Clarke Peters
Born
April 7, 1952 (73 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
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
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody
John Houston
2022
Cameron Mackintosh - The First 50 Years
Self
2021
Letters Live from the Archive: Freemasons’ Hall
2021
Come Away
Mad Hatter
2020
Count Basie: Through His Own Eyes
Voice of Count Basie
2020
Da 5 Bloods
Otis
2020
The Mandela Effect
Dr. Fuchs
2019
Christmas Under the Stars
Clem Marshwell
2019
Harriet
Ben Ross
2019
An Acceptable Loss
Phillip Lamm
2019
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Abercrombie
2017
Division 19
Perelman
2017
Rebirth in New Orleans
Narrator
2016
Fats Domino and The Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Narrator
2016
Roy Orbison: One of the Lonely Ones
Roy Orbison (Voice)
2015
The Benefactor
Dr. Romano
2015
The Bad Education Movie
Commander Andrews
2015
Sean Connery: In His Own Words
Self
2015
Grace
Father Michael
2014
John Wick
Harry
2014
The Best of Me
Morgan Dupree
2014
Red Hook Summer
Da Good Bishop Enoch Rouse
2012
Searching for Sonny
The Narrator
2011
Legacy
Ola Adenuga
2010
Locked In
Frank
2010
Nativity!
Studio Boss
2009
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
Subject #31
2009
Chess in Concert
Walter de Courcy
2009
Endgame
Nelson Mandela
2009
Marley & Me
Editor
2008
Gigantic
Roger Stovall
2008
The Poker House
Maurice
2008
Sympathetic Details
Carson
2008
The Wire: The Last Word
Self
2007
The Wire Odyssey
Self
2007
Freedomland
Reverend Longway
2006
James Brown: Soul Survivor
2003
Head of State
Fundraiser Demo-Tape Man
2003
Notting Hill
'Helix' Lead Actor
1999
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh
Moe
1998
Death Train
Whitlock
1993
The Nicholas Brothers: We Sing and We Dance
Narrator
1992
A Masculine Ending
Theo Sykes
1992
A Casualty of War
Grover T. Fleming
1989
Red King, White Knight
Jones
1989
Up Line
Alex du Bois
1987
Mona Lisa
Anderson
1986
Facelift
Bob Jangles
1984
King
Stevie
1984
Saigon: Year Of The Cat
Soldier
1983
Outland
Sgt. Ballard
1981
Silver Dream Racer
Cider Jones
1980
Number on End
Yankee Billy
1980
The Music Machine
Laurie
1979
Sexual Healing
Harvey Fuqua
Towards Zero
Frederick Treves · (3 episodes)
2025
Small Town, Big Story
Chet Donald · (2 episodes)
2025
Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin
Reverend Powell Sr.
2024
Eric
George · (6 episodes)
2024
Testament: The Story of Moses
God (voice) · (3 episodes)
2024
Truelove
Ken · (6 episodes)
2024
Royal Crackers
Deshaun (voice) · (1 episode)
2023
BBC Proms - The Golden Age of Broadway
Singer
2022
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Josiah Falls · (10 episodes)
2022
La Fortuna
Jonas Pierce · (6 episodes)
2021
Foundation
Abbas · (4 episodes)
2021
The Royale
Wynton
2021
The Irregulars
Linen Man · (8 episodes)
2021
Bumps
Charles
2020
His Dark Materials
The Master · (3 episodes)
2019
The Opera Game
Narrator
2019
The Big Narstie Show
Self · (1 episode)
2018
Bulletproof
Ronald Pike Snr · (6 episodes)
2018
The Blacklist: Redemption
Richard Whitehall · (2 episodes)
2017
Chance
Carl · (2 episodes)
2016
Chance
Carl Allan · (10 episodes)
2016
Jericho
Ralph Coates · (8 episodes)
2016
Marvel's Jessica Jones
Det. Oscar Clemons · (4 episodes)
2015
London Spy
The American · (1 episode)
2015
Show Me a Hero
Robert Mayhawk · (2 episodes)
2015
Partners in Crime
Julius Hersheimmer · (6 episodes)
2015
Forever
Jerry Charters · (1 episode)
2014
The Divide
Isaiah Page · (8 episodes)
2014
True Detective
Minister · (1 episode)
2014
Death in Paradise
Marlon Croft · (1 episode)
2011
Person of Interest
Alonzo Quinn · (11 episodes)
2011
Blue Bloods
Nathan Anderson · (1 episode)
2010
Treme
Albert "Big Chief" Lambreaux · (36 episodes)
2010
Doctor Who: Dreamland
Night Eagle (voice) · (4 episodes)
2009
Turnipseed
A.B. Turnipseed
2009
Archer
Popeye (voice) · (2 episodes)
2009
Life on Mars
Captain Bellow · (2 episodes)
2008
In Plain Sight
Norman Baker / Norman Danzer · (1 episode)
2008
Damages
Dave Pell · (1 episode)
2007
Tapping the Wire
Self
2007
Meadowlands
(1 episode)
2007
The One Show
Self - Guest · (1 episode)
2006
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Rex da Silva · (1 episode)
2005
The Wire
Lester Freamon · (49 episodes)
2002
Waking the Dead
Howard Boorstin · (2 episodes)
2001
The Corner
Fat Curt · (6 episodes)
2000
Oz
Afsana · (1 episode)
1997
Jonathan Creek
Hewie Harper · (2 episodes)
1997
Midsomer Murders
Frank Wainwright · (1 episode)
1997
Chandler & Co.
(12 episodes)
1994
Between the Lines
(1 episode)
1992
Murder Most Horrid
American · (1 episode)
1991
American Masters
Self - Narrator · (1 episode)
1986
The Professionals
President Ojuka · (1 episode)
1977
The Boroughs
Art · (1 episode)