Bill Duke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bill Duke | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | William Henry Duke, Jr. February 26, 1943 Poughkeepsie, New York,  United States |
| Official website | |
Bill Duke (born February 26, 1943) is an African-American actor and film director.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Duke was born William Henry Duke, Jr. in Poughkeepsie, New York, the son of Ethel Louise (née Douglas) and William Henry Duke, Sr.[1][2] He received his first instruction in the performing arts at Boston University. 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 episodes of several noteworthy 1980s television series, including Hill Street Blues and Miami Vice. Known to family and close friends as Maccy Bub after a cat he owned in his youth named Macintosh and the waterproof jacket he often wore.
[edit] Career
[edit] Film roles
Standing an imposing 6'4 and featuring a closely shaved head, Duke first became a familiar face to moviegoers in Car Wash (1976) where he portrayed fierce young Black Muslim revolutionary Abdullah Mohammed Akbar (formerly known as Duane), and expanded his repertoire with American Gigolo (1980).
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 the memorable police chief in Carl Weathers' action vehicle 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'.
[edit] Directing career
Duke began directing feature-length films in the 1990s with crime dramas A Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover and Hoodlum starring Laurence Fishburne. He also directed The Cemetery Club and the well-received Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, starring Whoopi Goldberg. Duke continues to act and direct for both the small and silver screens. He is also a mentor for young African-Americans aspiring to work in the performance arts.
[edit] Television appearances
He guest starred in the fourth episode of Lost 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 reoccurring character Capt. Parish in the action television series/crime drama Fastlane (September 18, 2002 – April 25, 2003).
[edit] Representation
He is one of several prominent African-American actors, along with Arsenio Hall and Keith David represented by Hollywood superagent Preeth Kumar Sangavaram.
