David Dukes
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
This classically-trained American repertory actor has gone on to a busy career as a leading man in Broadway shows, TV and films. Since the 1970s, David Dukes has often played diplomats, surgeons and other high-powered professionals and bluebloods. He is particularly remembered for his portrayal of low-level career diplomat Leslie Slote, who finds inner courage, in the ABC miniseries based on the Herman Wouk novels "The Winds of War" (1983), and "War and Remembrance" (1988). Dukes also spent three seasons as the wealthy doctor husband of Swoosie Kurtz's Alex on the NBC drama series "Sisters." seasons of the NBC series "Sisters."
The son of California highway patrolman, the handsome, dark-haired actor trained at the American Conservatory Theatre and had appeared in 37 professional productions before making his Broadway debut at age 25 in Moliere's "School for Wives." Dukes' subsequent Broadway work has included playing Horst, a gay concentration camp inmate who dares to love a fellow prisoner (Richard Gere) in Martin Sherman's "Bent" (1979), succeeding Ian McKellen as Salieri in Peter Shaffer's award-winning "Amadeus" (1982) and replacing John Lithgow as the diplomat protagonist of David Henry Hwang's "M. Butterfly" (1988).
Dukes made his TV debut as the son of a wealthy Irish-American family in "Beacon Hill" (CBS, 1975), a lavish soap set in the 1920s. His subsequent TV credits of note include "Harold Robbins' '79 Park Avenue'" (NBC, 1977) as immigrant Mike Koshko, "Mayflower: The Pilgrim's Adventure" (CBS, 1979), as Miles Standish, "Portrait of a Rebel: Margaret Sanger" (CBS, 1980), as the husband of the pioneer for contraceptive rights, "Sentimental Journey" (CBS, 1984), as clothing manufacturer Levi Strauss, "The Josephine Baker Story" (HBO, 1991), as orchestra leader Jo Bouillon, the husband of the celebrated music hall performer, and the Emmy-winning "And the Band Played On" (HBO, 1993), as a medical researcher. In 1996, he played playwright Arthur Miller in the HBO film "Norma Jean & Marilyn." His most notorious TV guest shot came in 1977 on a special hour-long episode of "All in the Family" wherein he played a would-be rapist who detains Edith (Jean Stapleton) at gunpoint in her living room while friends and family await her at her 50th birthday party. Dukes also worked in the Norman Lear stable in the short-lived 1977 syndicated serial "All That Glitters," playing a male-rights activist (the series reversed gender power). More recent TV series have not proven successful, nor given Dukes roles through which he could shine. He was husband to Marilyn Kentz in the short-lived bomb "The Mommies" (NBC, 1993), and in 1997 was father to Pauly Shore on the equally short-lived Fox sitcom "Pauly."
In feature films, Dukes had a rare lead role in "The First Deadly Sin" (1980), as a psychotic killer pursued by detective Frank Sinatra. He was Kate Nelligan's estranged husband in the missing child drama "Without a Trace" (1983), and Marsha Mason's playwright former lover in "Only When I Laugh" (1981). Dukes played a stiff college professor in "The Men's Club" (1986), a poorly received talkfest about a men's encounter group and was Alice Krige's pianist husband in "See You in the Morning" (1989). Most of his 90s credits have been in direct-to-video releases, except for "Fled" (1996), in which he played a prosecuting attorney and 1998's "Gods and Monsters" which featured him as the lover of famed early Hollywood horror director James Whale.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1966
Began theatrical career with San Francisco's American Conservatory Theater
1970
Broadway debut at age 25 in Moliere's "The School for Wives"
1975
Screen acting debut in James Ivory's "The Wild Party"
1975
TV debut as one of the stars of "Beacon Hill", a lavish period soap set in the 1920s
1977
Memorable TV guest shot in "Edith's Fiftieth Birthday", a one hour episode of "All in the Family", as a would-be rapist who menaces Jean Stapleton
1977
Cast in a recurring role on Norman Lear's "All That Glitters", a syndicated serial set in an alternate universe where women rule
1979
Received Tony and Drama Desk nominations for his supporting role in "Bent", a Broadway play set during WWII in which he played a gay man
1980
First feature lead, "The First Deadly Sin"
1981
Portrayed Dr Victor Frankenstein in "Frankenstein", a NYC stage production
1982
Acclaimed for his portrayal of Salieri in "Amadeus" on Broadway
1983
Portrayed diplomat Leslie Slote on the immensely popular ABC miniseries "The Winds of War"
1988
Reprised the role of diplomat Leslie Slote for the sequel miniseries "War and Remembrance"
1988
Succeeded John Lithgow as the lead of "M. Butterfly" on Broadway
1996
Played Arthur Miller in "Norma Jean & Marilyn" (HBO)
1997
Was a regular on the short-lived Fox sitcom "Pauly"
1998
Appeared on the London stage alongside George Wendt and Stacy Keach in "Art"
1998
Cast as David Lewis, the lover of film director James Whale, in "Gods and Monsters"
1999
Guest starred on a particularly moving episode of "The Practice" (ABC) as a man in a crisis of conscience over a murder
2002
Final TV role in the ABC miniseries "Rose Red"; aired posthumously
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
