Clark is biracial and was born in September of 1954 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He moved to Canada in and his teens. He attended Concordia University in Montreal. At one time he played for the Toronto Argonauts football team in the Canadian Football league. His career in film and television began in the early 1980s. His big break seemed to come with Canadian produced CBS program Hot Shots . Further success was gained during his seven years on the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street where Clark discovered a talent for directing. He is comfortable both on screen and off.
Clark has a "Bacon Number" of 2.
He was in On Their Knees with Maury Chaykin,
Maury was in Where the Truth Lies with Kevin Bacon. (edit) He spent time performing improv with Toronto's Second City troupe. (edit) Johnson gained his cop attitude after studying Sonny Grasso. Grasso, a real cop, had been played in the film The French Connection by Roy Scheider. (edit) As a child actor, he toured in productions of musicals such as Finian’s Rainbow and Porgy and Bess. (edit) During a short career in football he was cut by Buffalo twice, Pittsburgh once, and one season the Canadian Football League paid him $250 a week for him to stay home. (edit) While on summer break between seasons 4 and 5 of Homicide: Life on the Street, Clark went back to Canada and assisted an film rigging a special effects blast. (edit) While working an explosion on the film The Dead Zone, he received 38 stitches on his arm after being cut with broken glass. (edit) He is the father of two girls: Cassandra Johnson (born in 1983) and Michaela Johnson (born in 1985.) Both daughters were from his first marriage. (edit) Clark Johnson married his second wife, Heather Salmon, on November 26, 1994. They met in Toronto during the summer of 1993 at an aerobics class. (edit) In 2006 Clark Johnson was nominated for a Black Reel Award for his direction of the film The Sentinel. (edit) Detective Meldrick Lewis, the character Clark Johnson played on Homicide: Life on the Street, is the only regular cast member to have been with the show all seven seasons and the reunion movie to remain a Baltimore homicide detective. (edit) He was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for Outstanding Direction for a Drama series. The nomination honored his direction of the pilot episode of The Shield. (edit) His supporting performance in the film Rude was nominated for a 1996 Genie award. (edit) His guest performance in the series E.N.G. earned him a Gemini Award nomination in 1995. (edit) In 1999 he was nominated for an Image award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his role as Detective Meldrick Lewis in Homicide: Life on The Street. (edit) Acting seems to run in his family. He is the younger brother of Taborah Johnson, who is an actress. (edit) Jazz singer Molly Johnson is his sister. (edit)
He was in On Their Knees with Maury Chaykin,
Maury was in Where the Truth Lies with Kevin Bacon. (edit) He spent time performing improv with Toronto's Second City troupe. (edit) Johnson gained his cop attitude after studying Sonny Grasso. Grasso, a real cop, had been played in the film The French Connection by Roy Scheider. (edit) As a child actor, he toured in productions of musicals such as Finian’s Rainbow and Porgy and Bess. (edit) During a short career in football he was cut by Buffalo twice, Pittsburgh once, and one season the Canadian Football League paid him $250 a week for him to stay home. (edit) While on summer break between seasons 4 and 5 of Homicide: Life on the Street, Clark went back to Canada and assisted an film rigging a special effects blast. (edit) While working an explosion on the film The Dead Zone, he received 38 stitches on his arm after being cut with broken glass. (edit) He is the father of two girls: Cassandra Johnson (born in 1983) and Michaela Johnson (born in 1985.) Both daughters were from his first marriage. (edit) Clark Johnson married his second wife, Heather Salmon, on November 26, 1994. They met in Toronto during the summer of 1993 at an aerobics class. (edit) In 2006 Clark Johnson was nominated for a Black Reel Award for his direction of the film The Sentinel. (edit) Detective Meldrick Lewis, the character Clark Johnson played on Homicide: Life on the Street, is the only regular cast member to have been with the show all seven seasons and the reunion movie to remain a Baltimore homicide detective. (edit) He was nominated for an Emmy in 2002 for Outstanding Direction for a Drama series. The nomination honored his direction of the pilot episode of The Shield. (edit) His supporting performance in the film Rude was nominated for a 1996 Genie award. (edit) His guest performance in the series E.N.G. earned him a Gemini Award nomination in 1995. (edit) In 1999 he was nominated for an Image award for outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his role as Detective Meldrick Lewis in Homicide: Life on The Street. (edit) Acting seems to run in his family. He is the younger brother of Taborah Johnson, who is an actress. (edit) Jazz singer Molly Johnson is his sister. (edit)
Clark Johnson: (Talking about his character Meldrick Lewis) I wanted to make this guy like Everyman. When he gets heartburn from eating a meatball sub at 2 a.m., I want cops to go, 'Oh yeah, I know that feeling.'
(edit)
Clark Johnson: The character of Meldrick just sort of evolved as we went along. I would say that he's 50 percent from me and 50 percent from the writers. Now, if you talk to these arrogant writers, they'd probably say 60/40 on their part, or even 70/30, but you know how writers are.
(edit)
Clark Johnson: If I went back to special effects it wouldn't bother me, I don't want to go on Hollywood Squares to pay the rent.
(edit)
Clark Johnson: I'm not a big fan of actor-directors.
(edit)
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Person
Score: 9.4 Superb 13 votes
Score: 9.4 Superb 13 votes
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