Clarke Peters
| Clarke Peters | |
|---|---|
Clarke Peters in Edinburgh, Scotland in August 2010
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| Born |
Peter Clarke April 7, 1952 New York City, New York |
| Occupation | Actor, singer, writer, director |
| Years active | 1970s–present |
| Spouse(s) | Janine Martyne Penny |
| Children | 5 |
Clarke Peters (born April 7, 1952) is an American actor, singer, writer and director, best known for his roles as detective Lester Freamon and Albert "Big Chief" Lambreaux on the David Simon HBO dramas The Wire and Treme, respectively. More recently, Peters has portrayed Alonzo Quinn on the CBS crime drama Person of Interest and Isaiah Page on The Divide.
Peters was born Peter Clarke, as 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.
Shortly before he left the United States, he was arrested for obstructing police lines after an anti-Vietnam war demonstration, but was cleared. He later said of this experience: "It made me more angry than anything else, because what I experienced was how impotent you could be as an American citizen."
In 1971, Peters' elder brother enabled him to work as a costume designer for a production of the musical Hair in Paris, in which he later starred. While there, he received a letter from the FBI that accused him of draft evasion. When he went to New Jersey to contest his charge, he said "if the enemy comes to America, I'll be there, but I don't know the Vietnamese. If you put me in the army, I'm not going there."
In 1973, he 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.
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