Joseph Marcell (born 18 August 1948) is a Saint Lucian-born British actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Geoffrey Butler, the butler on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air from September 1990 until the show ended in May 1996.
Early life and education
Born in Saint Lucia,
He played Gonzalo in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in May 2016. He also played Solly Two Kings in the play by August Wilson, Gem of the Ocean at the Tricycle Theatre, in London, in January 2016. Marcell began rehearsals as Titus Andronicus, in July 2017, for the La Grande Shakespeare Company, in La Grande, Oregon.
Film and television
Film
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1974
| Antony and Cleopatra
| Eros
| TV movie
|-
| 1978
| Real Live Audience
| Second Man in Audience
| TV movie
|-
|rowspan=2| 1987
| Playing Away
| Robbo
|
|-
| Cry Freedom
| Moses
|
|-
| 1990
| The Loser
| Bartender
| Short
|-
| 1993
| David Copperfield
| Mr. Micawber (voice)
| TV movie
|-
| 1994
| Sioux City
| Dr. Darryl Reichert
|
|-
| 2004
| A Beautiful Life
| Juan
| Short
|-
| 2006
| Diamond Real Estate
| Mr. Rodeo
| Short
|-
|rowspan=3| 2007
| Rough Crossings
| David George
| TV movie
|-
| That Samba Thing
| Nelson
|
|-
| Man, Broken
| George
| Short
|-
| 2010
| The Santa Trap
| Santa
| Short
|-
| 2012
| Much Ado About Nothing
| Leonato
|
|-
| 2013
| Fedz
| Eddie "Fast Eddie"
|
|-
| 2014
| Return to Zero
| Dr. Harrington
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2016
| The Complete Walk: King Lear
| King Lear
| Short
|-
| The Complete Walk: Henry V
| Chorus (voice)
| Short
|-
| 2017
| Wrapped up in Christmas
| Jim Nash
| TV movie
|-
| 2018
| Battledream Chronicles: A New Beginning
| Zeus Thunderking
| TV movie
|-
|rowspan=2| 2019
| The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
| Chief Wembe
|
|-
| Hero: Inspired by the Extraordinary Life and Times of Mr. Ulric Cross
| C. L. R. James
|
|-
| 2020
| The Man in the Hat
| The Old Man
|
|-
| 2021
| The Exorcism of God
| Father Michael Lewis
|
|-
| 2022
| Folding
| Errol
| Short
|-
| 2024
| Hellboy: The Crooked Man
| Reverend Nathaniel Armstrong Watts
|
|-
| 2025
| The Thursday Murder Club
| Father Mackie
|
|-
| 2026
| Seahorse
| Cyrus
|
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Role
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1978–79
| Empire Road
| Walter Isaacs
| Main cast
|-
| 1980
| Fancy Wanders
| Alastair
| Episode: "With a Little Bit of Luck"
|-
| 1981
| Crown Court
| -
| Episode: "Cold Turkey: Part 1"
|-
|rowspan=2| 1983
| The Professionals
| Nero
| Episode: "The Untouchables"
|-
| Rumpole of the Bailey
| Freddy Ruingo
| Episode: "Rumpole and the Golden Thread"
|-
|rowspan=2| 1984
| The Kit Curran Radio Show
| Constantine
| Recurring cast: season 1
|-
| End of the Line
| Harry
| Main cast
|-
| 1985
| Juliet Bravo
| Bold
| Episode: "Hostage to Fortune"
|-
| 1987
| First Sight
| Mik
| Episode: "Some Day Man"
|-
|rowspan=2| 1988
| Doctor Who
| John
| Episode: "Remembrance of the Daleks: Part Two"
|-
| The Return of Shelley
| Palmer
| Episode: "Emergency Ward 9"
|-
|rowspan=3| 1989
| CBS Summer Playhouse
| Doc Holmes
| Episode: "Outpost"
|-
| Boon
| Charlie Fowkes
| Episode: "Arms and the Dog"
|-
| The Bill
| Wilmot
| Episode: "Pressure"
|-
|rowspan=2| 1990
| Desmond's
| Matthew McFarlane
| Episode: "Porkpies"
|-
| Die Kinder
| Joe
| Episode: "Catastrophe Theory"
|-
| 1990–96
| The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
| Geoffrey Butler
| Main cast
|-
| 1992
| EastEnders
| Adrian Bell
| Episode: 782 & 783
|-
| 1993
| Runaway Bay
| Samuel
| Episode: "The Robbery"
|-
|rowspan=2| 1997
| Living Single
| Reese
| Episode: "Moonlight Savings Time"
|-
| McLibel!
| Robert Beavers
| Episode: "Episode #1.1"
|-
|rowspan=4| 1998
| Renford Rejects
| Arthur Rodrigues
| Episode: "Bowled Over"
|-
| In the House
| Minister
| Episode: "My Pest Friend's Wedding"
|-
| The Bill
| Vernon Johnson
| Episode: "One Man, Two Faces"
|-
| Brothers and Sisters
| Pastor Gittens
| Episode: "Episode #1.1"
|-
| 2003–04
| The Bold and the Beautiful
| Hudson
| Regular cast
|-
| 2005
| Jericho
| Clive Marlowe
| Episode: "A Pair of Ragged Claws"
|-
| 2006
| EastEnders
| Aubrey Valentine
| Recurring Guest (8 episodes)
|-
|rowspan=2| 2008
| A Touch of Frost
| Joshua Ray
| Episode: "Mind Games"
|-
| Holby City
| Professor Karl Webster
| Episode: "You Do it to Yourself" & "Eighteen and a Half"
|-
| 2014
| Death in Paradise
| Alexander Jackson
| Episode: "The Man with the Golden Gun"
|-
|rowspan=2| 2020
| The Sandman
| African Grandfather (voice)
| Recurring cast
|-
| Ratched
| Len Bronley
| Episode: "Ice Pick" & "The Dance"
|-
| 2021, 2024
| Mammoth
| Roger Buck
| Main cast
|-
| 2022
| I Hate You
| Ralph
| Episode 1
|-
| 2024
| Queenie
| Grandad Wilfred
| Recurring cast
|-
| 2024
| Bel-Air
| Roman
| Season 3 Episode 6
|}
Stage
- King Lear, as King Lear
- A Midsummer Night's Dream, as Puck
- Gem of the Ocean (2016), as Solly Two Kings
- Lady Windermere's Fan (2018) as Lord Lorton, Vaudeville Theatre, London
- The Tempest (2016) as Gonzalo, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, London
- Peter Pan (1982) as Nibs, the RSC at the Barbican
References
External links
- Alex Fletcher, "What happened to Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air?", TV interview, Digital Spy, 24 February 2014.
- "Caribbean Footsteps meets with Joseph Marcell". YouTube