David Coleman Dukes (June 6, 1945 – October 9, 2000) was an American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

. He had a long career in films, appearing in 35. Dukes starred in the miniseries ''

The Winds of War ''The Winds of War'' is Herman Wouk's second book about World War II (the first being '' The Caine Mutiny''). Published in 1971, ''The Winds of War'' was followed up seven years later by '' War and Remembrance''; originally conceived as one vol ...

'' and ''

War and Remembrance ''War and Remembrance'' is a novel by Herman Wouk, published in October 1978 as the sequel to Wouk's '' The Winds of War'' (1971). ''The Winds of War'' covers the period 1939 to 1941, and ''War and Remembrance'' continues the story of the exten ...

'', and he was a frequent television guest star. Later in life, Dukes had recurring roles on shows such as ''

Pauly ''Pauly'', a.k.a. ''The Pauly Shore Show'', is an American sitcom series that aired on Fox from March 3 until April 7, 1997, starring Pauly Shore. It was cancelled after five episodes, leaving two episodes unaired. Plot Pauly Sherman is the s ...

'', ''

Sisters A sister is a woman or a girl who shares parents or a parent with another individual; a female sibling. The male counterpart is a brother. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to r ...

'', and ''

Dawson's Creek ''Dawson's Creek'' is an American teen drama television series about the lives of a close-knit group of friends in the fictional town of Capeside, Massachusetts, beginning in high school and continuing into college. It aired from January 20, 19 ...

''.

Early life

Dukes was born in San Francisco, California, the son of a

California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...

officer. Dukes was the eldest of four boys; his brothers were James, Robert, and Joe Paul.

Career

Dukes' film career included 35 movies. Throughout his career, he was a television guest star, notably as the man who attempted to rape

Edith Bunker Edith Bunker is a fictional character on the 1970s sitcom ''All in the Family'' (and occasionally '' Archie Bunker's Place''), played by Jean Stapleton. She is married to Archie Bunker, mother of Gloria Stivic, mother-in-law of Michael "Meathe ...

on ''

All in the Family ''All in the Family'' is an American sitcoms in the United States, sitcom television series that aired on CBS for nine seasons from January 12, 1971, to April 8, 1979, with a total of 205 episodes. It was later produced as ''Archie Bunker's Pla ...

'', an advertising executive on ''

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985. Lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes, ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history ...

'', and a blind bully on ''

Three's Company ''Three's Company'' is an American television sitcom that aired for eight seasons on ABC from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984. Developed by Don Nicholl, Michael Ross and Bernie West, it is based on the British sitcom '' Man About the ...

''. During the 1980s, Dukes appeared in the dual miniseries ''The Winds of War'' and ''War and Remembrance''. In 1992, he received a

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...

nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his turn as Jo Bouillon in the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

production ''

The Josephine Baker Story ''The Josephine Baker Story'' is an American television film that first aired on HBO on March 16, 1991. It stars Lynn Whitfield as Josephine Baker, an international African-American star, who was especially successful in Europe. The film was gener ...

'' (1991). He also appeared as

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), '' Death of a Salesman'' (1 ...

in the HBO film ''

Norma Jean & Marilyn ''Norma Jean & Marilyn'' is a 1996 American biographical drama television film directed by Tim Fywell, based on the 1985 book ''Goddess, the Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe'' by Anthony Summers. The film stars Ashley Judd as Norma Jean Doughert ...

'' (1996). He was a series regular on the first season of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

network drama ''Sisters'', playing the husband of eldest Reed sister, Alex (

Swoosie Kurtz Swoosie Kurtz ( ; born September 6, 1944) is an American actress. She is the recipient of an Emmy Award and two Tony Awards. Kurtz made her Broadway debut in the 1975 revival of '' Ah, Wilderness''. She has received five Tony Award nomination ...

). Dukes' role became a recurring character in subsequent seasons. On ''

'', he had the recurring role of Mr. McPhee, father of Jack (

Kerr Smith Kerr Smith (born March 9, 1972) is an American actor. He began his career with a recurring role as Ryder Hughes on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'' (1996–1997). Smith had his breakout with a main role as Jack McPhee on the WB teen d ...

) and Andie (

Meredith Monroe Meredith Leigh Monroe (born December 30, 1969) is an American actress best known for portraying Andie McPhee on ''Dawson's Creek'' from 1998 to 2003, her recurring role as Haley Hotchner on ''Criminal Minds'' and Carolyn Standall on ''13 Reasons ...

) from the second through fourth seasons. He also starred in ''Without a Trace'' as the ex-husband of Kate Nelligan.

