Clark Duke
Biography
Biography
Clark Duke was only 7 when he landed his first acting gig as on "Hearts Afire" (CBS, 1992-95), but he avoided the dreaded child actor syndrome by staying out of the business until he was a young adult, studying filmmaking at Loyola Marymount University. With the help of his best friend, "Arrested Development" actor Michael Cera, Duke wrote, directed and starred in the 2007 series "Clark and Michael." CBS's decision to distribute the meta-mockumentary show online coincided with the aspiring writer's return to acting; first in several small TV roles, and then with a small but memorable cameo in Cera's breakout hit "Superbad" (2007). The next few years saw the Baptist-raised actor land a lead role on the collegiate ensemble series "Greek" (ABC, 2007-2011), appear in the road-trip romance "Sex Drive" (2008), and star in the viral video "Drunk History, Vol. 2" (2008) opposite Jack Black. Duke next landed the one-two punch of starring in the high profile films "Kick-Ass" (2010) and "Hot Tub Time Machine" (2010), which led to his being cast as an ambitious sales rep on the long-running comedy "The Office" (NBC, 2005-13) and Eddie Murphy's harried assistant in "A Thousand Words" (2012). He may be the voice of a teenage caveman in "The Croods" (2013), but Clark Duke built his career as an actor on smart choices.
Born and raised in suburban Arkansas, Duke first found fame in 1992, when he was cast as the late John Ritter's son on the political sitcom "Hearts Afire." After the show's cancellation in 1995, Duke took a break from acting to concentrate on school and teenage life. He moved to Los Angeles to study film at Loyola Marymount University, where he quickly bonded with next-door neighbor Cera, who became his partner-in-crime on his final thesis film "Clark and Michael." The satirical project, in which they played fictional versions of themselves trying to write and sell a TV pilot, took on new life when CBS announced in 2007 they would fund and distribute 10 episodes of the series, which attracted such big-name talent as Jonah Hill and Patton Oswalt, in addition to Cera's "Arrested Development" co-stars David Cross and Tony Hale.
It wouldn't be the last time Duke used Cera's connections to land a job. He was cast in a small cameo in the surprise hit "Superbad" just from being on set so often, which led to a lead role as Baptist-turned-atheist frat pledge Dale Kettlewell on the primetime comedy "Greek." During this time, Duke balanced his small-screen work with other projects; he portrayed an Amish convert in the raunchy but sweet "Sex Drive;" voiced several characters on the stop-motion series "Robot Chicken" (Cartoon Network, 2005- ), and followed in Cera's footsteps with a role opposite Jack Black in the viral web video "Drunk History, Vol. 2." A self-professed comic book guy (he attended several WonderCons and ComicCons), Duke next scored a supporting role in the superhero revenge flick "Kick-Ass," and further upped his geek quotient with "Hot Tub Time Machine," where he portrayed a smart-aleck college student transported back to the '80s. Marking another first for the young actor, that same year he appeared alongside "Kick-Ass" co-star Christopher Mintz-Plasse in the music video for rapper Kid Cudi's single "Erase Me."
After "Greek" was cancelled in 2011, Duke's dry humor and sarcastic wit paved the way for an appearance as a lovestruck intern on an episode of "New Girl" (Fox, 2011- ) and for his final-season stint on "The Office" as a deceptively ambitious sales rep. In addition to guest-hosting numerous episodes of the geek-insider series "Attack of the Show!" (G4, 2005- ), he also portrayed Eddie Murphy's harried, underpaid assistant in the underwhelming comedy "A Thousand Words" (2012), which was met with scathing reviews. Following an uncredited cameo in the Jason Bateman comedy "Identity Thief" (2013), Duke was later cast in a starring role as the voice of teenage caveman Thunk in the well-received animated comedy "The Croods" (2013).
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1992
Cast as John Ritter's son on the CBS sitcom "Hearts Afire"
2007
Web series "Clark and Michael" distributed online by CBS
2007
Landed a cameo role in "Superbad"
2007
Cast as a college student in the ABC Family series "Greek"
2010
Co-starred as a high school student in "Kick-Ass"
2010
Appeared opposite John Cusack and Rob Corddry in "Hot Tub Time Machine"
2012
Cast as a customer service representative on NBC's "The Office"
