One HEAT Minute: Episode #101 - Bill Duke (STAR OF PREDATOR, COMMANDO, AMERICAN GIGOLO)
ONE HEAT MINUTE is the podcast examining Michael Mann's 1995 crime saga HEAT, minute by minute. It's the 101st minute (1:40:00-1:41:00) - host Blake Howard joins phenomenal character actor, film and T.V director and trailblazer, the inimitable legend - Bill Duke. Blake and Bill discuss the distinction of acting and being, the blessing of working with great writers like Paul Schrader, honing his craft in T.V at a time when there were very few people of colour behind the lens, and working alongside Michael Mann on Miami Vice and the short-lived Robbery Homicide Division. When can you listen...(whispers) anytime. Mr Duke's memoir "Bill Duke: My 40-Year Career on Screen and behind the Camera" is available on Amazon now.
GUEST BIOS
Bill Duke
While many film fans may not be familiar with Bill Duke’s name, they most certainly recognize his face. Dating back to the 1970s, Duke has appeared in a number of popular films, including Car Wash, American Gigolo, Commando, Predator, and X-Men: The Last Stand. Fewer still might be aware of Duke’s extraordinary accomplishments off-screen—as a talented director, producer, entrepreneur, and humanitarian.
Bill Duke: My 40-Year Career on Screen and behind the Camera is the memoir of a Hollywood original. In an industry that rarely embraces artists of colour, Duke first achieved success as an actor then turned to directing. After helming episodes of ratings giants Dallas, Falcon Crest, Hill Street Blues, and Miami Vice, Duke progressed to feature films like A Rage in Harlem, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, and Sister Act 2. In this candid autobiography, Duke recalls the loving but stern presence of his mother and father, acting mentors like Olympia Dukakis, and the pitfalls that nearly derailed his career, notably an addiction to drugs. Along the way, readers will encounter familiar names like Danny Glover, Laurence Fishburne, Forest Whitaker, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Whoopi Goldberg.
From his Broadway debut in 1971 to the establishment of the Duke Media Foundation, which trains and mentors young filmmakers, Duke has been breaking the rules of what it means to triumph in the entertainment industry. Recalling pivotal moments in his life, Bill Duke: My 40-Year Career on Screen and behind the Camera is the story only Bill Duke could tell.
