Yet despite starring in hit dramas including Dalziel and Pascoe and Poldark, the actor’s family faced significant financial pressures during his career.
The Oldham-born actor, best known for playing Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel in the BBC crime drama for more than a decade, died aged 67 following a short illness at his home in Beaconsfield.
His death marked the end of a television and film career spanning nearly 50 years.
Reports published after his death revealed that Clarke left an estate valued at £13,056, which was ultimately wiped out after debts and liabilities were settled.
Clarke had often spoken openly about the financial realities of working as an actor, particularly during his earlier BBC roles.
In a Daily Mail interview cited by several national publications, he recalled a period when his wife Michele was forced to part with her engagement ring to help the family make ends meet.
Explaining the situation, Clarke said: “In those days, the BBC didn’t pay you until you had done the first studio recording, so I had been working on the show for two months without any money.
I went to the cashpoint, put my card in the machine and it spat it out.”
He added: “A few months later, I noticed that my wife wasn’t wearing her engagement ring. I asked her where it was and she explained it was being repaired.”
Clarke later discovered she had sold the ring to help pay household bills.
The revelation stands in stark contrast to the actor’s successful screen career. Clarke first gained widespread attention as Dim in Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 classic A Clockwork Orange before going on to appear in numerous television dramas, including Sleepers, Bleak House, The Manageress and Poldark.
According to reports, Clarke was also believed to have lost a substantial sum through an investment in the 2013 thriller The Numbers Station, which failed at the box office.
Although his career brought fame and critical acclaim, Clarke’s story serves as a reminder that life behind the cameras was often far less glamorous.
More than a decade after his death in Beaconsfield, the Buckinghamshire-based actor remains fondly remembered for his distinctive performances and enduring contribution to British television.