke Peters
Acting
Born: April 7, 1952 (age 74) · New York City, New York, USA
Highest Rated
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
John Wick
2014
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2017
Notting Hill
1999
Marley & Me
2008
True Detective
2014
K-PAX
2001
The Wire
2002
The Best of Me
2014
Marvel's Jessica Jones
2015
Person of Interest
2011
His Dark Materials
2019
Foundation
2021
Photos (3)
Movies (53)
John Wick
Harry
Notting Hill
'Helix' Lead Actor
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Abercrombie
Marley & Me
Editor
K-PAX
Homeless Veteran
The Best of Me
Morgan Dupree
Outland
Sgt. Ballard
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
John Houston
Death Train
Whitlock
Freedomland
Reverend Longway
Da 5 Bloods
Otis
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin
Reverend Powell Sr.
Come Away
Mad Hatter
Harriet
Ben Ross
Head of State
Fundraiser Demo-Tape Man
The Mandela Effect
Dr. Fuchs
The Poker House
Maurice
Mona Lisa
Anderson
Division 19
Perelman
Nativity!
Studio Boss
The Benefactor
Dr. Romano
Grace
Father Michael
Endgame
Nelson Mandela
An Acceptable Loss
Phillip Lamm
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Subject #31
The Bad Education Movie
Commander Andrews
Red Hook Summer
Da Good Bishop Enoch Rouse
Up Line
Alex du Bois
Silver Dream Racer
Cider Jones
Gigantic
Roger Stovall
James Brown: Soul Survivor
2003
Christmas Under the Stars
Clem Marshwell
Red King, White Knight
Jones
Letters Live from the Archive: Freemasons’ Hall
2021
Chess in Concert
Walter de Courcy
Legacy
Ola Adenuga
Locked In
Frank
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
Moe
Saigon: Year of the Cat
Soldier
A Masculine Ending
Theo Sykes
The Music Machine
Laurie
The Opera Game
Narrator
Roy Orbison: One of the Lonely Ones
Roy Orbison (Voice)
Searching for Sonny
The Narrator
Number on End
Yankee Billy
Facelift
Bob Jangles
A Casualty of War
Grover T. Fleming
The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance
Narrator
BBC Proms - The Golden Age of Broadway
Singer
Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Narrator
Rebirth in New Orleans
Narrator
Count Basie: Through His Own Eyes
Voice of Count Basie
King
Stevie
TV Shows (49)
Midsomer Murders
Frank Wainwright · 1 eps
Blue Bloods
Nathan Anderson · 1 eps
Person of Interest
Alonzo Quinn · 11 eps
Death in Paradise
Marlon Croft · 1 eps
Play for Today
Stevie · 1 eps
The Wire
Lester Freamon · 59 eps
True Detective
Minister · 1 eps
Oz
Afsana · 1 eps
Damages
Dave Pell · 8 eps
Foundation
Abbas · 4 eps
Archer
Popeye (voice) · 2 eps
The Professionals
President Ojuka · 1 eps
Waking the Dead
Howard Boorstin · 2 eps
In Plain Sight
Norman Baker / Norman Danzer · 1 eps
His Dark Materials
The Master · 3 eps
Marvel's Jessica Jones
Det. Oscar Clemons · 4 eps
The Boroughs
Art Daniels · 8 eps
Watson
Hamish Watson · 1 eps
Forever
Jerry Charters · 1 eps
Jonathan Creek
Hewie Harper · 2 eps
Royal Crackers
Deshaun (voice) · 1 eps
Treme
Albert "Big Chief" Lambreaux · 36 eps
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Rex da Silva · 1 eps
Between the Lines
1 eps
Life on Mars
Captain Bellow · 2 eps
The Blacklist: Redemption
Richard Whitehall · 2 eps
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Josiah Falls · 10 eps
Towards Zero
Frederick Treves · 3 eps
Chance
Carl · 2 eps
Chance
Carl Allan · 10 eps
Chandler & Co
Jasper · 1 eps
Travelling Man
Alan Downing · 1 eps
Murder Most Horrid
American · 1 eps
Eric
George · 6 eps
Testament: The Story of Moses
God (voice) · 3 eps
The Irregulars
Linen Man · 8 eps
London Spy
The American · 1 eps
The Corner
Fat Curt · 6 eps
Show Me a Hero
Robert Mayhawk · 2 eps
Partners in Crime
Julius Hersheimmer · 3 eps
Small Town, Big Story
Chet Donald · 2 eps
Bulletproof
Ronald Pike Snr · 6 eps
Jericho
Ralph Coates · 8 eps
La Fortuna
Jonas Pierce · 6 eps
Love Is___
"Wiser" Yasir · 10 eps
Truelove
Ken · 6 eps
Meadowlands
Professor Campbell · 1 eps
The Divide
Isaiah Page · 8 eps
Doctor Who: Dreamland
Night Eagle (voice) · 4 eps
