Profile photo of Clancy Brown

Clancy Brown

Clarence John "Clancy" Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. His film roles include Rawhide in The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984), the Kurgan in Highlander (1986), Sheriff Gus Gilbert in Pet Sematary Two (1992), Capt. Byron Hadley in The Shawshank Redemption (1994), Sgt. Charles Zim in Starship Troopers (1997), Surtur in Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Stanley Thomas in Promising Young Woman (2020), and the Harbinger in John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). On television, he has played Brother Justin Crowe on the HBO series Carnivàle (2003–2005), Waylon "Jock" Jeffcoat on the Showtime series Billions (2018–2019, 2023), Kurt Caldwell on the Showtime series Dexter: New Blood (2021–2022), and Sal Maroni in The Penguin (2024). In animation, Brown has voiced Lex Luthor in the DC Animated Universe (1996–2006) and Mr. Krabs on SpongeBob SquarePants (1999–present). His other animated roles include Long Feng in Avatar: The Last Airbender (2006) and Savage Opress in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2011–2013). He has also voiced video game characters such as Doctor Neo Cortex and Uka Uka in the Crash Bandicoot franchise (1997–2003) and Hank Anderson in Detroit: Become Human (2018). Clarence J. Brown III was born on January 5, 1959, in Urbana, Ohio, and had an older sister, Beth, who died in 1964. Their mother, Joyce Helen (née Eldridge), was a conductor, composer and concert pianist. The siblings' father, Clarence J. "Bud" Brown Jr., was a newspaper publisher who helped manage the Brown Publishing Company, the family-owned newspaper business started by Clancy's grandfather, Congressman Clarence J. Brown. From 1965 to 1983, Bud Brown also served as a congressman, in the same seat as his own father, and later as Chairman of the Board of Brown Publishing. The family continued to operate the business until 2010. Brown graduated from St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., and Northwestern University. At St. Albans, Brown performed the role of Deputy Governor Thomas Danforth in The Crucible.

Filmography

2025
The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants

as Mr. Krabs / Pirate / Narrator (voice)

Movie
2025
Regretting You

as Hank 'Gramps' Adams

Movie
2025
Plankton: The Movie

as Mr. Krabs / Pa Plankton (voice)

Movie
2024
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie

as Mr. Krabs / Clyde / Neighbor #1 / Bottomite #2 / Bottomite Crowd (voice)

Movie
2024
The Fix

as The Chairman

Movie
2023
John Wick: Chapter 4

as Harbinger

Movie
2020
Promising Young Woman

as Stanley

Movie
2020
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run

as Mr. Krabs (voice)

Movie
2017
Thor: Ragnarok

as Surtur (voice)

Movie
2016
Warcraft

as Blackhand

Movie
2015
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water

as Mr. Krabs (voice)

Movie
2013
Homefront

as Sheriff Keith Rodriguez

Movie
2011
Green Lantern

as Parallax (voice)

Movie
2010
A Nightmare on Elm Street

as Alan Smith

Movie
2006
The Guardian

as Capt. William Hadley

Movie
2004
The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

as Mr. Krabs (voice)

Movie
1999
The Hurricane

as Lt. Jimmy Williams

Movie
1997
Flubber

as Smith

Movie
1997
Starship Troopers

as Career Sergeant Zim

Movie
1994
The Shawshank Redemption

as Captain Byron T. Hadley

Movie
1986
Highlander

as Victor 'The Kurgan' Kruger

Movie
2021
Invincible

as General Kregg (voice)

TV Show
2020
Solar Opposites

as Gavin (voice)

TV Show
2008
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

as Savage Opress (voice)

TV Show
2007
Phineas and Ferb
TV Show
2005
Avatar: The Last Airbender

as Long Feng (voice)

TV Show
1999
SpongeBob SquarePants

as Mr. Krabs (voice)

TV Show