David Clencie
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David Clencie is an Australian actor. He made his debut aged 14 in the children's television series ''Sam's Luck''. He was cast in the lead role of Sam Parkes, after impressing the producer while auditioning for the ABC network. He then appeared in police drama ''
Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. Synopsis The show revolved arou ...
'' and the 1981 miniseries '' I Can Jump Puddles''. The following year, Clencie joined the cast of '' The Sullivans'' as Steve Sullivan, a role which he considered to be his big break. He also had roles in ''
Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
'', ''
A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera/serial which was broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 22 November 1993, and subsequently on Network Ten from 13 April 1994 to 5 November 1994. Altogether, 14 ...
'', and ''
Starting Out ''Starting Out'' is an Australian television soap opera made for the Nine Network by the Reg Grundy Organisation in 1983. Background The five-night-a-week series was created by Reg Watson as the network's replacement for the long-running s ...
''. From 1985 until 1986, Clencie played
Danny Ramsay Danny Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by David Clencie. He made his first appearance during the serial's debut episode broadcast on 18 March 1985. Danny was the first character to ...
in the soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
''. He left the cast after he and the producers agreed that his character would be rested. After leaving ''Neighbours'', Clencie had a career in real estate and became a voice-over artist for television commercials. He made guest appearances in numerous television dramas, including ''
Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted th ...
''. He briefly reprised his ''Neighbours'' role in July 2005.


Early life

Clencie grew up in the Melbourne suburb of East Malvern. His mother was a homemaker and his father owned an advertising agency. He has a younger sister. Clencie's father committed suicide in 1993, and Clencie later believed this event led to him becoming dependent on alcohol. Clencie attended
Melbourne Grammar School Melbourne Grammar School is an Australian private school, private Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican Day school, day and boarding school. It comprises a co-educational preparatory school from Prep to Year 6 and a middle school and senior s ...
. He was a percussionist in the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra and also played football.


