Carl Clemons-Hopkins is an American actor, best known for portraying Marcus on the

Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...

comedy-drama series '' Hacks'' (2021–present). They were nominated for the 2021

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series This is a list of winners and nominees of the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. In early Primetime Emmy Award ceremonies, the supporting categories were not always genre, or even gender, specific. Beginning ...

for the role.

Early life

Clemons-Hopkins was born in

Lithonia, Georgia Lithonia ( , AAVE: ) is a city in eastern DeKalb County, Georgia, DeKalb County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. The city's population was 2,662 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Lithonia is in the Atlanta metropolita ...

and attended high school in

Snellville, Georgia Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. Its population was 20,573 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a developed suburb of Atlanta and ...

Career

Clemons-Hopkins has acted in numerous stage plays. In 2014, they were nominated for a Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theater, which honors Philadelphia-area theater productions, in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical" for their performance in ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

''. Their performances in 2016 included ''Time Is On Our Side'', in which they were hailed as "immensely likable and sympathetic," and ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

''. In September 2016, they began performing as an original cast member in the new Chicago company of ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

''. Clemons-Hopkins began pursuing television and film opportunities after watching the 2016 film ''

Moonlight Moonlight consists of mostly sunlight (with little earthlight) reflected from the parts of the Moon's surface where the Sun's light strikes. History The ancient Greek philosopher Anaxagoras was aware that "''the sun provides the moon with its ...

''. After seeing the film, they wrote in their journal, "I know there will never be another Moonlight, but if there’s another opportunity like this, I want to be ready." In 2021, Clemons-Hopkins began starring on the

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

comedy-drama series '' Hacks''. For the role, they received a nomination for the

. They starred in the

slasher film A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer or a group of killers stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic ...

'' Candyman'', which was released on August 27, 2021. In 2022, they starred as

James Baldwin James Arthur Baldwin (né Jones; August 2, 1924 – December 1, 1987) was an American writer and civil rights activist who garnered acclaim for his essays, novels, plays, and poems. His 1953 novel '' Go Tell It on the Mountain'' has been ranked ...

opposite Crystal Dickinson as

Nikki Giovanni Yolande Cornelia "Nikki" Giovanni Jr. (June 7, 1943 – December 9, 2024) was an American poet, writer, commentator, activist and educator. One of the world's best-known African-American poets, her work includes poetry anthologies, poetry recor ...

in ''Lessons in Survival: 1971'' at the

Vineyard Theatre The Vineyard Theatre is a 120-seat Off-Broadway non-profit theatre company, located at 108 East 15th Street in Manhattan, New York City, near Union Square. Founded in 1981 by Barbara Zinn Krieger, the Vineyard states that its goal is "to give ...

. The play follows when Giovanni interviewed Baldwin on the TV show ''

Soul! ''Soul!'' (also stylized in uppercaseC. Gerald Fraser January 30, 1991, ''New York Times''. Accessed online 21 April 2008.) is a performance/ variety television program that showcased African American music, dance and literature in the late 1960 ...

'' Prior to being cast in ''Hacks'', Clemons-Hopkins had planned to stop acting and was actively preparing to apply for business school.

Personal life

Clemons-Hopkins is queer and non-binary. They use they/them and he/him pronouns.

Filmography

Film

Television

Theater

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * 21st-century American actors 21st-century African-American male actors American film actors American musical theatre actors American non-binary actors American television actors African-American LGBTQ people LGBTQ people from Georgia (U.S. state) Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American queer actors 21st-century American LGBTQ people {{US-screen-actor-stub