Lucas K. "Luke" Duke is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, Play (theatre), play, Radio series, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or b ...

in the American

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

The Dukes of Hazzard ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' is an American action comedy TV series that was aired on CBS from January 26, 1979 to February 8, 1985. The show aired for 147 episodes spanning seven seasons. It was consistently among the top-rated television serie ...

'' which ran from 1979 to 1985. Luke was played by

Tom Wopat Thomas Steven Wopat (born September 9, 1951) is an American actor and singer. He first achieved fame as Lucas K. "Luke" Duke on the long-running television action/comedy series '' The Dukes of Hazzard''. Since then, Wopat has worked regularly, ...

. Luke and his younger cousin

Bo Duke Beauregard "Bo" Duke (born circa 1957) is a fictional character in the American television series '' The Dukes of Hazzard'', which ran from 1979 to 1985. He was played by John Schneider. Bo and his cousin Lucas K. "Luke" Duke ( Tom Wopat) liv ...

live in an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of the fictional Hazzard County, in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

. Luke and Bo own a 1969 Dodge Charger, nicknamed '' The General Lee'', which is painted orange, with the

Confederate Flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

on top, and ''01'' painted on the sides. Luke and Bo evade the corrupt politicians of Hazzard County, such as

Boss Hogg Jefferson Davis "J.D." Hogg, known as Boss Hogg, is a fictional character featured in the American television series ''The Dukes of Hazzard''. He was the commissioner of Hazzard County, and the county's political boss. Boss Hogg almost always w ...

Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane Rosco Purvis Coltrane is a fictional sheriff character who appeared in the 1975 film '' Moonrunners'', which inspired the creation of the American TV series ''The Dukes of Hazzard'' (and related spin-off films). In ''Moonrunners'', he was played b ...

, and the sheriff's deputies. The Duke family, including cousin

Daisy Duke Daisy Duke is a fictional character, played by Catherine Bach, from the American television series '' The Dukes of Hazzard''. She is the cousin of Bo and Luke, the main protagonists of the show, and the three live on a farm on the outskirts of ...

and Uncle Jesse Duke, was well known for their role in the

moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

business among other interests. Bo and Luke had both been sentenced to

probation Probation in criminal law is a period of supervision over an offender, ordered by the court often in lieu of incarceration. In some jurisdictions, the term ''probation'' applies only to community sentences ( alternatives to incarceration), suc ...

for illegal transportation of moonshine. As a result, neither was permitted to use firearms, instead preferring to use bow and arrows. The terms of Bo and Luke's probation included staying within the boundaries of Hazzard County (unless given special permission by their Probation Officer, who happened to be Boss Hogg). Prior to the start of the show, Luke served as a Sergeant in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

. Luke's famous "hood slide" (as seen in the opening credits, originating from the second episode, "Daisy's Song") is the trick most commonly associated with the character. In a subsequent TV interview, Tom Wopat admitted that the move was actually a mistake; it originated when he was trying to vault over the car to get to the passenger side and his foot accidentally caught the edge of the hood, causing his leg to slide across it. The move eventually caught on and became the character's hallmark. Additionally, in this initial slide, Wopat caught his hand on the hood radio aerial, leading to the aerial being removed from all later examples of the car to avoid risk of injury. In the pilot episode of the series, Bo commented that Luke was probably the father of at least two of the children who live at the Hazzard County Orphanage. Luke later left Hazzard County, along with his cousin Bo, to join the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and h ...

circuit. His cousin Vance replaced him during that time. According to the 1997 film '' The Dukes of Hazzard: Reunion!'', Luke eventually would leave Hazzard for good, and put his military training to good use by becoming a fire jumper for the U.S. Forest Service. During training in Montana, he met and fell in love with a woman named Anita Blackwell, who was a talented singer. He convinced her to leave to pursue her dreams, and she became a successful country music star. Luke met her again in '' The Dukes of Hazzard: Hazzard in Hollywood'', although by then she was married to another man. Luke Duke was later played by

Johnny Knoxville Philip John Clapp (born March 11, 1971), best known professionally as Johnny Knoxville, is an American stunt performer, actor, writer, producer, and professional wrestler. He is best known as a co-creator and star of the MTV reality stunt show ...

in the subsequent cinematic version and

Randy Wayne Randy Wayne Frederick (born August 7, 1981) is an American actor. Life and career Wayne was born and raised in Moore, Oklahoma. He attended Moore High School and Campbellsville University. He appeared on the 2002 season of the British reali ...

in the prequel television film, '' The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, Luke The Dukes of Hazzard characters Fictional United States Marine Corps personnel Fictional military sergeants Fictional archers Fictional characters from Georgia (U.S. state) Fictional boxers Television characters introduced in 1979 Comedy television characters Fictional racing drivers