Michael French

Michael French (born Michael Clark, September 1962) 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.

For other people named Michael French, see Michael French (disambiguation).

Michael French
Born
Michael Clark

September 1962
(age 57)[1]
Bow, London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1983–present[2]

Early life

French was born Michael Clark in Bow, London, in September 1962.[1][3] He appeared in school productions and shows put on by a local drama club.[3]

At the age of 20, French worked as an entertainer at the Holiday Club International in Majorca.[3] 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, Essex. Bit parts on stage followed, including playing the Genie in Aladdin in a Christmas pantomime.[3] 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.[3] Later, French quit his job with British Airways and began studying acting at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and graduated in 1992.[3]

Career

French appeared in West End musicals such as West Side Story, Chicago, Joseph and Les Misérables.[4][5] An agent saw him perform in Les Misérables[6] and cast him in a role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1993 to 1996.[7] He went on to appear as Nick Jordan in Casualty in 1998–2000 and 2008–13 and its spin-off programme, Holby City, in 1999–2000, 2006 and 2010.[8][9] He also appeared as Detective Sergeant Alexander Murchison in The Fabulous Bagel Boys (2001);[10] as Gary Lescott in Dalziel and Pascoe (2006);[11] Jeff Slade in Crime Traveller (1997)[12] and Tom Gilder in Born and Bred (2001–2004).[13] 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.[14] French returned to EastEnders in September 2013 and left again in May 2014.[15]

His other stage credits include Art (2000) as Marc and Sacred Heart (1999) as Jerry. He replaced John Barrowman as Billy Flynn in the London run of Chicago from December 2004 to May 2005.[16][17]

Filmography
Year Show Role Notes
1993–1996, 2012–2014 EastEnders David Wicks Series regular
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 Place, Wrong Time

References
  1. "Michael French". BBC Drama. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. "Curve Theatre / LAURA PITT-PULFORD AND MICHAEL FRENCH LEAD THE COMPANY OF THE SOUND OF MUSIC".
  3. Sutton, Caroline (17 March 1996). "French connection". Sunday Mirror. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  4. ""People would shout 'We love you'. But I didn't like myself". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  5. "SOAP ACTORS A - K". Trading Places Ltd. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  6. "Drama faces: Michael French actor profile". BBC. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2007.
  7. "FRENCH AND JOHNSTON; PARTNERS IN TIME". Sunday Mirror. 1997. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  8. Brown, David (1 February 2013). "Casualty: Michael French bows out as Nick Jordan - video preview". RadioTimes. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  9. Lambert, Doug (12 January 2013). "Michael French To Leave Casualty". ATV Today. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  10. 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.
  11. "Dalziel and Pascoe: Series 10". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  12. "Crime Traveller (1997)". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  13. "Born and Bred". BBC. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  14. Rowley, Alison (11 January 2013). "'Casualty' confirms Michael French exit". Digital Spy. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  15. Kilkelly, Daniel (17 May 2014). "EastEnders: Michael French leaving David Wicks role". Digital Spy. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  16. ""Chicago" cast changes from 13 Dec 2004 Michael French & Josefina Gabrielle join cast". London Theatre. 3 December 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  17. Inverne, James (2 May 2005). "Michael French Resigns From London Chicago". Playbill. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 11 February 2006.
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