[1][4] Clencie had very little acting experience prior to auditioning for ABC, but he impressed the producer of the series, who then cast him in the lead role.
[5] Clencie starred as Sam Parkes, who wins some money betting on the races and takes care of his younger siblings while their mother is in Singapore.
[1] The following year, Clencie made a guest appearance in police drama Cop Shop,[5] and he played Joe in the miniseries I Can Jump Puddles.
[4] At the time, The Sullivans was Australia's most watched television show and Clencie considered the role his big break.
[5] In 1983, Clencie appeared in the children's television series Home as Mike the stablehand,[6] and guested in an episode of A Country Practice.
[5] After Starting Out was cancelled, Clencie left television for a time to appear in various theatre productions, including Michael Gow's The Kid, which he called a highlight of his career.
[5][9] He also worked in the art department of the Network Ten miniseries The Dunera Boys, became involved in music and joined a band.
"[5] Neighbours premiered on 18 March 1985, and Jacqueline Lee Lewis of The Sydney Morning Herald included Clencie in her list of younger actors "worth keeping an eye on.
During the break between filming, Clencie began a relationship with his co-star Vikki Blanche and the couple lived together for six months.
[12] The media speculated that he had been sacked from the role, but Clencie clarified in a TV Week interview that he and the producers had come to a mutual agreement that his character would be rested.
[12] Clencie admitted to having had "an unprofessional attitude in the past" and letting down the cast and crew, but he had changed his ways and it did not contribute to his departure.
[3] In March 2015, Clencie was arrested and jailed for 15 days after breaching a family violence order, after police found him at the home of his partner.
[16] His lawyer told the court that Clencie's partner had applied to have the intervention order removed, and they should have waited before meeting.