Editing Bill Duke (section)

==Career==
===Film===
Standing at an imposing {{convert|6|ft|4+1/2|in|2}} and with a closely shaved head, Duke first became a familiar face to moviegoers in ''[[Car Wash (film)|Car Wash]]'' (1976), where he portrayed fierce young [[Nation of Islam|Black Muslim]] revolutionary Abdullah Mohammed Akbar (formerly known as Duane).<ref name="thomas"/> He expanded his repertoire with ''[[American Gigolo]]'' (1980), where he played a [[homosexuality|gay]] pimp, who co-orchestrates a murder, pinned on star [[Richard Gere]].<ref name="metrograph">{{cite web |title=Bill Duke |url=http://metrograph.com/series/series/185/bill-duke |publisher=Metrograph |access-date=December 18, 2019 |archive-date=December 21, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221104553/http://metrograph.com/series/series/185/bill-duke |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As the action-film-oriented genre became more popular, Duke portrayed a string of tough guys. He worked opposite [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] with a small role in ''[[Commando (1985 film)|Commando]]''. Then he acted alongside Schwarzenegger, [[Carl Weathers]] and [[Jesse Ventura]] in the scifi action thriller ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]'', followed by a role as a police chief in the 1988 [[Carl Weathers]] vehicle ''[[Action Jackson (1988 film)|Action Jackson]]''.<ref name="thomas"/> Duke appeared uncredited as a [[DEA]] officer in ''[[The Limey]]'' (1999), as well as a police chief opposite [[Steven Seagal]] in ''[[Exit Wounds]]''. In ''[[Menace II Society]]'' (1993), he played a police investigator who tricks the main character into contradicting himself during an interrogation, then tries to rattle him by repeating the line, "You done fucked up, you know that, don't you?"<ref>{{YouTube|K2v-8ctq5x4}}</ref> The line became often-quoted.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} He played a corrupt law enforcement agent in two films opposite [[Mel Gibson]]—''[[Bird on a Wire (film)|Bird on a Wire]]'' (as an [[FBI]] agent) and ''[[Payback (1999 film)|Payback]]'' (as a police detective). Duke appeared as [[Bolivar Trask|Trask]] in ''[[X-Men: The Last Stand]]'', Washington in ''[[National Security (2003 film)|National Security]]'', Levar in ''[[Get Rich or Die Tryin' (film)|Get Rich or Die Tryin']]'', Nokes in ''[[Bad Country]]'' and Caruthers in ''[[Mandy (2018 film)|Mandy]]''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}}

===Directing===
In the early 1980s, Duke accidentally secured a directing job on ''[[Knots Landing]]'', due to a secretarial or clerical error at AFI Conservatory.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} However, the producers were pleased with his work, and he was kept on, eventually directing 10 episodes of the show.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} This made him one of the first four black television directors.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} Duke then directed episodes of ''Knots Landing'''s mother show ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'' and its sister show ''[[Falcon Crest]]'' (6 episodes). Next came action and cop shows ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'', ''[[Miami Vice]]'' and ''[[Starman (TV series)|Starman]]''. He credits the benevolence and humanity of people like [[Larry Hagman]] and [[Jane Wyman]] for his early TV directing success, while he occasionally heard derogatory remarks, and even racial slurs, from crew members, including the [[Teamsters]].{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Duke directed the TV movie ''[[The Killing Floor (1984 film)|The Killing Floor]]'' in 1984. He began directing theatrical films in the 1990s with crime dramas ''[[A Rage in Harlem]]'' (1991), ''[[Deep Cover]]'' (1992)  and ''[[Hoodlum (film)|Hoodlum]]'' (1997).<ref name="variety1">{{cite news |last1=Gaydos |first1=Steven |title=Bill Duke Remembers the Theater Training That Helped Him |url=https://variety.com/2018/film/awards/bill-duke-remembers-the-theater-training-that-helped-him-1203082134/ |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=Variety |date=December 8, 2018}}</ref> He also directed ''[[The Cemetery Club]]'' (1993) and the [[Whoopi Goldberg]] comedy sequel ''[[Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit]]'' (1993).

