Jordan Clarke (actor)

Jordan Clarke
Born (1950-07-21) July 21, 1950 (age 73)
EducationCornell University (BA, MFA)
OccupationActor

Jordan Clarke (born July 21, 1950) is an American actor known for his role in the CBS soap opera, Guiding Light

Early life and education[edit]

Clarke was born in Rochester, New York. He attended Cornell University and trained as an actor at New York University.

Career[edit]

Clarke made a number of guest appearances on shows in the late-1970s and early-1980s, including MASH,[1] CHiPs, The Paper Chase, Law & Order, Spenser: For Hire, and Miami Vice. He also played the role of Son Slater in an episode of The Waltons.[2]

Guiding Light[edit]

Clarke had two high-profile roles on the CBS soap opera, Guiding Light. The first role, Dr. Tim Ryan, ran from 1974 to 1976.

He is perhaps best known for his second GL role, as Billy Lewis. He played Billy on and off from the character's debut in 1982 to the show's end in 2009. In 2006, he received his first nomination and won his first Daytime Emmy for "Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for his work on GL, an especially notable victory as he was not a contract player on the show at the time.[3]

Other roles[edit]

Clarke also appeared in the web soap Venice: The Series with former Guiding Light costar Crystal Chappell. Clarke plays the father of Chappell's character on the show. Clarke had a mild stroke during the first season of Venice, but has since recovered.[4]

Clarke's life and career was the focus of a 2015 BuzzFeed article, "My Handyman, My Soap Star." Writer David Kushner covered several years where Clarke worked as a handyman and helped Kushner repair his new home, all while still making appearances on Guiding Light.[5]

Filmography[edit]

Film[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1994 Safe Passage Coach
1996 White Squall Charles Gieg

Television[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1977 The Tony Randall Show 'Wild Doug' McIntire Episode: "Case: The Hero Syndrome"
1978 M*A*S*H Saunders Episode: "The Smell of Music"
1978 Forever Theo Maxton Television film
1978 Fantasy Island Tommy Prentiss 2 episodes
1979 Charleston Gregg Morgan Television film
1979 The Paper Chase Snow Episode: "The Apprentice"
1979 The Waltons Son Slater Episode: "The Violated"
1979 CHiPs Don Croyden 2 episodes
1979 Paris Brian Davenport Episode: "Dead Men Don't Kill"
1980 Three's Company Bill Episode: "Chrissy's Cousin"
1981 Norma Rae Frank Osborne Television film
1982 The Executioner's Song Johnny Nicol
1983 Knight Rider Ferris Episode: "Short Notice"
1983–2009 Guiding Light Billy Lewis 471 episodes
1987 Spenser: For Hire Brad Griffin Episode: "My Brother's Keeper"
1988 Crossbow Friar Lot Episode: "Message to Geneva"
1988 Knightwatch McKinney Episode: "Codes"
1989 Miami Vice Mac Mulhern Episode: "Hard Knocks"
1990 The Kennedys of Massachusetts James Reedy 3 episodes
1995 Law & Order Mr. Parker Episode: "Seed"
1995 The Cosby Mysteries Gordon Gansa Episode: "The Medium Is the Message"
1995 Little Criminals Sam Television film
2002 A Wedding Story: Josh and Reva Billy Lewis
2005 Law & Order: Criminal Intent Bernie Moreno Episode: "View From Up Here"
2009–2016 Venice: The Series John Brogno 49 episodes

References[edit]

  1. ^ Burrell, Shannon (September 1, 2009). "Jordan Clarke Speaks With Soaps.com all about Guiding Light!". Archived from the original on July 9, 2010. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  2. ^ "My Handyman Was a Soap Opera Star". BuzzFeed. June 14, 2015.
  3. ^ "Clarke ends seven years of recurring status". soapcentral.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  4. ^ "Jordan Clarke suffers a mild stroke". soapcentral.com. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  5. ^ "My Handyman Was a Soap Opera Star". BuzzFeed. June 14, 2015.

External links[edit]