Bill Duke

With over forty years in entertainment, Bill Duke is a producer, director, and actor, best known for starring with Arnold Schwarzenegger in Commando and Predator. Once Schwarzenegger was Governor, he appointed Duke to the California Film Commission Board.

Starting on Broadway, Duke was first seen in Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death. He transitioned to film, debuting in the movie Car Wash. Since then, he’s been in over thirty roles, two of which, he acted opposite Mel Gibson: Bird on a Wire and Payback. He even appeared in the blockbuster film, X-Men: The Last Stand.

As for television, he’s recurred as Captain Parish in Fastlane and Agent Percy Odell in the CW’s Black Lightning, and starred in the Emmy-winning series, Palmerstown, U.S.A. Other notable appearances include Lost, Law & Order: SVU, and in Busta Rhymes’ music video, “Dangerous.”

As for directing, Duke has been honored by the Directors Guild of America, winning the Lifetime Achievement Tribute; previous recipients include Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, and Stephen Spielberg. Throughout his career, he’s directed episodes of The Twilight Zone and Miami Vice, as well as crime movies like A Rage in Harlem and Deep Cover—both earned him Palme d’Or nominations. He also directed Prince Among Slaves, an award-winning documentary from PBS, and Sister Act 2, working with actresses Lauryn Hill and Whoopi Goldberg.

Most of Duke’s production credits come from Duke Media Foundation, which he founded over thirty years ago. His contributions to entertainment led him to be a two time NAACP Image Award nominee, and a member of the dramatic jury at Sundance Film Festival, the Board of Trustees for the American Film Institute, and the chair for the Radio/TV/Film department at Howard University. He’s even been appointed by former President Bill Clinton to the National Endowment for the Humanities.