Bill Duke

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
birthname = William Henry Duke, Jr.
birthdate = birth date and age|1943|2|26
birthplace = Poughkeepsie, New York,
USA
website = http://www.billduke.com/

Bill Duke (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director.

Biography

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. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/23/Bill-Duke.html Bill Duke Biography (1943-) ] ] [ [http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019247/bio Bill Duke Biography - Yahoo! Movies ] ] 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.

Career

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 "" as Bolivar Trask. He also played the role of Levar in the 2005 film "Get Rich or Die Tryin'".

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 "", 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.

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).

Duke also made a guest appearance on Baisden After Dark July 18, 2008.

Representation

He is one of several prominent African-American actors, along with Arsenio Hall and Keith David represented by Hollywood superagent Preeth Kumar Sangavaram.

References

External links

* [http://www.billduke.com/ Official website]
*imdb name|id=0004886|name=Bill Duke