Bill Duke is an American actor, director, producer, and writer. He is best known for his roles in films such as Commando, Predator, Bird on a Wire. Duke is also the director of a number of films, including the story of the gangsters "Fury in Harlem." The film was based on the novel of the same name by Chester Himes and presented at the 44th Cannes Film Festival.
Biography
William Henry "Bill" Duke Jr., commonly known as Bill Duke, was born on February 26, 1943 in the small American town of Poughkeepsie, New York, to William Henry Duke Sr. and Ethel Louise.
After graduating from Franklin D. Roosevelt High School, he entered Dutchess Community College, where he received his initial skills in acting and creative writing. After successfully graduating from school, Bill continued his education at Boston University in Massachusetts. Here the future actor received a bachelor of arts degree in drama.
View of the Boston University building Photo: Robmyskis / Wikimedia Commons
Bill later went on to study performing arts. He studied at locations such as the AFI Conservatory and the Tisch School of the Arts in Manhattan.
Career and creativity
Bill Duke's professional career began in 1971 with a Broadway production of the musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death. Then, for several years, the aspiring actor played minor roles in television series.
In 1976, Bill Duke made his film debut. He was offered to play Abdula in the comedy film "Car Wash" directed by Michael Schultz. He later appeared in Starsky and Hutch (1978) and Charlie's Angels (1978), where he played Officer Dryden and David Pearl, respectively.
In 1979, Duke produced and directed a short film titled Hero. This work gave him the opportunity to shoot episodes of various television series, which he did throughout the 80s. For example, in 1982 he directed six episodes of the television soap opera Falcon Crest (1981 - 1990), which aired on CBS. In the period from 1982 to 1987, Bill directed a number of episodes of the American television series "Quiet Wharf" (1979 - 1993).
American actor Bill Duke on the red carpet, 2019 Photo: Sydthewriter10 / Wikimedia Commons
Meanwhile, Bill managed to establish himself as a talented actor. In 1980, he played Leon James in American Gigolo, directed by Paul Schroeder. In the same year he was invited to play the role of Luther Freeman in a television series called "Palmerstown, USA". From 1980 to 1981, he appeared in 17 episodes of this picture. In 1990, Duke played FBI agent Albert Diggs in Bird on a Wire, directed by John Badham.
A year later, he directed the gangster story Fury in Harlem (1991), starring Forest Whitaker and Gregory Hines. The film premiered at the 44th Cannes Film Festival, where it received a five-minute standing ovation and critical acclaim. In addition, Duke was nominated for the Palme d'Or for this work. In the years that followed, he directed films such as Undercover (1992), Cemetery Club (1993) and Sister Act 2 (1993).
Between 2003 and 2004, Bill Duke played Amos Andrews in the crime drama Karen Sisko. At the same time, he filmed episodes of such films as "Slaughter Department" (2002), "Mission of Clairvoyance" (2003 - 2006), "Wonder Boys" (2005) and others.
In 2006, Bill was cast as Bolivar Trask's secretary in Brett Ratner's X-Men: The Last Stand. In 2011, Duke directed a documentary entitled "Black Girls," which was nominated for the NAACP Image Award.
Later, the actor went on to act in films and appeared in such films and series as Death with Special Effects (2012), Crossfire (2014), Between (2015 - 2016) and others.
American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter Stephen Soderbergh Photo: nicolas genin / Wikimedia Commons
Bill Duke also owns a media company called Duke Media Entertainment, which aims to create and distribute quality information content around the world. In addition, Duke Media Entertainment supports promising emerging artists. One of Bill Duke's most recent acting work is Spence in the sports-drama film High Flying Bird (2019) directed by Steven Soderbergh. In the same year, he played the senior security guard James in the movie called Crazy Bullet. In addition, Bill has produced several directing projects.
Together with veterans of the American film industry such as Gordon Parks and Michael Schultz, Bill Duke is working to ensure equal opportunity for African American actors in Hollywood.
Family and personal life
Bill Duke is married to the popular African American writer Sheila P. Moses, who was nominated for the American National Book Award in 2004. Moreover, Duke himself is an acclaimed writer. In the book "My 40-Year Career on Screen and behind the Camera" he talked about his career as an actor and director.
Bill Duke's niece, American actress Shanola Hampton Photo: Angela George / Wikimedia Commons
Duke is also known to have a sister, Yvonne, and a niece, Shanola Hampton, who was spotted in the TV documentary Unsung Hollywood and the TV series Shameless.
