Clarence Maclin
{{Short description|American actor}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Clarence Maclin
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1966|11|29}}{{Cite web |last=Davidson |first=Denton |date=2025-01-07 |title=Clarence Maclin on becoming a breakout star in 'Sing Sing' and what 'turned that artist back on in me' |url=https://www.goldderby.com/feature/clarence-maclin-sing-sing-video-interview-1206074344/ |access-date=2025-01-08 |website=GoldDerby |language=en-US}}
| birth_place = Tennessee, U.S.
| other_names = Divine Eye
| image = Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin at 2024 HIFF (cropped).jpg
| caption = Maclin at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival
| education = Mercy University (AS)
| known_for = Sing Sing (2023)
}}
Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin (born November 29, 1966) is an American actor, youth counselor, creative arts specialist, and gang intervention specialist. He portrayed a fictionalized version of himself in the 2023 film Sing Sing. His performance earned him nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTA Awards, Critics' Choice Movie Awards, Gotham Awards, and Independent Spirit Awards. Additionally, Maclin was nominated for the 2025 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Early life and education
Maclin was born in Tennessee and raised in Mount Vernon, New York.{{Cite web |last=Shrestha |first=Naman |date=2024-07-10 |title=Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin: Where is the Ex-Sing Sing Convict Now? |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/clarence-divine-eye-maclin/#:~:text=Son%20of%20Mrs.%20Mary,%20Clarence%20%E2%80%9CDivine%20Eye%E2%80%9D%20Maclin,in%20the%20city%20of%20Mount%20Vernon,%20New%20York. |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=The Cinemaholic |language=en-US}} He attended Mount Vernon High School and earned an associate degree in behavioral psychology from Mercy University.{{Cite web |last=Daniels |first=Robert |title=On The Same Level: Paul Raci, Clarence Maclin, and Sean Johnson on Sing Sing {{!}} Interviews {{!}} Roger Ebert |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/paul-raci-clarence-maclin-sean-johnson-sing-sing-interview |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=rogerebert.com |date=6 July 2024 |language=en}}
Career
When he was 29, Maclin was sentenced to 17 years at the Sing Sing Correctional Facility for robbery.{{Cite news |last=Sherman |first=Rachel |date=2024-07-12 |title=For This Drama, Some Actors Returned to Prison by Choice |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/12/movies/sing-sing-prison-drama-colman-domingo.html |access-date=2024-08-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} During his incarceration, Maclin participated in the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program.{{Cite magazine |last=Ford |first=Rebecca |date=2024-08-27 |title=From "Trouble-Prone" Prisoner to 'Sing Sing' Star |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/story/clarence-maclin-sing-sing-star-awards-insider |access-date=2024-09-09 |magazine=Vanity Fair |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Hadadi |first=Roxana |date=2024-08-15 |title=Don't Underestimate How Much Sing Sing's Clarence Maclin Knows About Shakespeare |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/sing-sing-clarence-divine-eye-maclin-on-reliving-prison.html |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Vulture |language=en}} Since his release, Maclin has worked as a youth counselor, creative arts specialist, and gang intervention specialist at Lincoln Hall Boys Haven in Somers, New York.
He made his feature film debut in Sing Sing, portraying a younger version of himself. Maclin's performance has received critical acclaim.{{Cite magazine |last=Iscoe |first=Adam |date=2024-07-29 |title=How Clarence Maclin Went from Sing Sing to "Sing Sing" |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2024/08/05/how-clarence-maclin-went-from-sing-sing-to-sing-sing |access-date=2024-08-10 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |issn=0028-792X}}{{Cite news |last=Kennedy |first=Lisa |date=2024-07-11 |title='Sing Sing' Review: Divine Interventions |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/11/movies/sing-sing-review.html |access-date=2024-08-10 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |last=Davidson |first=Denton |date=2024-07-16 |title=Clarence Maclin ('Sing Sing') eyes historic Oscar nomination for playing himself |url=https://www.goldderby.com/article/2024/2025-oscar-predictions-clarence-maclin-sing-sing/ |access-date=2024-08-10 |website=GoldDerby |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Sing Sing star opens up on power of art and playing himself in prison drama |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/sing-sing-clarence-maclin-divine-eye-interview-exclusive/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=Radio Times |language=en-GB}} For the role, Maclin earned nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the 30th Critics' Choice Awards, 34th Gotham Awards, 40th Independent Spirit Awards, 29th Satellite Awards, and 78th British Academy Film Awards; he won the Gotham. He also received nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 78th British Academy Film Awards & 97th Academy Awards, alongside co-writers Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, and John "Divine G" Whitfield.{{Cite web |title=Clarence Maclin - Awards |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13697094/awards/?ref_=nm_awd |access-date=2025-01-23 |website=IMDb |language=en-US}}{{cite web |date=23 January 2025 |title=The 97th Academy Awards {{!}} 2025 |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2025 |access-date=24 January 2025 |work=Oscars.org}}
Filmography
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year !Title !Role !Notes |
| 2023
|Himself |Also writer and executive producer |
| TBA
|In Starland | |
Awards and nominations
References
External links
- {{IMDB name|13697094}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Clarence Maclin
|list =
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Breakthrough Performance}}
{{Gotham Independent Film Award for Outstanding Supporting Performance}}
{{San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Award for Best Adapted Screenplay}}
{{Seattle Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maclin, Clarence}}
Category:American male film actors
Category:Male actors from Mount Vernon, New York
Category:Mercy University alumni
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:21st-century American male actors
Category:Male actors from Tennessee
{{US-film-actor-1960s-stub}}