Editing Bill Duke

{{short description|American actor and director}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Bill Duke
| image              = Bill Duke (47003170452).jpg
| caption            = Duke in 2019
| birthname          = William Henry Duke Jr.
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1943|02|26}}  
| birth_place        = [[Poughkeepsie, New York]], U.S.
| height             = 6 feet 4 inches
| yearsactive        = 1961–present
| occupation         = {{hlist|Actor|director|producer}}
| awards             = [[American Black Film Festival]] Career Achievement Award, Lifetime achievement [[Directors Guild of America]]
| website            =
| education          = {{ubl|[[Boston University]]|[[New York University Tisch School of the Arts]]|[[AFI Conservatory]]}}
}}
'''William Henry Duke Jr.''' (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 16, 1991 |title=ACTOR BILL DUKE MOVES FROM PLAYING HEAVIES TO ACTING OUT HIS DREAMS AS DIRECTOR OF 'HARLEM' |url=https://www.deseretnews.com/article/162548/ACTOR-BILL-DUKE-MOVES-FROM-PLAYING-HEAVIES-TO-ACTING-OUT-HIS-DREAMS--AS-DIRECTOR-OF-HARLEM.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180712022343/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/162548/ACTOR-BILL-DUKE-MOVES-FROM-PLAYING-HEAVIES-TO-ACTING-OUT-HIS-DREAMS--AS-DIRECTOR-OF-HARLEM.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 12, 2018 |access-date=July 11, 2018 |work=DeseretNews.com |language=en}}</ref> As a director, he is known for his works dealing in the [[Black American]] experience,<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 November 2019 |title=Bill Duke |url=https://www.thehistorymakers.org/biography/bill-duke-41 |website=The History Makers}}</ref> and has been called the "Godfather of African American Cinema."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-01-15 |title=Bill Duke {{!}} The African Artists' Association |url=https://the3as.org/guest-speaker-bill-duke/ |access-date=2024-08-08 |language=en-US}}</ref>

Duke began his career as a [[theatre actor]], before making his film debut as aspiring revolutionary Abdullah Mohammed Akbar in the ensemble comedy [[Car Wash (film)|''Car Wash'']] (1976). Frequently a [[character actor]], he has starred opposite [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] in ''[[Commando (1985 film)|Commando]]'' (1985) and ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]'' (1987), and has appeared in films like ''[[American Gigolo]]'' (1980), ''[[Bird on a Wire (film)|Bird on a Wire]]'' (1990), ''[[Menace II Society]]'' (1993), ''[[Payback (1999 film)|Payback]]'' (1999), ''[[X-Men: The Last Stand]]'' (2006), and ''[[Mandy (2018 film)|Mandy]]'' (2018). In television, he is best known as Agent Percy Odell in ''[[Black Lightning (TV series)|Black Lightning]]'' (2018–2021).

Duke's directorial debut was ''[[The Killing Floor (1984 film)|The Killing Floor]]'' (1984), which aired as an episode of ''[[American Playhouse]]'' and won the Special Jury Prize at the 1984 [[Sundance Film Festival]]. He directed a film adaptation of [[Chester Himes]]' [[Harlem Detective series]], ''[[A Rage in Harlem]]'' (1991), which was nominated for the [[Cannes Film Festival]]'s [[Palme d'Or]]. He also directed the [[neo-noir]] thriller ''[[Deep Cover]]'' (1992) and the musical comedy ''[[Sister Act 2]]'' (1993).<ref name="rowman">{{cite book |last1=Duke |first1=Bill |url=https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781538105566/Bill-Duke-My-40-Year-Career-on-Screen-and-behind-the-Camera |title=My 40-Year Career on Screen and behind the Camera |publisher=Rowman |access-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref> He has directed episodes of numerous television series including ''[[Cagney & Lacey]]'', ''[[Dallas (TV series)|Dallas]]'', ''[[Hill Street Blues]]'', ''[[Miami Vice]]'', and ''[[The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''.

