Bill Duke
Film director and actor Bill Duke was born William Henry Hudson Duke, Jr. on February 26, 1943 in Poughkeepsie, New York to Ethel Louise and William Henry Hudson Duke, Sr. Duke earned his A.A. degree from Dutchess Community College before attending Boston University, where he originally enrolled as a pre-med student, but earned his B.A. degree in theatre. He received his M.A. degree in fine arts from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. Duke later attended the American Film Institute.
Duke began his career as an actor in New York City with the Negro Ensemble Company, performing in plays such as LeRoi Jones' Slave Ship and Melvin Van Peebles’ musical Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death. Duke’s first movie role was in 1976 when he portrayed a young Black Muslim revolutionary named Abdullah Mohammed Akbar in Car Wash. Duke then held the recurring role of Luther Freeman in the series Palmerstown, U.S.A. before his directorial debut in 1982, directing episodes of Knot's Landing, Falcon Crest, and Flamingo Road. Some of Duke's most prominent work was his direction of teleplays for the PBS series American Playhouse including “The Killing Floor,” which was chosen for Critic's Week at the Cannes Film Festival in 1985, “A Raisin in the Sun,” which received an Emmy nomination, and “The Meeting.” During the 1980s, Duke amassed more than 100 television directing credits, including more than seventy episodes of roughly twenty television series such as Miami Vice, Dallas, Crime Story, Cagney and Lacey and Hill Street Blues. Duke directed his first feature film in 1990, a film adaptation of Chester Himes' novel A Rage in Harlem. He went on to direct many other films including Deep Cover, Sister Act 2, Hoodlum, Deacons for Defense, and Prince Among Slaves. Duke was also featured in numerous television series, including in Fastlane, Karen Sisco, and Black Lightning, as well as in films like Predator, Menace II Society, Get Rich or Die Tryin’, and High Flying Bird. In 1993, he co-authored Black Light: The African American Hero with Paul Carter Harrison and Danny Glover; and, in 1996, he published The Journey: A Tale of Human Healing. Duke published his memoir in 2018.
In 2004, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Duke to the California Film Commission. Duke also worked with non-profit and charity organizations such as Educating Young Minds, and has taught at several universities including Howard University and New York University School of Arts. In 2008, he founded the Duke Media Foundation, aimed at teaching new media skills to youth.
Duke is the recipient of numerous awards including the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the NAACP’s Special Award for Outstanding Achievement, SCLC’s Drum Major for Justice Film Award, and a Cable Ace Award. President Bill Clinton also appointed Duke to the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Duke was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on September 19, 2008 and November 20, 2019.
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9/19/2008
9/19/2008 |and| 11/20/2019
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Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School
Duchess Community College
Boston University
New York University
Violet Avenue Elementary School
Bill
Poughkeepsie
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All Seasons
New York
Caribbean
True Power Is An Individual's Ability To Move From Failure To Failure With No Loss Of Enthusiasm.

California
2/26/1943
Los Angeles
United States
Ice Cream
Film director and actor Bill Duke (1943- ) has over 100 directing and acting credits, including for directing American Playhouse, A Rage in Harlem, and Sister Act 2, and acting in Fastlane, Commando, Predator, Menace II Society, and X-Men: The Last Stand.
Negro Ensemble Company
Howard University
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Tape: 1 Story: 1 - Slating of Bill Duke's interview
Tape: 1 Story: 2 - Bill Duke lists his favorites
Tape: 1 Story: 3 - Bill Duke describes his mother's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 4 - Bill Duke recalls his maternal family's move to Poughkeepsie, New York
Tape: 1 Story: 5 - Bill Duke describes his mother's upbringing
Tape: 1 Story: 6 - Bill Duke describes his mother
Tape: 1 Story: 7 - Bill Duke describes his father's family background
Tape: 1 Story: 8 - Bill Duke describes his father
Tape: 1 Story: 9 - Bill Duke describes how his parents met
Tape: 1 Story: 10 - Bill Duke describes how he takes after his parents
Tape: 1 Story: 11 - Bill Duke describes his earliest childhood memory
Tape: 2 Story: 1 - Bill Duke describes the sights, sounds and smells of his childhood
Tape: 2 Story: 2 - Bill Duke talks about his family's self-sufficiency
Tape: 2 Story: 3 - Bill Duke remembers his upbringing in Poughkeepsie, New York
Tape: 2 Story: 4 - Bill Duke describes the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie, New York
Tape: 2 Story: 5 - Bill Duke remembers Violet Avenue Elementary School in Poughkeepsie, New York
Tape: 2 Story: 6 - Bill Duke remembers his early experiences with dyslexia
Tape: 2 Story: 7 - Bill Duke describes his early interest in writing
Tape: 2 Story: 8 - Bill Duke remembers Dr. James Hall
Tape: 2 Story: 9 - Bill Duke recalls his introduction to theater at Boston University
Tape: 3 Story: 1 - Bill Duke remembers Lloyd Richards
Tape: 3 Story: 2 - Bill Duke recalls developing his skills as a director
Tape: 3 Story: 3 - Bill Duke remembers his favorite film and television programs
Tape: 3 Story: 4 - Bill Duke describes his early theater career in New York City
Tape: 3 Story: 5 - Bill Duke remembers his introduction to Hollywood's entertainment industry
Tape: 3 Story: 6 - Bill Duke describes his short film, 'The Hero'
Tape: 3 Story: 7 - Bill Duke remembers co-starring with Richard Gere in 'American Gigolo'
Tape: 3 Story: 8 - Bill Duke describes his transition to directing
Tape: 4 Story: 1 - Bill Duke remembers directing 'The Killing Floor'
Tape: 4 Story: 2 - Bill Duke recalls directing 'A Raisin in the Sun' for PBS
Tape: 4 Story: 3 - Bill Duke remembers acting in 'Commando' and 'Predator'
Tape: 4 Story: 4 - Bill Duke recalls his directorial credits in the 1990s, pt. 1
Tape: 4 Story: 5 - Bill Duke remembers directing 'Deep Cover'
Tape: 4 Story: 6 - Bill Duke describes his directorial philosophy
Tape: 4 Story: 7 - Bill Duke reflects upon his experiences as a director
Tape: 4 Story: 8 - Bill Duke talks about the art of acting
Tape: 4 Story: 9 - Bill Duke talks about his favorite actors
Tape: 5 Story: 1 - Bill Duke recalls his directorial credits in the 1990s, pt. 2
Tape: 5 Story: 2 - Bill Duke talks about his book, 'Black Light'
Tape: 5 Story: 3 - Bill Duke describes the film 'Deacons for Defense'
Tape: 5 Story: 4 - Bill Duke talks about the California Film Commission
Tape: 5 Story: 5 - Bill Duke describes his civic involvement
Tape: 5 Story: 6 - Bill Duke describes his concerns for the African American community
Tape: 5 Story: 7 - Bill Duke reflects upon his life
Tape: 5 Story: 8 - Bill Duke describes his plans for the future
Tape: 5 Story: 9 - Bill Duke reflects upon his legacy
Tape: 5 Story: 10 - Bill Duke talks about his family
Tape: 5 Story: 11 - Bill Duke describes how he would like to be remembered
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