Carl Clemons-Hopkins

Carl Clemons-Hopkins is an American actor born in Lithonia, Georgia who attended high school in Snellville, Georgia. They are best known for portraying Marcus on the Max comedy-drama series Hacks, a role that earned them a nomination for the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Clemons-Hopkins is queer and non-binary and uses they/them and he/him pronouns.

Clemons-Hopkins built an extensive foundation in stage work before transitioning to screen. In 2014, they received a Barrymore Award for Excellence in Theater nomination in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Musical for their performance in Little Shop of Horrors, an award recognizing Philadelphia-area theater productions. Their 2016 stage work included performances in Time Is On Our Side and Richard III. That September, Clemons-Hopkins joined the new Chicago company of Hamilton as an original cast member, a production that also represents one of their Broadway credits.

The 2016 film Moonlight marked a turning point in Clemons-Hopkins's approach to their career. After watching it, they wrote in their journal that if another opportunity like it arose, they wanted to be ready, a reflection that redirected their focus toward television and film. Prior to being cast in Hacks, Clemons-Hopkins had been actively preparing to apply for business school and had considered leaving acting.

Hacks began airing in 2021, and Clemons-Hopkins has continued starring in the series through the present. That same year, they appeared in the slasher film Candyman, released on August 27, 2021. In 2022, Clemons-Hopkins portrayed James Baldwin opposite Crystal Dickinson as Nikki Giovanni in Lessons in Survival: 1971 at the Vineyard Theatre, a play centered on Giovanni's interview with Baldwin on the television program Soul.

Clemons-Hopkins's Broadway credits span 2016 to 2026 and include Hamilton and The Balusters, the latter being a world premiere production scheduled for spring 2026.