Joseph Marcell
Joseph Marcell | |
---|---|
![]() Marcell at the Lakeside Theatre, May 2014 | |
Born | |
Alma mater | University of Sheffield |
Occupation | Actor, comedian |
Years active | 1969–present |
Spouse(s) | Judith M. Midtby (m. 1975; div. 1980) Joyce T. Walsh
(m. 1995) |
Children | 2 |
Joseph Marcell (born 14 August 1948) is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Geoffrey Butler, the butler on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from September 1990 until the show ended in May 1996.[1] Born in Saint Lucia, he moved to the United Kingdom, when he was nine years old and grew up in Peckham, South London. Marcell currently lives in Banstead, Surrey.
He studied speech and dance at the Central School of Speech and Drama.
Career[]
Marcell grew up in Peckham, South East London. As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he appeared in productions of Othello and A Midsummer Night's Dream. He has also appeared in feature films and on television in Britain. He serves on the board of the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London where he featured in a nationwide production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing and King Lear.[2][3]
He played Gonzalo in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in May of 2016.[4][5] He also played Solly Two Kings in the play by August Wilson, Gem of the Ocean at the Tricycle Theatre, in London, in January 2016.[6] Marcell began rehearsals as Titus Andronicus, in July 2017, for the La Grande Shakespeare Company, in La Grande, Oregon.[7]
Film and television[]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1974 | Antony and Cleopatra | Eros | |
1978–1979 | Empire Road | Walter Isaacs | fifteen episodes |
1980 | The Professionals | Nero | Credited as Joe Marcell |
1983 | Rumpole of the Bailey | Freddy Ruingo | |
1985 | Juliet Bravo | Bold | |
1987 | Playing Away | ||
1987 | Cry Freedom | Moses | |
1988 | Doctor Who | John | Episode: “Remembrance of the Daleks” |
1989 | Boon | Charlie Fowkes | |
1990 | Desmond's | Matthew McFarlane | |
1990–1996 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Geoffrey Butler | 146 episodes |
1992 | EastEnders | Adrian Bell | two episodes |
1993 | David Copperfield | Mr. Micawber (voice) | |
1994 | Sioux City | Dr. Darryl Reichert | |
1997 | Living Single | Reese | |
1998 | In the House | Minister | |
1998 | The Bill | Vernon Johnson | |
1998 | Pastor Gittens | ||
2003–2004 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Hudson | twenty three episodes |
2006 | EastEnders | Aubrey Valentine | seven episodes |
2007 | Rough Crossings | David George | |
2008 | Holby City | Carl Webster | two episodes |
2008 | A Touch of Frost | Joshua Ray | |
2014 | Death in Paradise | Alexander Jackson | Episode: “The Man with the Golden Gun” |
2017 | Jim Nash | ||
2019 | The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind | Chief Wembe | |
2020 | Ratched | Len Bronley | two episodes |
2020 | The Man In The Hat | The Old Man |
Stage[]
- King Lear, as King Lear.[8]
- Gem of the Ocean (2016), as Solly Two Kings.[9]
- Lady Windermere's Fan (2018) as Lord Lorton, Vaudeville Theatre, London.[10]
- The Tempest (2016) as Gonzalo, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London.[11]
- Peter Pan (1982) as Nibs, The RSC at the Barbican
References[]
- ^ Made in the Caribbean (4 August 2012). "Caribbean Footsteps meets with Joseph Marcell". Retrieved 23 October 2017 – via YouTube.
I really am and I've always been a Saint Lucian.
- ^ "King Lear Played by Joseph Marcell". Shakespeare's Globe. 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Linn, Sarah (12 November 2014). "Joseph Marcell goes from 'Fresh Prince' to 'King Lear'". Sanluisobispo.com. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ "Joseph Marcell as Gonzalo – The Tempest". BBC Programmes. BBC. 9 May 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ "Gonzalo Played by Joseph Marcell". Shakespeare's Globe. 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Paul (13 January 2016). "Gem of the Ocean, Tricycle Theatre, London". Independent. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Adair, Emily (26 January 2017). "'Fresh' face joins local production". La Grande Observer. A Western Communications Company. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Jaffee, Larry (29 September 2014). "Touring the Globe As 'King Lear', Joseph Marcell Talks 'Fresh Prince', Shakespeare and 'EastEnders'". HuffPost. Oath Inc. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Billington, Michael (12 January 2006). "Gem of the Ocean". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Morgan, Fergus (25 January 2018). "Lady Windermere's Fan at the Vaudeville, London – review round-up". The Stage. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
- ^ Cavendish, Dominic (24 February 2016). "The Tempest is a magical last bow for the Globe's Dominic Dromgoole". The Daily Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
External links[]
- Joseph Marcell at IMDb
- Alex Fletcher, "What happened to Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?", TV interview, Digital Spy, 24 February 2014.
- "Caribbean Footsteps meets with Joseph Marcell". YouTube
- "What the butler did next" [1]
- 1948 births
- Living people
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- English male film actors
- British male Shakespearean actors
- English male television actors
- Black British male actors
- Saint Lucian emigrants to the United Kingdom
- English people of Saint Lucian descent
- Male actors from London
- Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
- People from Southall
- Saint Lucian actors
- Royal Shakespeare Company members