Bill Duke
Encyclopedia
William Henry "Bill" Duke, Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor
and film director
with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action
/crime
and drama
genres but also includes comedy
.
Douglas) and William Henry Duke Sr. He received his first instruction in the performing arts and in creative writing at Dutchess Community College
in Poughkeepsie under Professor Constance Kuhn in drama and Professor Howard Winn in creative writing. His first major acting role at Dutchess was as the lead in Eugene O'Neill's Emperor Jones. After graduation from Dutchess he went on to Boston University
for further instruction in drama and for his B.A.
After studying at New York University
's Tisch School of Arts and the AFI Conservatory
, he appeared on Broadway
in the 1971 Melvin Van Peebles
musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
. He directed episode
s of several noteworthy 1980s television series, including Hill Street Blues
and Miami Vice
. Known to family as Maccy Bub after a cat he owned in his youth named Macintosh and the waterproof jacket he often wore.
) where he portrayed fierce young Black Muslim
revolutionary Abdullah Mohammed Akbar (formerly known as Duane), and expanded his repertoire with American Gigolo
(1980
). And in the early 1980s he produced and starred in a thoughtful and creative, however, short-lived CBS TV series entitled "Palmerstown, USA," about the life, times and relationships between a Black family and a White family in a small rural town in the 1930s.
As the action-film-oriented genre became more popular, Duke's presence was perfect to portray a myriad of 'tough guy' roles, chiefly alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger
in Commando
and Predator
, as well as a DEA chief in The Limey
and police chief in Carl Weathers
' movie Action Jackson
. He played a detective investigating a murder in Menace II Society
with his now classic line "You know you done fucked up now... you know that, don't you?" He was a dirty cop in the Mel Gibson
revenge movie Payback and has appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand
as Bolivar Trask
. He also played the role of Levar in the 2005 film Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
(1992) and Hoodlum (1997). He also directed The Cemetery Club
(1993) and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
(1993), starring Whoopi Goldberg
. For television, Duke directed the A&E Network
original film, The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery
(2000). In 2007 he directed the reenactments in the award-winning, PBS-broadcast documentary Prince Among Slaves produced by Unity Productions Foundation.
Duke continues to act and direct for both the small and silver screens. He is also a mentor
for young African American
s aspiring to work in the performance arts.
in its third season as Warden Harris, in the episode "Every Man for Himself
". He also guest starred in Battlestar Galactica
in the season two episode "Black Market
".
Duke was also cast as recurring character Capt. Parish in the action television series/crime drama Fastlane
(September 18, 2002 – April 25, 2003).
Duke also made a guest appearance on Baisden After Dark July 18, 2008.
Duke also guest starred on Cold Case as Grover Boone, a corrupt politician, in the 2008 episode "Street Money".
Duke did a voice over as himself playing a detective in the episode "Thank You for Not Snitching" of the television series The Boondocks.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
with over 30 years of experience. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke's work frequently dwells within the action
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
/crime
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
and drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
genres but also includes comedy
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
.
Early life
Duke was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, the son of Ethel Louise (néeMarried and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Douglas) and William Henry Duke Sr. He received his first instruction in the performing arts and in creative writing at Dutchess Community College
Dutchess Community College
Dutchess Community College is one of 30 community colleges within the State University of New York system . The College, located in Dutchess County, is situated on on a hill above Poughkeepsie, New York...
in Poughkeepsie under Professor Constance Kuhn in drama and Professor Howard Winn in creative writing. His first major acting role at Dutchess was as the lead in Eugene O'Neill's Emperor Jones. After graduation from Dutchess he went on to Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
for further instruction in drama and for his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
After studying at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
's Tisch School of Arts and the AFI Conservatory
AFI Conservatory
The AFI Conservatory is a division of the American Film Institute founded in 1969, located in Hollywood's Griffith Park. The school is the only existing Master of Fine Arts conservatory in advanced film education...
, he appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in the 1971 Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin "Block" Van Peebles is an American actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.He is most famous for creating the acclaimed film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of African American focused films...
musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death
Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death is a musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Melvin Van Peebles. The musical contains some material also on three of Van Peebles' albums, Br'er Soul, Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death and As Serious as a Heart-Attack, some of which were yet to come...
. He directed episode
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
s of several noteworthy 1980s television series, including Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues
Hill Street Blues is an American serial police drama that was first aired on NBC in 1981 and ran for 146 episodes on primetime into 1987. Chronicling the lives of the staff of a single police precinct in an unnamed American city, the show received critical acclaim and its production innovations ...
and Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
. Known to family as Maccy Bub after a cat he owned in his youth named Macintosh and the waterproof jacket he often wore.
Film roles
Standing an imposing 6 ft 4½ in and featuring a closely shaved head, Duke first became a familiar face to moviegoers in Car Wash (19761976 in film
The year 1976 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*March 22 - Filming begins on George Lucas' Star Wars science fiction film...
) where he portrayed fierce young Black Muslim
Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam is a mainly African-American new religious movement founded in Detroit, Michigan by Wallace D. Fard Muhammad in July 1930 to improve the spiritual, mental, social, and economic condition of African-Americans in the United States of America. The movement teaches black pride and...
revolutionary Abdullah Mohammed Akbar (formerly known as Duane), and expanded his repertoire with American Gigolo
American Gigolo
American Gigolo is a 1980 crime drama film, written and directed by Paul Schrader. It is informally considered the second installment in his "lonely man" trilogy, following the Martin Scorsese directed Taxi Driver and preceding Light Sleeper .-Plot:Julian Kaye is a male prostitute in Los Angeles...
