Clark Johnson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clark Johnson
Johnson at the 2009 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Born	(1954-09-10) September 10, 1954 (age 70) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Other names	Clark "Slappy" Jackson, Clarque Johnson, J. Clark Johnson
Alma mater	Eastern Michigan University University of Ottawa Concordia University OCAD University
Occupation	Actor, director
Years active	1981–present
Relatives	Molly Johnson (sister) Taborah Johnson (sister)

Clark Johnson (born September 10, 1954) is an American-Canadian actor and director. He has worked in both television and film. He is best known for playing David Jefferson in Night Heat (1985–1988). He also played Clark Roberts in E.N.G. (1989–1994). Other famous roles include Meldrick Lewis in Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) and Augustus Haynes in The Wire (2008). He has been nominated for an Emmy Award and two Genie Awards.

Early Life and Education

Johnson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family later moved to Canada. He has three siblings. These include jazz singer Molly Johnson and actress and singer Taborah Johnson.

Clark Johnson attended Eastern Michigan University. He went there on a scholarship to play American football. He later attended other universities. These included the University of Ottawa and Concordia University. He also studied film at the Ontario College of Art. He was chosen by the Toronto Argonauts in the 1978 CFL Draft. However, he did not play professional football.

Acting and Directing Career

Johnson started in film by working on special effects. This included the movie The Dead Zone. This behind-the-scenes work helped him during his early acting career.

He began acting in movies in 1981. He appeared in films like Colors and Adventures in Babysitting. He also acted in many TV shows early on. These included The Littlest Hobo and Night Heat. In 1989, he starred in the first episode of The Women of Brewster Place.

Starring in Homicide: Life on the Street

In 1993, Johnson joined the TV series Homicide: Life on the Street. He played Detective Meldrick Lewis for all seven seasons. He also appeared in the reunion movie. Johnson also directed several episodes of the show. He often made up his own jokes and lines during filming.

He started directing with the season four episode "Map of the Heart". He also directed other episodes like "Betrayal" and "Valentine's Day". David Simon, who wrote the book the show was based on, praised Johnson's directing. Simon said Johnson was good at keeping the show's consistent style. In 2013, Johnson made a short appearance as Lewis. This was in a Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episode.

Working on The Wire

Johnson worked on The Wire with writer David Simon again. Johnson directed the first episode, "The Target". He also directed other early episodes and the series finale. He played Augustus Haynes in the show. Haynes was a dedicated and honest editor for The Baltimore Sun newspaper.

Role in Alpha House

In 2013, Johnson starred in Amazon's Alpha House. This was a political comedy created by Garry Trudeau. Johnson played Senator Robert Bettencourt. He was one of four Republican senators living together in a house. Johnson also directed the final episode of the show's first season. He filmed the second season in 2014.

Other Directing Projects

Johnson has directed several big movies. These include S.W.A.T. (2003) and The Sentinel (2006). He also directed episodes of Third Watch. In 2001, he directed the HBO movie Boycott, where he also acted. He directed the first episodes of the mini-series Sleeper Cell. He also directed the first and last episodes of The Shield.

Johnson directed the first episode of the FX drama Lights Out. This series was about a retired boxing champion. Johnson is also a guest instructor at HB Studio.

Selected Filmography

Actor

Television

Film

Director

TV movies

• Boycott (2001)
• The Secret Service (2004)
• N.Y.-70 (2005)

Feature film

• S.W.A.T. (2003)
• The Sentinel (2006)
• Juanita (2019)
• Percy (2020)

Television

Awards and Nominations