Noel Clarke was born in Notting Hill, West London to Trinidadian parents Gemma Clarke, a nurse and part-time laundrette worker, and Alphaeus Clarke, a carpenter.
His parents divorced shortly after he was born, and he was brought up by his mother on a council estate in Ladbroke Grove where his mother still lives.
In 2018, when appearing on the BBC genealogy series, Who Do You Think You Are? Clarke discovered that his maternal great-grandparents emigrated from Trinidad to Saint Vincent, while his paternal grandmother emigrated from Grenada.
Clarke studied Media at the University of North London and worked as a personal trainer before going on to take acting classes at London’s Actors Centre.