 Born
in Dublin, Ireland in 1965. Clarke moved to New York in 1986, where
he worked as an illegal immigrant in various jobs ranging from landscape
gardener to limousine driver until he gained full resident status
in 1992. A late bloomer, Clarke's acting career began modestly in
1994 when he began to study acting at David Mamets, Atlantic Theatre
Company. Getting a foot in the door in New York proved difficult so
Clarke kept himself busy by appearing in more than a dozen student
and indie shorts including the multiple award-winning The Last Actor
and Fall from Grace.
Tired of waiting around for the elusive big break and with the
much published success of low budget hits like Clerks and The Brothers
McMullen, Clarke decided to take the self reliant route and make
his own feature. Production began on Beyond the Pale in December
1996, it took four years to take it from script to screen; in addition
to producing the film, Clarke co-wrote the script and played the
lead role. Beyond the Pale was a modest commercial success in Ireland,
Australia and the UK and won awards at the, Houston and Arizona
film festivals. Clarke's performance in Beyond the Pale Led to roles
in, The Magnificent Ambersons (2002) for NBC and the award-winning
comedy, Stay Until Tomorrow (2004). Clarke is currently working
on several projects, including Brother James, Canal's End, and the
reality challenge documentary, Life Begins at? (www.lifebeginsat.com)
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