Career

Clencie made his first television appearance aged 15 in the 1980 children's series ''
Sam's Luck ''Sam's Luck'' is an Australian children's drama television series that originally aired on ABC TV for one season from 7 July until 11 August 1980. It was a six episode series about three children, Sam, Janny and Daniel, who try to look after t ...
''. Clencie had very little acting experience prior to auditioning for ABC, but he impressed the producer of the series, who then cast him in the lead role. Clencie starred as Sam Parkes, who wins some money betting on the races and takes care of his younger siblings while their mother is in Singapore. Jill Morris of ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'' praised Clencie for his performance. The following year, Clencie made a guest appearance in police drama ''
Cop Shop ''Cop Shop'' is a long-running Australian police drama television series produced by Crawford Productions that ran for seven seasons between 28 November 1977 and 23 July 1984. It comprised 582 one-hour episodes. Synopsis The show revolved arou ...
'', and he played Joe in the miniseries '' I Can Jump Puddles''. During filming, he was knocked out when he fell from a horse. Clencie then went on to join the main cast of '' The Sullivans'' as Jim Sullivan's ( Andy Anderson) younger brother, Steve. At the time, ''The Sullivans'' was Australia's most watched television show and Clencie considered the role his big break. In 1983, Clencie appeared in the children's television series ''
Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...
'' as Mike the stablehand, and guested in an episode of ''
A Country Practice ''A Country Practice'' is an Australian television soap opera/serial which was broadcast on the Seven Network from 18 November 1981 until 22 November 1993, and subsequently on Network Ten from 13 April 1994 to 5 November 1994. Altogether, 14 ...
''. He also starred in the short-lived soap opera ''
Starting Out ''Starting Out'' is an Australian television soap opera made for the Nine Network by the Reg Grundy Organisation in 1983. Background The five-night-a-week series was created by Reg Watson as the network's replacement for the long-running s ...
'' as student Ben McNamara. Clencie branded it the "lowlight" of his career at the time. After ''Starting Out'' was cancelled, Clencie left television for a time to appear in various theatre productions, including Michael Gow's ''The Kid'', which he called a highlight of his career. He also worked in the art department of the
Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as the 10 Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Paramount Global's Paramount Networks UK & Australia, UK & Australia division and is o ...
miniseries '' The Dunera Boys'', became involved in music and joined a band. Clencie filmed a role in the Australian feature film ''
Run Chrissie Run! ''Run Chrissie Run!'' (also known as ''Money Hunters'' and ''Moving Targets'' in the US) is a 1984 Australian Action film, action Thriller (genre), thriller film, directed by Chris Langman. Graham Hartley adapted the script from the novel ''When ...
'' in 1984, but it was not released until 1986. In 1984, Clencie joined the cast of new soap opera ''
Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera that has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and ...
'' as teenager
Danny Ramsay Danny Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera ''Neighbours'', played by David Clencie. He made his first appearance during the serial's debut episode broadcast on 18 March 1985. Danny was the first character to ...
. He initially signed on for six months with a six month option. He admitted to being "tentative" about signing up for another long-running series. He also told Patrice Fidgeon of ''
TV Week ''TV Week'' is a weekly Australian magazine that provides television program listings information and highlights, as well as television-related news. Content ranges from previews for upcoming storylines of popular television programs, particu ...
'' that he had to give up a role in a Chekov play when he joined ''Neighbours''. However, he found his character interesting and thought he was "a bit different from all the others." ''Neighbours'' premiered on 18 March 1985, and Jacqueline Lee Lewis of ''
The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...
'' included Clencie in her list of younger actors "worth keeping an eye on." ''Neighbours'' was cancelled by
Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...
in its first year due to low ratings, but it was soon saved by rival network Ten. During the break between filming, Clencie began a relationship with his co-star Vikki Blanche and the couple lived together for six months. Clencie filmed his final scenes for ''Neighbours'' in June 1986. The media speculated that he had been sacked from the role, but Clencie clarified in a ''TV Week'' interview that he and the producers had come to a mutual agreement that his character would be rested. He explained that he was offered three different contracts, but it was eventually agreed that he would take a break. Clencie admitted to having had "an unprofessional attitude in the past" and letting down the cast and crew, but he had changed his ways and it did not contribute to his departure. Clencie's workload had dropped from five episodes a week to two, as the show began focussing on other characters. He thought there was a lot of potential for Danny, but accepted that ''Neighbours'' had moved in a different direction. Clencie's final scenes aired in July 1986, as his character relocates to another town for work. After leaving ''Neighbours'', Clencie began a career in real estate. In 1987, he helped to sell his former co-star Stefan Dennis's Elwood house. He also became a voice-over artist for television commercials. Clencie later returned to acting with guest roles in television dramas, including ''
Blue Heelers ''Blue Heelers'' is an Australian police drama series that was produced by Southern Star Group and ran for twelve years on the Seven Network, from 1994 to 2006. Although based around the policing of the town, the series generally depicted th ...
''. In July 2005, he joined several former ''Neighbours'' cast members in reprising their roles for an appearance in the show's 20th anniversary episode. Clencie was highly critical of the serial's 2022 then-finale and the producers, accusing them of stealing a storyline idea for his character.


Personal life

In October 2014, Clencie was arrested for assaulting his partner twice in one day, while under the influence of alcohol. He admitted in court that he had a 30-year alcohol addiction, and had acted in self defence. Clencie was refused bail. He later pleaded guilty to the charges, and served three months in Melbourne Remand Centre and three months in Port Phillip Prison. In March 2015, Clencie was arrested and jailed for 15 days after breaching a family violence order, after police found him at the home of his partner. His lawyer told the court that Clencie's partner had applied to have the intervention order removed, and they should have waited before meeting. He also said that Clencie was "substantially" free of alcohol, having undergone rehabilitation and counselling. Clencie and his partner, Megan, got engaged a month after he left jail. They married in front of their family and friends in October 2015. Clencie has a son from a previous relationship. Clencie is a Richmond Tigers supporter, and has a diploma in horticulture.


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Clencie, David Living people 1960s births Australian soap opera actors Australian television actors Australian film actors 20th-century Australian actors Australian voice actors