Who is Joseph Marcell?
Joseph Marcell was born on 14 August 1948 under the zodiac sign of Leo, in Castries, St. Lucia in the Caribbean. He is a 73-year-old actor and comedian, probably best recognized for landing the role of Walter Isaacs in the BBC drama series “Empire Road” (1978-1979), playing Geoffrey Butler in the NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air” (1990-1996), and featuring as Hudson in the CBS soap opera “The Bold And The Beautiful” (2003-2004).
How rich is he, as of now? Joseph Marcell Net Worth
As of mid-2021, Joseph Marcell’s net worth is estimated at over $1.5 million, earned through his successful contribution to the entertainment industry. He has worked on nearly 60 television and film titles since he launched his career back in the mid-1970s.
Early Life, Parents, Siblings, Nationality, Ethnicity, Educational Background
Joseph Marcell spent his early years in his hometown of Castries before he moved with his family to Peckham and Bermondsey in South East London, England. He was raised by his parents, however, their names and professions aren’t revealed, and it’s unknown whether he has siblings or is an only child. He holds both American and British nationalities, and belongs to African-American ethnic group. Regarding his education, while he lived in Castries Joseph attended St Aloysius, a Catholic boys’ school, and later went to the University of Sheffield in Yorkshire, England. He also attended the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, where he studied speech and dance.
Career on Stage
As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Joseph Marcell performed in productions of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Othello”. He now serves on the board of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, where he appeared in productions of Shakespeare’s “King Lear” and “Much Ado About Nothing”. In 2016, he portrayed Gonzalo in another Shakespeare play, “The Tempest”, at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and featured as Solly Two Kings in August Wilson’s play “Geo Of The Ocean” at the Tricycle Theatre, followed by his appearance as Titus Andronicus for the La Grande Shakespeare Company in La Grande, Oregon.
Career Beginnings on Film and TV
Joseph Marcell’s debut TV role came in 1974, when he appeared in the videotaped TV production of Shakespeare’s play “Antony And Cleopatra”, in which he starred as Eros next to Richard Johnson and Janet Suzman. Four years later, he booked his breakthrough role as Walter Isaacs in the BBC drama series “Empire Road”, that lasted for two seasons until 1979. Following its demise, Joseph landed support roles in such TV series as “Fancy Wanders”, “The Professionals”, and “The Kit Curran Radio Show”, among many others.
He then made his debut feature film appearance in the role of Robbo in the comedy film “Playing Away”, which was followed by his portrayal of Moses in the epic drama film “Cry Freedom”, alongside Denzel Washington and Kevin Kline, both released in 1987.
In the next year, he took the guest-starring role of John in the episode “Remembrance Of The Daleks” of the highly popular BBC One sci-fi series “Doctor Who”, after which he continued to make guest appearances in other TV series, including “The Return Of Shelley”, “Desmond’s”, and “Boon”, to name a few.
Rise to Fame
Joseph Marcell gained enormous popularity when he joined the main cast of the NBC sitcom “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air”, in which he landed the role of Geoffrey Butler for six seasons, from 1990 until its finale in 1996 – the series was created by Andy and Susan Borowitz and is based on the life of famous actor Will Smith. For his performance, he received a TV Land Award nomination for Best Broadcast Butler.
While filming it, he also provided the voice to Mr. Micawber in the 1993 made-for-TV animated musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic “David Copperfield”, broadcast on NBC, and featured as Dr. Darryl Reichert in the 1994 mystery thriller film “Sioux City”, directed by Lou Diamond Phillips. He then guest-starred in such TV series as “In The House”, “The Bill”, and “Brothers And Sisters”, among others.
His next significant appearance was as Hudson in the Daytime Emmy Award-winning CBS soap opera “The Bold and The Beautiful”, appearing in more than 20 episodes from 2003 to 2004. Created by Lee Phillip Bell and William J. Bell, the series follows the Forrester family who run an haute couture business, and was one of the most-watched series around the globe, with more than 36 million viewers.
Further Work
In 2006, Joseph Marcell took the role of Aubrey Valentine, a former member of the band The Five Hectors, in the hit BBC One soap opera “EastEnders”, which was followed by his portrayals of David George in the BBC Two drama-documentary film “Rough Crossings”, based on Simon Schama’s history book “Rough Crossings: Britain, The Slaves And The American Revolution”, and Nelson in the drama film “That Samba Thing”, written and directed by Teddy Hayes, both in 2007.
In the next year, he had the supporting part of Professor Karl Webster in the BBC One medical drama series “Holby City”. In 2013, he was cast as Fast Eddie in the thriller film “Fedz”, opposite Dexter Fletcher, after which he appeared in the lead role of Dr. Harrington in the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated drama film “Return To Zero” in 2014.
See you there…. pic.twitter.com/2GofhtPmhN
— Joseph Marcell (@mrjmarcell) August 28, 2021
In 2017, he played Jim Nash in the made-for-TV romantic comedy film “Wrapped Up In Christmas”, which was followed by his appearances as Lord Lorton in the comedy film “Lady Windermere’s Fan” and Zeus Thunderking in the family sci-fi film “Battledream Chronicles: A New Beginning”, both in 2018.
Recent and Upcoming Years
In 2019, Joseph Marcell starred in the roles of Chief Wembe in the drama film “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind”, released on Netflix, and C.L.R. James in the drama film “HERO Inspired by the Extraordinary Life & Times of Mr. Ulric Cross”. Most recently, he guest-starred as Len Bronley in the Netflix psychological thriller series “Ratched” (2020), alongside Sarah Paulson, and played Father Michael Lewis in the horror film “The Exorcism Of God” (2021).
Speaking about his upcoming projects, it’s announced that he’ll appear as Errol in the short drama film “Folding”, as well as Stefan in the thriller film “The Stranger In Our Bed”.
Appearance and Vital Statistics
Joseph Marcell has short dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He stands at a height of 5ft 6ins (1.68m), while his weight is around 165lbs (75kgs). Information about his vital statistics, biceps size, and shoe size isn’t available.
Personal Life
Joseph Marcell has married twice – his first wife was Judith M. Midtby, with whom he exchanged wedding vows in September 1975. Their son named Ben Marcell was born four years later, but the couple eventually divorced, and he went on to date Joyce T. Walsh, with whom he welcomed a daughter named Jessica Marcell in 1989. The two eventually tied the knot in June 1995, and are still going strong. He currently divides his time between his homes in London and Los Angeles, California.