Theater

Dukes had considerable stage experience, first appearing on Broadway in 1971. He later appeared in a revival of

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, ; ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the great writers in the French language and world liter ...

's ''

The School for Wives ''The School for Wives'' (; ) is a theatrical comedy written by the seventeenth century French playwright Molière and considered by some critics to be one of his finest achievements. It was first staged at the Palais Royal theatre on 26 Decem ...

''. Dukes' theatrical roles included as

Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...

, Doctor Frankenstein, and

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian composer and teacher of the classical period (music), classical period. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subje ...

in the original production of ''

Amadeus Amadeus may refer to: People and fictional characters * Amadeus (name) Amadeus is a theophoric name, theophoric given name derived from the Latin words ' – the Imperative mood, imperative of the word ' ("to love") – and ' ("god"). As a Compou ...

'', replacing

Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. He has played roles on the screen and stage in genres ranging from Shakespearean dramas and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. He is regarded as a British cu ...

. He also replaced

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. He studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his John Lithgow filmography, diverse work on stage and screen. He has rece ...

in the original production of

David Henry Hwang David Henry Hwang (born August 11, 1957) is an American playwright, librettist, screenwriter, and theater professor at Columbia University in New York City. He has won three Obie Awards for his plays '' FOB'', '' Golden Child'', and '' Yellow ...

's play ''

M. Butterfly ''M. Butterfly'' is a play by David Henry Hwang. The story, while entwined with that of the opera '' Madama Butterfly'', is based most directly on the relationship between French diplomat Bernard Boursicot and Shi Pei Pu, a Beijing opera sin ...

'', and he received a

Tony Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony the Tiger, cartoon mascot for Frosted Flakes cereal * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * ...

nomination in 1980 for best featured actor in a play for '' Bent''. In 1998, he was one of the three characters in a London West End production of ''

'Art' ''Art'' is a French-language play by Yasmina Reza that premiered in 1994 at Comédie des Champs-Élysées in Paris. The play subsequently ran in London in 1996 and on Broadway in 1998. Overview The comedy, which raises questions about art and ...

'' with

Stacy Keach Walter Stacy Keach Jr. (born June 2, 1941) is an American actor, active in theatre, film and television since the 1960s. Keach first distinguished himself in Off-Broadway productions and remains a prominent figure in American theatre across his ...

and

George Wendt George Robert Wendt Jr. (October 17, 1948 – May 20, 2025) was an American actor. Wendt was best known for playing Norm Peterson on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' from 1982 to 1993, which earned him six consecutive nominations for the Primetime Em ...

Audio

David Dukes recorded several audiobooks, including

Philip Roth Philip Milton Roth (; March 19, 1933 – May 22, 2018) was an American novelist and short-story writer. Roth's fiction—often set in his birthplace of Newark, New Jersey—is known for its intensely autobiographical character, for philosophical ...

's unabridged '' Sabbath’s Theater'' and

Isaac Asimov Isaac Asimov ( ; – April 6, 1992) was an Russian-born American writer and professor of biochemistry at Boston University. During his lifetime, Asimov was considered one of the "Big Three" science fiction writers, along with Robert A. H ...

's unabridged ''

Prelude to Foundation ''Prelude to Foundation'' is a novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, published in 1988. It is one of two prequels to the ''Foundation'' series. For the first time, Asimov chronicles the fictional life of Hari Seldon, the man who invented p ...

''.

Personal life

He married his first wife, Carolyn McKenzie, on October 9, 1965, when he was a student at the

College of Marin The College of Marin, (known as Marin Junior College, 1926–1947) is a Public college, public community college in Marin County, California, with two campuses, one in Kentfield, California, Kentfield, and the second in Novato, California, Novat ...

. Their son, Shawn David Dukes, was born on March 31, 1966. Dukes also had a daughter Annie by his second wife Carol Muske.

Death

Dukes died of a heart attack on October 9, 2000, in Spanaway, Washington, while on location shooting the

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

miniseries '' Rose Red''. Dukes is interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. The season four episode " You Had Me at Goodbye" of ''Dawson's Creek'', which aired on November 15, 2000, and in which Dukes appeared, is dedicated to his memory.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * *
Remembering David Dukes

from his wife's official website
David Dukes papers, 1946-2004
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, is located at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, in the Lincoln Center complex on the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Situated between the Metropolitan O ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dukes, David 1945 births 2000 deaths American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from San Francisco Male actors from Staten Island People from Lakewood, Washington Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American male actors