==Early life and education==
Duke was born in [[Poughkeepsie, New York]], the son of Ethel Louise (''[[Maiden and married names|née]]'' Douglas) and William Henry Duke Sr.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/23/Bill-Duke.html|title=Bill Duke Biography (1943–)|work=filmreference.com|access-date=August 18, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019247/bio|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430190208/http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800019247/bio |url-status=dead |title=Bill Duke Biography – Yahoo! Movies<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=April 30, 2006}}</ref> He attended Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in [[Hyde Park, New York|Hyde Park]]<ref name="thomas">{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Nick |title=Bill Duke recounts steps to success |url=https://eu.thespectrum.com/story/entertainment/2018/11/16/bill-duke-recounts-steps-success/1903983002/ |access-date=December 19, 2019 |publisher=The Spectrum |date=November 16, 2018}}</ref> and later received his first instruction in the performing arts and in creative writing at [[Dutchess Community College]] in Poughkeepsie.<ref name="thomas"/> Duke worked menial jobs seven days a week to cover his living expenses and intended to halt his education until Dr. James Hall, the first president of DCC, gave Duke a personal check to cover room, board and books for his next three years at [[Boston University]], where (Duke) had secured an academic-based scholarship, intending to pursue medical school after graduation, to please his parents. He later switched to English Education and then instruction in dance and drama for the completion of his [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]]<ref name="thomas"/>

After graduating, Duke went on to study at [[New York University]]'s [[Tisch School of the Arts]].<ref name="thomas"/> Unable to secure enough acting work, he pan-handled, as well as shop-lifted groceries.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}} He did, however, appear on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in the 1971 [[Melvin Van Peebles]] musical ''[[Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death]]''.<ref name="simonson">{{cite news |last1=Simonson |first1=Robert |title=Death Lives as Harlem Revival of Van Peebles Work Begins Sept. 29 |url=http://www.playbill.com/article/death-lives-as-harlem-revival-of-van-peebles-work-begins-sept-29-com-122174 |access-date=December 18, 2019 |publisher=Playbill |date=September 29, 2004}}</ref> With acting roles dried up, Duke next attended [[AFI Conservatory]] to study filmmaking.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

==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"/>

==Personal life==
Duke has been married to author [[Shelia P. Moses]] since 2006. He is an honorary member of the [[Phi Beta Sigma]] fraternity.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bill Duke and Wayne Brady are now Honorary Members of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity|url=https://www.watchtheyard.com/sigmas/wayne-brady-bill-duke-phi-beta|website=Watch The Yard|date=June 15, 2020 }}</ref>

On May 16, 2025, in his hometown of Poughkeepsie NY, Duke's childhood Street was renamed Bill Duke Way, in honor of its hometown legend.

==Filmography==

===Film===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Car Wash (film)|Car Wash]]'' 
| Duane / Abdullah Mohammed Akbar
|
|-
| 1980
| ''[[American Gigolo]]'' 
| Leon James

