Joseph Marcell (born 14 August 1948) is a Saint Lucian-British actor and comedian.[1] 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.
Joseph Marcell | |
|---|---|
 Marcell in 2014 | |
| Born | 14 August 1948 Castries, Saint Lucia |
| Alma mater | University of Sheffield Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1969–present |
| Spouse(s) | Judith M. Midtby (m. 1975; div. 1980) Joyce T. Walsh
(m. 1995) |
| Children | 2 |
Born in Saint Lucia,[1] 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
editMarcell 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 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
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | Antony and Cleopatra | Eros | TV movie |
| 1978 | Real Live Audience | Second Man in Audience | TV movie |
| 1987 | Playing Away | Robbo | |
| Cry Freedom | Moses | ||
| 1990 | The Loser | Bartender | Short |
| 1993 | David Copperfield | Mr. Micawber (voice) | TV movie |
| 1994 | Sioux City | Dr. Darryl Reichert | |
| 2004 | A Beautiful Life | Juan | Short |
| 2006 | Diamond Real Estate | Mr. Rodeo | Short |
| 2007 | Rough Crossings | David George | TV movie |
| That Samba Thing | Nelson | ||
| Man, Broken | George | Short | |
| 2010 | The Santa Trap | Santa | Short |
| 2012 | Much Ado About Nothing | Leonato | |
| 2013 | Fedz | Eddie "Fast Eddie" | |
| 2014 | Return to Zero | Dr. Harrington | |
| 2016 | The Complete Walk: King Lear | King Lear | Short |
| The Complete Walk: Henry V | Chorus (voice) | Short | |
| 2017 | Wrapped up in Christmas | Jim Nash | TV movie |
| 2018 | Battledream Chronicles: A New Beginning | Zeus Thunderking | TV movie |
| 2019 | The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind | Chief Wembe | |
| Hero: Inspired by the Extraordinary Life and Times of Mr. Ulric Cross | C. L. R. James | ||
| 2020 | The Man in the Hat | The Old Man | |
| 2021 | The Exorcism of God | Father Michael Lewis | |
| 2022 | Folding | Errol | Short |
| 2024 | Hellboy: The Crooked Man | Reverend Nathaniel Armstrong Watts |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978–79 | Empire Road | Walter Isaacs | Main cast |
| 1980 | Fancy Wanders | Alastair | Episode: "With a Little Bit of Luck" |
| 1981 | Crown Court | - | Episode: "Cold Turkey: Part 1" |
| 1983 | The Professionals | Nero | Episode: "The Untouchables" |
| Rumpole of the Bailey | Freddy Ruingo | Episode: "Rumpole and the Golden Thread" | |
| 1984 | The Kit Curran Radio Show | Constantine | Recurring cast: season 1 |
| End of the Line | Harry | Main cast | |
| 1985 | Juliet Bravo | Bold | Episode: "Hostage to Fortune" |
| 1987 | First Sight | Mik | Episode: "Some Day Man" |
| 1988 | Doctor Who | John | Episode: "Remembrance of the Daleks: Part Two" |
| The Return of Shelley | Palmer | Episode: "Emergency Ward 9" | |
| 1989 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Doc Holmes | Episode: "Outpost" |
| Boon | Charlie Fowkes | Episode: "Arms and the Dog" | |
| The Bill | Wilmot | Episode: "Pressure" | |
| 1990 | Desmond's | Matthew McFarlane | Episode: "Porkpies" |
| Die Kinder | Joe | Episode: "Catastrophe Theory" | |
| 1990–96 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Geoffrey Butler | Main cast |
| 1992 | EastEnders | Adrian Bell | Episode: 782 & 783 |
| 1993 | Runaway Bay | Samuel | Episode: "The Robbery" |
| 1997 | Living Single | Reese | Episode: "Moonlight Savings Time" |
| McLibel! | Robert Beavers | Episode: "Episode #1.1" | |
| 1998 | Renford Rejects | Arthur Rodrigues | Episode: "Bowled Over" |
| In the House | Minister | Episode: "My Pest Friend's Wedding" | |
| The Bill | Vernon Johnson | Episode: "One Man, Two Faces" | |
| Brothers and Sisters | Pastor Gittens | Episode: "Episode #1.1" | |
| 2003–04 | The Bold and the Beautiful | Hudson | Regular cast |
| 2005 | Jericho | Clive Marlowe | Episode: "A Pair of Ragged Claws" |
| 2006 | EastEnders | Aubrey Valentine | Recurring Guest (8 episodes) |
| 2008 | A Touch of Frost | Joshua Ray | Episode: "Mind Games" |
| Holby City | Professor Karl Webster | Episode: "You Do it to Yourself" & "Eighteen and a Half" | |
| 2014 | Death in Paradise | Alexander Jackson | Episode: "The Man with the Golden Gun" |
| 2020 | The Sandman | African Grandfather (voice) | Recurring cast |
| Ratched | Len Bronley | Episode: "Ice Pick" & "The Dance" | |
| 2021, 2024 | Mammoth | Roger Buck | Main cast |
| 2022 | I Hate You | Ralph | Episode 1 |
| 2024 | Queenie | Grandad Wilfred | Recurring cast |
| 2024 | Bel-Air | Roman | Season 3 Episode 6 |
Stage
edit- King Lear, as King Lear[8]
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, as Puck[9]
- Gem of the Ocean (2016), as Solly Two Kings[10]
- Lady Windermere's Fan (2018) as Lord Lorton, Vaudeville Theatre, London[11]
- The Tempest (2016) as Gonzalo, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London[12]
- Peter Pan (1982) as Nibs, the RSC at the Barbican
References
edit- ^ a b Made in the Caribbean (4 August 2012). "Caribbean Footsteps meets with Joseph Marcell". Caribbean Footsteps. Archived from the original on 21 June 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2023 – via YouTube.
'I really am and I have always been a Saint Lucian.'
- ^ "King Lear Played by Joseph Marcell". Shakespeare's Globe. 2013. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Linn, Sarah (12 November 2014). "Joseph Marcell goes from 'Fresh Prince' to 'King Lear'". Sanluisobispo.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ "Joseph Marcell as Gonzalo – The Tempest". BBC Programmes. BBC. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ "Gonzalo Played by Joseph Marcell". Shakespeare's Globe. 2016. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Taylor, Paul (13 January 2016). "Gem of the Ocean, Tricycle Theatre, London". Independent. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Adair, Emily (26 January 2017). "'Fresh' face joins local production". La Grande Observer. A Western Communications Company. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. 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. Archived from the original on 27 October 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Smith, Will (20 September 2022). "Joseph Marcell was born in St. Lucia and came to England with his parents at the age of 7". University of Warwick. British Black and Asian Shakespeare Database. Archived from the original on 22 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- ^ Billington, Michael (12 January 2006). "Gem of the Ocean". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
- ^ Morgan, Fergus (25 January 2018). "Lady Windermere's Fan at the Vaudeville, London – review round-up". The Stage. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. 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. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
External links
edit- 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
- "Joseph Marcell – What the Butler did next". Kreol. 12 April 2013.