At the young age of 17, Duane Henry left his hometown of Birmingham, England to become a working actor in London. Henry’s first acting role was alongside Samantha Janus on “The Afternoon Play,” a British television anthology series. From 2004 to 2011, Henry made a variety of guest appearances on popular British television dramas, including “Doctor Who,” “The Bill,” and “The Cut,” earning him a nomination for the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Screen National Award for Best Emerging Talent in 2010.
From 2005 to 2013, Henry played five roles on the British medical soap opera “Doctors,” originally set in Birmingham. He played Gareth Broadhurst, a former soldier with PTSD in a three-part special of the show released in 2013 entitled “Doctors: War Zone.” Henry attributes his success on “Doctors” to the fact that he is a native of Birmingham and is therefore automatically considered for roles on the show. Then, in 2011, Henry played a security guard in Madonna’s historical romance drama W.E.
Following his dream, Henry moved from London to Los Angeles in November 2013. He knew very few people there so he mostly couch-surfed and on rare nights slept in his car. He took a year to learn about Los Angeles and to perfect his American accent in order to expand his range as an actor. He sought out a manager and began auditioning for many roles. His first audition was so impressive, casting asked him to come back and read in front of Jennifer Lopez and Barry Levinson. The pilot was “Shades of Blue.” Soon after, Henry booked a series regular role in the USA pilot “Paradise Pictures” (about Hollywood in the 1940s) and a recurring role in the pilot of “Cruel Intentions.”
Henry first entered the “NCIS” cast as MI6 agent Clayton Reeves in May 2016 for the 23rd episode of the show’s 13th season. It was unclear whether Henry’s character would return for the following season. In July 2016, it was confirmed that his character would be featured as a regular on the show beginning in the 14th season, which aired on September 20, 2016. According to Henry, the character of Clayton Reeves did not originally have roots in Birmingham, but he incorporated his upbringing into his character’s backstory.