|
|-
| 1985
| ''[[Commando (1985 film)|Commando]]'' 
| Cooke 
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1987
| ''[[Predator (film)|Predator]]'' 
| Sgt. Mac Eliot 
|
|-
| ''[[No Man's Land (1987 film)|No Man's Land]]'' 
| Malcolm 
|
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Action Jackson (1988 film)|Action Jackson]]'' 
| Capt. Earl Armbruster 
|
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Street of No Return]]'' 
| Lt. Borel 
|
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Bird on a Wire (film)|Bird on a Wire]]'' 
| FBI Agent Albert "Diggs" Diggins 
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 1993
| ''[[Menace II Society]]'' 
| Detective 
|
|-
| ''[[Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit]]'' 
| Mr. Johnson 
| Also director
|-
| 1998
| ''[[Susan's Plan]]'' 
| Dect. Scott 
|
|-
|rowspan=4| 1999
| ''[[Payback (1999 film)|Payback]]'' 
| Det. Hicks 
|
|-
| ''[[Foolish (film)|Foolish]]'' 
| Studio Producer 
|
|-
| ''[[The Limey]]'' 
| Head DEA Agent 
| 
|-
| ''[[Fever (1999 film)|Fever]]'' 
| Det. Glass 
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2001
| ''[[Never Again (2001 film)|Never Again]]'' 
| Earl 
|
|-
| ''[[Exit Wounds]]'' 
| Chief Hinges 
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2002
| ''[[Love and a Bullet]]'' 
| Mysterious Voice on Phone 
|
|- 
| ''[[Red Dragon (2002 film)|Red Dragon]]'' 
| Police Chief 
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[National Security (2003 film)|National Security]]'' 
| Lieutenant Washington
|
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Get Rich or Die Tryin' (film)|Get Rich or Die Tryin]]'' 
| Levar Cahill 
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2006
| ''[[X-Men: The Last Stand]]'' 
| Secretary [[X-Men:_The_Last_Stand#Cast|Trask]]
|
|-
| ''[[Yellow (2006 feature film)|Yellow]]'' 
| Miles Emory 
|
|-
| 2007
| ''[[The Go-Getter (2007 film)|The Go-Getter]]'' 
| Liquor 
|
|-
| 2009
| ''Level 26: Dark Origins'' 
| Jack Mitchell
| Short
|-
|rowspan=2| 2010
| ''[[Henry's Crime]]'' 
| Frank 
|
|-
| ''[[The Big Bang (2011 film)|The Big Bang]]'' 
| Drummer 
|
|-
| 2012
| ''[[Freaky Deaky (film)|Freaky Deaky]]'' 
| Wendell Robinson 
|
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Bad Country]]''
| John Nokes 
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2016
| ''Restored Me'' 
| Officer Brantley 
|
|-
| ''Beyond the Silence'' 
| District Attorney Adam Stevenson
|
|-
| 2017
| ''[[American Satan]]'' 
| Gabriel 
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2018
| ''[[Mandy (2018 film)|Mandy]]'' 
| Caruthers 
|
|-
| ''Clipped Wings, They Do Fly'' 
| District Attorney Adam Stevenson 
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2019
| ''[[High Flying Bird]]'' 
| Spence 
|
|-
| ''Hollow Point'' 
| Senior Guard James
|
|-
|rowspan=2| 2021 
| ''[[No Sudden Move]]'' 
| Aldrick Watkins 
|
|-
| ''The Vandal'' 
| Harold
| Short
|-
| 2022
| ''[[In Search of Tomorrow]]''
| Himself
| Documentary
|}

