David Dukes

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

Life

Dukes was born in San Francisco, California, the son of a highway patrolman.^[1] He had a long career in films, appearing in 35; and as a television guest star, notably as the man who attempted to rape Edith Bunker on All in the Family, and during the 1980s in the dual miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. He received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for his role in The Josephine Baker Story (1991) and appeared as Arthur Miller in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996). He was also a regular in the first season of Sisters as the transvestite doctor husband of oldest sister Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), and appeared occasionally as the character in subsequent seasons. On Dawson's Creek, he had a recurring role as Mr. McPhee, the father to Jack (Kerr Smith) and Andie (Meredith Monroe) from the second through fourth seasons.

Dukes had extensive stage experience, first appearing on Broadway in 1971 and later in a revival of Molière's The School for Wives. He also played such colorful roles as Dracula, Doctor Frankenstein, and Antonio Salieri in the original production of Amadeus — replacing Sir Ian McKellen. He won plaudits when he replaced John Lithgow in the original production of David Henry Hwang's play M. Butterfly and a Tony nomination in 1980 for best featured actor in a play for Bent.

The father of a son and a daughter, Dukes died of a heart attack in Spanaway, Washington while on location shooting the Stephen King mini-series Rose Red. His widow Carol Muske-Dukes' experiences with the Pierce County, Washington medical examiner's office were so frustrating that she publicly spoke out against the office's lack of cooperation. The ME's office would not let her see her husband's body, did not inform her of her rights or honor some of the rights she did try to exercise, and failed to detect during his autopsy the evidence of a previous heart attack.

Dukes was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.

Filmography

• The Strawberry Statement (1970) - Guard
• The Wild Party (1975) - James Morrison
• A Little Romance (1979) - George de Marco
• The First Deadly Sin (1980) - Daniel Blank
• Only When I Laugh (1981) - David
• Without a Trace (1983) - Graham Selky
• Rawhead Rex (1986) - Howard Hallenbeck
• The Men's Club (1986) - Phillip, Professor
• Catch the Heat (1987) - Waldo Tarr
• Date with an Angel (1987) - Ed Winston
• See You in the Morning (1989) - Peter Goodwin
• Killer Instinct (1990) - Bo Petersen
• The Handmaid's Tale (1990) - Doctor (cameo)
• Under Surveillance (1991) - Actor
• Me and the Kid (1993) - Victor Feldman
• Fled (1996) - D.A. Chris Paine
• Tinseltown (1997) - Jake
• Gods and Monsters (1998) - David Lewis
• Slappy and the Stinkers (1998) - Spencer Dane Sr.
• Goosed (1999) - Steffon Stevens
• Tick Tock (2000) - Holden Avery
• Dawson's Creek (2000)(TV)
• Alex in Wonder (2001) - Joseph Bloomfield
• Rose Red (TV Film) (2002) - Dr. Carl Miller

Further reading

• "David Dukes." Variety. October 11, 2000.
• Emily Eakin. "David Dukes, Chameleon of an Actor, 55." The New York Times. October 12, 2000.
• Susan King and Don Shirley. "David Dukes; Versatile Character Actor on Screen, Stage." Los Angeles Times. October 11, 2000.
• Tom Vallance. "David Dukes." The Independent (London). October 17, 2000.

References

External links

• David Dukes at the Internet Movie Database
• David Dukes at TV.com
• David Dukes at the Internet Broadway Database
• Remembering David Dukes and Problems with the county medical examiner, from his wife's official website
• Broadway Actor David Dukes Is Dead at 55, from Playbill