For television, Duke directed the [[A&E Network]] original film, ''[[The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery]]'' (2000). In 2007 he directed the historical reenactments in the award-winning PBS-broadcast documentary ''[[Prince Among Slaves]]''.<ref name="npr">{{cite news |title=Slave's Royal Lineage Chronicled in New Film |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18659102&t=1576717506847 |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=NPR |date=February 4, 2008}}</ref>

Duke teamed with screenwriter [[Bayard Johnson]] to co-produce ''Cover'', a 2007 film which explores the [[HIV]] epidemic.<ref name=thr>{{cite news|first=Mike|last=Barnes |title=Bayard Johnson, 'Tarzan and the Lost City' Screenwriter, Dies at 63 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bayard-johnson-tarzan-lost-city-864676 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=February 12, 2016 |access-date=March 5, 2016}}</ref>

He is set to direct ''The Power of One: The Diane Latiker Story'', a film based on [[Chicago]] activist [[Diane Latiker]].<ref name="nduka">{{cite news |last1=N'Duka |first1=Amanda |title=Bill Duke To Helm 'The PThe Diane Latiker Story' Feature |url=https://deadline.com/2019/07/bill-duke-the-power-of-one-the-diane-latiker-story-diane-latiker-biopic-1202648827/ |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=Deadline |date=July 18, 2019}}</ref>

===Television===
Duke made an appearance on ''[[Kojak]]'' in 1976, as Sylk in the episode "Bad Dude", in the third season of the series. He guest-starred in the fourth episode of ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'' in its [[Lost (season 3)|third season]] as Warden Harris, in the episode "[[Every Man for Himself (Lost)|Every Man for Himself]]".

Duke had a starring role in the short-lived TV series ''[[Palmerstown, U.S.A.]]'', produced by [[Norman Lear]] and ''[[Roots: The Saga of an American Family|Roots]]'' author, [[Alex Haley]]. Although the series was critically acclaimed and won an Emmy, it ran for only 17 episodes in the 1980–81 television season.<ref name="thehistorymakers">{{cite web |title=Bill Duke |url=https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/bill-duke-41 |publisher=The History Makers |access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref><ref name="gettv">{{cite news |title=Norman Lear and Alex Haley's Palmerstown, U.S.A. returns on GeTTV |url=https://www.get.tv/gettv-blog/norman-lear-and-alex-haleys-palmerstown-usa-returns-gettv |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=GetTV}}</ref>

He guest-starred in ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' remake in 2004, the [[Battlestar Galactica (season 2)|season two]] episode "[[Black Market (Battlestar Galactica)|Black Market]]".<ref name="variety1"/>

Duke was cast as recurring character Capt. Parish in the action television series/crime drama ''[[Fastlane (TV series)|Fastlane]]''. He made a guest appearance on ''[[Baisden After Dark]]'' in the episode broadcast on July 18, 2008 and guest-starred on ''[[Cold Case (TV series)|Cold Case]]'' as Grover Boone, a corrupt politician, in the 2008 episode "Street Money". Duke voiced a detective in the episode "Thank You for Not Snitching" of the animated television series ''[[The Boondocks (TV series)|The Boondocks]].'' The character and his entire scene were references to ''Menace II Society''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2019}} Duke appears in [[Busta Rhymes]]' music video "[[Dangerous (Busta Rhymes song)#Music video|Dangerous]]".<ref>{{YouTube|id=UJUk45l4h8c}}</ref> Duke also appears in an episode of ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'' as a lawyer.<ref name="acappellabooks">{{cite web |title=Bill Duke - My 40-Year Career on Screen and Behind the Camera |url=https://www.acappellabooks.com/pages/events/552/bill-duke-my-40-year-career-on-screen-and |publisher=Acappella Books |access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref> In May 2017, Duke appeared on episode 6 of the first season of the [[Outdoor Channel]] show ''Hollywood Weapons: Fact or Fiction?''. Duke discussed with host [[Terry Schappert]] his time filming ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]'', his character Sgt. Mac Elliot, and what it was like to fire an [[M134 Minigun]].<ref name="Hollywood Weapons">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6842824/?ref_=ttpl_pl_tt|series=Hollywood Weapons: Fact or Fiction? |title=Terry and the Minigun (TV Episode 2017)|website=[[IMDb]] }}</ref>

