Michael French

Michael French
Born	Michael Clark Bow, London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1993–present

Michael French (born Michael Clark) 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.

French was born Michael Clark in Bow, London and grew up in Theydon Bois, Essex. where he attended Theydon Bois County Primary School. He appeared in school productions and shows put on by the local drama club. He then attended West Hatch Technical High School in Chigwell, Essex.

At the age of 20, French landed a job as an entertainer ("blue coat") at the Holiday Club International in Majorca. 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, London. Bit parts on stage followed, including playing the Genie in Aladdin in a Christmas pantomime. 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. Later, French quit his job with British Airways and began studying acting at the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts and graduated in 1992.

French appeared in West End musicals such as West Side Story, Chicago, Joseph and Les Misérables. An agent saw him perform in Les Misérables and cast him in a role in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1993 to 1996. He went on to appear as Nick Jordan in Casualty in 1998–2000 and 2008–13 and its sister programme, Holby City, in 1999–2000, 2005, and 2006. He also appeared as Detective Sergeant Alexander Murchison in The Fabulous Bagel Boys (2001); as Gary Lescott in Dalziel and Pascoe (2006); Jeff Slade in Crime Traveller (1997) and Tom Gilder in Born and Bred (2001–2004). 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. French returned to EastEnders in September 2013 and left again in May 2014.

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