Joseph Marcell


Actor

About

Birth Place
Saint Lucia
Born
August 18, 1948

Biography

Busy actor of British theater and TV who became known stateside as Geoffrey, the Banks family's proper butler and alternately the nemesis and ally of the fun-loving Will Smith on the hit sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (NBC, 1990-96). A member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and stalwart of the London stage, Marcell has had few comparable challenges in America but he has demonstrat...

Family & Companions

Joyce Marcell
Wife
Born c. 1956; third wife.

Biography

Busy actor of British theater and TV who became known stateside as Geoffrey, the Banks family's proper butler and alternately the nemesis and ally of the fun-loving Will Smith on the hit sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" (NBC, 1990-96). A member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and stalwart of the London stage, Marcell has had few comparable challenges in America but he has demonstrated a flair for broad light comedy. Marcell found less success as the co-star of the British sitcom "Fancy Wanders" (1981) in which he played a fanciful tramp. His other British TV credits include the cop drama "Juliet Bravo," "Empire Road," "Shelley" and "Dr. Who." Marcell has also appeared in character bits in the British feature "Playing Away" (1986) and Richard Attenborough's "Cry Freedom" (1987).

Life Events

1981

Co-starred with Dave King in "Fancy Wanders", a British sitcom about a pair of imaginative tramps

1986

Feature debut, "Playing Away", a British comedy

1987

Played a small role in Richard Attenborough's "Cry Freedom"

1989

US TV debut, "Outpost", an unsold sci-fi pilot broadcast as part of the "CBS Summer Playhouse"

1990

Debut as a US TV series regular, playing Geoffrey the butler on the hit sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

1993

Provided a voice and performed a song for his American TV-movie debut, "Charles Dickens' David Copperfield", an animated musical

Family

Ben Marcell
Son
Born c. 1978.
Jessica Marcell
Daughter
Born c. 1989.

Companions

Joyce Marcell
Wife
Born c. 1956; third wife.

Bibliography