Bill Duke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bill Duke | |
| Born | February 26, 1943 Poughkeepsie, New York USA |
| Official site | BillDuke.com |
| Notable roles | Cooke in Commando, Mac in Predator |
Bill Duke (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director.
Born in Poughkeepsie, New York, Duke 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.
Standing an imposing 6'4 and featuring a closely shaved head, Duke became a familiar face to moviegoers after portraying tough guys alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando and Predator, as well as the memorable police chief in Carl Weathers' action vehicle Action Jackson. He was a dirty cop in the Mel Gibson revenge movie Payback. He also has appeared in the X-Men: The Last Stand as Bolivar Trask.
Other Duke films include Car Wash (1976) where he portrays Abdullah, and American Gigolo (1980) as a homosexual. In American Gigolo, Duke is seen with hair as opposed to his other films.
Returning to the director's chair, Duke began directing feature-length films in the 1990s with crime dramas A Rage in Harlem and Deep Cover. He also directed The Cemetery Club and the well-received Sister Act 2, 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 for the performance arts.
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.
Appeared at Justo's 10th Annual Mixtape Awards, which were held at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem on Dec. 7. Where he took the stage and requested a moment of silence to honor his late friend (Justo)'s memory, but audience members refused to comply with his wishes.