(1980
1980 in film
- Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year ....
). And in the early 1980s he produced and starred in a thoughtful and creative, however, short-lived CBS TV series entitled "Palmerstown, USA," about the life, times and relationships between a Black family and a White family in a small rural town in the 1930s.
As the action-film-oriented genre became more popular, Duke's presence was perfect to portray a myriad of 'tough guy' roles, chiefly alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
in Commando
Commando (film)
Commando is a 1985 American action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Vernon Wells, Rae Dawn Chong, Alyssa Milano, Bill Duke, Dan Hedaya and James Olson. It was directed by Mark L...
and Predator
Predator (film)
Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....
, as well as a DEA chief in The Limey
The Limey
The Limey is a 1999 American crime film, directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs. The film features Terence Stamp, Lesley Ann Warren, Luis Guzmán, Peter Fonda and Barry Newman.Filming locations included Big Sur and L.A.-Plot:...
and police chief in Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers
Carl Weathers is an American actor, as well as former professional football player in the United States and Canada. He is best known for playing Apollo Creed in the Rocky series of films...
' movie Action Jackson
Action Jackson
Action Jackson is a 1988 action film directed by Craig R. Baxley and starring Carl Weathers, Vanity, Craig T. Nelson and Sharon Stone. Paula Abdul was the choreographer...
. He played a detective investigating a murder in Menace II Society
Menace II Society
Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...
with his now classic line "You know you done fucked up now... you know that, don't you?" He was a dirty cop in the Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson
Mel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
revenge movie Payback and has appeared in X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand
X-Men: The Last Stand is a 2006 superhero film and the third in the X-Men series. It was directed by Brett Ratner and stars an ensemble cast including Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Kelsey Grammer, Anna Paquin, Shawn Ashmore, Aaron Stanford, Vinnie Jones,...
as Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask
Bolivar Trask is a fictional character and a military scientist in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #14 . He is the creator of the Sentinels.-Fictional character biography:...
. He also played the role of Levar in the 2005 film Get Rich or Die Tryin'.
Directing career
Duke directed the TV movie The Killing Floor in 1985. He began directing theatrical films in the 1990s with crime dramas A Rage in Harlem (1991), Deep CoverDeep Cover
Deep Cover is a 1992 crime thriller film starring Laurence Fishburne and Jeff Goldblum and directed by veteran actor Bill Duke. It is also notable for its theme song of the same name, composed by Dr...
(1992) and Hoodlum (1997). He also directed The Cemetery Club
The Cemetery Club
-Plot:Based on the play by Ivan Menchell, this drama concerns three friends, Doris , Lucille , and Esther . All three live in the same Jewish community in Pittsburgh, are in their mid-to-late 50s, and have become widows within the past few months...
(1993) and Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit
Sister Act 2: Back In The Habit is a 1993 comedy film starring Whoopi Goldberg. Directed by Bill Duke, and released by Touchstone Pictures, it is the sequel to the successful 1992 film Sister Act...
(1993), starring Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
. For television, Duke directed the A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
original film, The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery
The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery
The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery is a made-for-television film based on the 1953 novel by Rex Stout. Set in 1950s Manhattan, the A&E Network production stars Maury Chaykin as the heavyweight detective genius Nero Wolfe, and Timothy Hutton as Wolfe's assistant, Archie Goodwin, narrator of...
(2000). In 2007 he directed the reenactments in the award-winning, PBS-broadcast documentary Prince Among Slaves produced by Unity Productions Foundation.
Duke continues to act and direct for both the small and silver screens. He is also a mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
for young African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s aspiring to work in the performance arts.
Television appearances
Duke made an early appearance on Kojak as the character, Sylk in the Episode, "Bad Dude" in the third season of the series. He guest starred in the fourth episode of LostLost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
in its third season as Warden Harris, in the episode "Every Man for Himself
Every Man For Himself (Lost)
"Every Man for Himself" is the fourth episode of the third season of Lost, making it the 53rd episode of the series. It aired on October 25, 2006 on ABC, and was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz and directed by Stephen Williams...
". He also guest starred in Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
in the season two episode "Black Market
Black Market (Battlestar Galactica)
"Black Market" is the fourteenth episode of the second season of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica television series. It aired originally on the Sci Fi Channel on January 27, 2006. In the episode, Apollo's investigation of the fleet's black market becomes intertwined with his involvement with a...
".
Duke was also cast as recurring character Capt. Parish in the action television series/crime drama Fastlane
Fastlane (TV series)
Fastlane is an American action/crime drama series that was broadcast on Fox from 2002 to 2003. On August 14, 2005 G4 began rebroadcasting the complete series. After finishing its initial run on the network, Fastlane stopped airing on G4...
(September 18, 2002 – April 25, 2003).
Duke also made a guest appearance on Baisden After Dark July 18, 2008.
Duke also guest starred on Cold Case as Grover Boone, a corrupt politician, in the 2008 episode "Street Money".
Duke did a voice over as himself playing a detective in the episode "Thank You for Not Snitching" of the television series The Boondocks.
External links
- Bill Duke interview about The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe MysteryThe Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe MysteryThe Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery is a made-for-television film based on the 1953 novel by Rex Stout. Set in 1950s Manhattan, the A&E Network production stars Maury Chaykin as the heavyweight detective genius Nero Wolfe, and Timothy Hutton as Wolfe's assistant, Archie Goodwin, narrator of...
at the Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...