In 2018, Duke joined the [[Black Lightning (season 2)|second season]] of [[The CW]] superhero drama series ''[[Black Lightning (TV series)|Black Lightning]]'' as recurring character Agent Percy Odell, a dedicated [[A.S.A. (comics)|A.S.A.]] government official.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://shadowandact.com/robert-townsend-and-bill-duke-join-black-lightning-season-2|title=Robert Townsend And Bill Duke Join 'Black Lightning' Season 2|website=Shadow and Act|last=Mangum|first=Trey|date=October 9, 2018|access-date=March 22, 2019}}</ref>

===Other work===
He has served on the board of trustees of the [[American Film Institute]],<ref name="dga">{{cite web |title=A Tribute to Director Bill Duke |url=https://www.dga.org/Events/2010/04-april-2010/AASC-Tribute-to-Director-Bill-Duke.aspx |publisher=DGA |date=February 23, 2010 |access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref><ref name="ellis"/> as a member of the [[California Film Commission]] board, appointed by Governor Schwarzenegger,<ref name="variety2">{{cite news |last1=McNary |first1=Dave |title=California teaming with producer |url=https://variety.com/2004/biz/features/california-teaming-with-producer-1117904253 |access-date=June 17, 2020 |publisher=Variety |date=May 3, 2004}}</ref><ref name="iatse">{{cite news |title=Governor Schwarzenegger announces appointmets to California Film Commission |url=https://www.iatse.net/news/governor-schwarzenegger-announces-appointments-california-film-commission |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=IATSE |date=May 15, 2006 |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219235012/https://www.iatse.net/news/governor-schwarzenegger-announces-appointments-california-film-commission |url-status=dead }}</ref> in the [[WarnerMedia|Time Warner]] Endowed Chair in the Department of Radio Television and Film at [[Howard University]] in [[Washington, D.C.]],<ref name="ellis">{{cite book |last1=Ellis |first1=George |title=A Symphony of Silence: An Enlightened Vision 2nd Editio |date=2015 |publisher=George A. Ellis |isbn=9781508944256}}</ref><ref name="diverseeducation">{{cite news |title=Howard University to Get $2 Million for Communications Chair |url=https://diverseeducation.com/article/115/ |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=Diverse Education |date=April 26, 1999 |archive-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219234958/https://diverseeducation.com/article/115/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and as a member of the [[National Endowment for the Humanities]], appointed by President [[Bill Clinton]].<ref name="ellis"/><ref name="clinton">{{cite web |title=President Clinton names Bill Duke to the National Council on the Humanities |url=https://clintonwhitehouse4.archives.gov/textonly/library/hot_releases/October_162000_2.html |publisher=White House |date=October 16, 2000 |access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref><ref name="duke">{{cite book |last1=Duke |first1=Bill |title=Bill Duke : my 40-year career on screen and behind the camera |date=2018 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=9781538105566}}</ref>

In 2011 he directed the documentary ''[[Dark Girls]]'', which was nominated for an [[NAACP]] Award, followed by 2015's ''Light Girls''.

Duke is also the founder & owner of the Duke Media Foundation that helps prepare young people for a career in all aspects of film, video and TV production.<ref name="thomas"/> Duke became a teacher of [[Transcendental Meditation]] in [[Ethiopia]] in 1973 under the guidance of [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]].<ref name="ellis"/>