===Television===

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="margin-right: 0;"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1972–75
| ''[[ABC Afterschool Specials]]'' 
| Mr. Sands 
| Episode: "Santiago's Ark" & "Santiago's America" 
|-
|rowspan=2| 1976
| ''[[Kojak]]'' 
| Sylk
| Episode: "Bad Dude"
|-
| ''[[On the Rocks (American TV series)|On the Rocks]]'' 
| -
| Episode: "High Noon"
|-
|rowspan=4| 1978
| ''[[Starsky & Hutch]]'' 
| Officer Dryden
| Episode: "Hutchinson for Murder One"
|-
| ''[[Charlie’s Angels]]'' 
| David Pearl
| Episode: "Angels on the Run"
|-
| ''Love Is Not Enough'' 
| 'Happy' Jordan
| TV movie
|-
| ''Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force'' 
| Sgt. Langford
| TV movie
|-
| 1980–81
| ''[[Palmerstown, U.S.A.]]'' 
| Luther Freeman
| Main cast
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Benson (TV series)|Benson]]'' 
| Mad-Dog 
| Episode: "The Grass Ain't Greener"
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Dallas: The Early Years]]'' 
| Seth Foster 
| TV movie
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Starman (TV series)|Starman]]'' 
| Steven Putnam
| Episode: "The System"
|-
| 1989
| ''[[American Playhouse]]'' 
| FBI Agent #2
| Episode: "The Meeting"
|-
| 1994
| ''[[New York Undercover]]'' 
| Hitman
| Episode: "Pilot"
|-
| rowspan=2| 1998
| ''[[Biography (TV program)|Biography]]'' 
| Narrator
| Episode: "Nat King Cole: Loved in Return"
|-
| ''[[Always Outnumbered]]'' 
| Blackbird Wills
| TV movie
|-
| 2002
| ''[[Justice League (TV series)|Justice League]]'' 
| Detective (voice) 
| Episode: "The Brave and the Bold"
|-
| 2002–03
| ''[[Fastlane (TV series)|Fastlane]]'' 
| Capt. Bob Parish
| Recurring cast
|-
| 2003–04
| ''[[Karen Sisco]]'' 
| Amos Andrews
| Main cast
|-
|rowspan=2| 2006
| ''[[Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)|Battlestar Galactica]]'' 
| Phelan 
| Episode: "[[Black Market (Battlestar Galactica)|Black Market]]"
|-
| ''[[Lost (2004 TV series)|Lost]]'' 
| Warden Harris
| Episode: "[[Every Man for Himself (Lost)|Every Man for Himself]]"
|-
| 2007
| ''[[The Boondocks (2005 TV series)|The Boondocks]]'' 
| Detective (voice) 
| Episode: "Thank You for Not Snitching"
|-
|rowspan=2| 2008
| ''[[Cold Case]]'' 
| Grover Boone '05/'08 
| Episode: "Street Money"
|-
| ''[[My Own Worst Enemy (TV series)|My Own Worst Enemy]]'' 
| Serge Khabako
| Episode: "Love in All the Wrong Places"
|-
| 2011
| ''[[CHAOS (TV series)|Chaos]]'' 
| General Margolis 
| Episode: "Core Fortitude"
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Battledogs]]'' 
| President Donald Sheridan
| TV movie
|-
| 2015
| ''[[Between (TV series)|Between]]'' 
| Gord's Father
| Episode: "End of the Rope"
|-
| 2016
| ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'' 
| Ed Pastrino
| Episode: "Intersecting Lives" & "Heartfelt Passages" 
|-
| 2018–21
| ''[[Black Lightning (TV series)|Black Lightning]]'' 
| Agent Percy Odell 
| Recurring cast (season 2-3), guest (season 4)
|-
| 2020
| ''Ghost Tape'' 
| Byron Dixon
| Main cast
|-
| 2021
| ''[[The Oval (TV series)|The Oval]]'' 
| Curtis
| Episode: "Like a Boss" & "Doomsday"
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Gaslit (TV series)|Gaslit]]'' 
| Charles Anderson
| Episode: "California"
|}

===Films directed===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Notes
|-
| 1984
| ''[[The Killing Floor (1984 film)|The Killing Floor]]'' 
| 
|-
| 1989
| ''A Raisin In The Sun ''
|
|-
| 1991
| ''[[A Rage in Harlem]]'' 
| 
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Deep Cover]]'' 
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[The Cemetery Club]]'' 
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit]]'' 
| 
|-
| 1996
| ''[[America's Dream]]'' 
|
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Hoodlum (film)|Hoodlum]]'' 
|
|-
| 2000
| ''[[The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery]]'' 
| 
|-
| 2001
| ''Angel: One More Road to Cross'' 
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0329991/|title=Angel: One More Road to Cross|via=IMDb}}</ref>
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Deacons for Defense (film)|Deacons for Defense]]'' 
|
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Cover (film)|Cover]]'' 
| Also a producer
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Not Easily Broken]]'' 
|
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Dark Girls]]'' 
| Also a producer
|-
| 2017
| ''[[Created Equal (film)|Created Equal]]'' 
|
|}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Twitter|RealBillDuke|Bill Duke}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150211010747/http://www.billduke.com/ Official website] at the [[Internet Archive]]
* {{IMDb name|4886}}
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010307064652/http://www.aande.com/tv/shows/goldenspiders/bduke.html |date=March 7, 2001 |title=Bill Duke interview }} about ''[[The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery]]''
* [https://www.thespectrum.com/story/entertainment/2018/11/16/bill-duke-recounts-steps-success/1903983002/ Interview with Bill Duke] – The Spectrum, November 16, 2018.

{{Bill Duke}}
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Director, TV Movie or Limited Series}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, Bill}}
[[Category:1943 births]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:African-American film directors]]
[[Category:African-American television directors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:Boston University College of Fine Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Film directors from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from New York (state)]]
[[Category:Sundance Film Festival award winners]]
[[Category:People from Poughkeepsie, New York]]
[[Category:Tisch School of the Arts alumni]]
[[Category:Dutchess Community College alumni]]