''Homicide's' Johnson Has A Lot Of Meldrick In Him

His character may play it straight, but "Homicide's" Clark Johnson is king of the curveball.

For example, what happened this season to Detective Meldrick Lewis' mystery wife, who appeared, then disappeared about 10 seconds later?

"She's still there, but the producers are too lazy to write anything and too cheap to bring her (actress Karen Williams) from New York," says Johnson, 42.

Just kidding, he says later. Kidding aside, Johnson directed the Feb. 14 episode of Barry Levinson's acclaimed NBC drama. It was the third "Homicide" to be helmed by Johnson, who last season became the first cast member to direct a segment.

Fact is, as much as Johnson likes acting, he'd be just as happy mining his other big-screen talents - writing, directing and special-effects work.

"I like making movies. I come from the production end. If I went back to blowing up buildings, it wouldn't bother me that much. I want to do my own stuff. I'd be perfectly happy to make my own little films."

Johnson, who broke into the movies in 1980 as Lee Majors' driver in "The Last Chase," has sold two screenplays. One of them, "Chalk Shadow," about greedy art dealers, is to star Jon Polito, Richard Belzer and Ned Beatty, Johnson's "Homicide" buddies.

Had gridiron dreams

As a youngster growing up in Toronto, Johnson dreamed of a football career.

No surprise. His dad, John E. Johnson, played running back with the Philadelphia Eagles in the early '40s, Clark says. (The Birds cannot confirm this, but they don't have complete rosters dating back that far.)

A 6-foot-2-inch, 190-pound defensive back and wide receiver, Johnson was recruited by Eastern Michigan. He didn't last long.

"The tragic truth is that I got kicked out for being a wise guy. The straw that broke the camel's back was when I stole frozen turkey-dogs from the cafeteria so I could feed the masses." (Just kidding, he says later. His grades sank and he lost his scholarship.)

Johnson was drafted by the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts in the sixth round in 1980. (He only made the practice roster.) Next came semipro ball for Buffalo, in the "mayhem league," for $100 a game. At that point, Johnson realized his future lay elsewhere.

Johnson and his "Homicide" character "have more in common than I care to admit," he says. "Meldrick and I are both hoagies-and-cheesesteak kind of guys." Sartorially, however, Johnson "wouldn't be caught dead" in Meldrick's trademark brown suits and small-brimmed hats.

"I'm more into jeans, combat boots, baseball caps. Meldrick dresses for success, for a cop. The hats are my salute to Philadelphia. My father and all my uncles had hats like that in the '50s. We called 'em `stingy brims."'

Long weekly commute

Every weekend, Johnson commutes from "Homicide's" Baltimore set to his Toronto home, which he shares with his wife of 2 1/2 years, Heather Salmon. His children from a previous marriage, Casandra, 14, and Michaela, 11, live nearby. So do his two sisters, both musicians.

Unlike many of his colleagues, Johnson doesn't have a zillion projects planned for his series' hiatus. His favorite role, he says, "is having the chance just to be a dad and husband."