Winston Duke (born November 15, 1986) is a Tobagonian actor. He is best known for his role as M'Baku in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). He also starred in Jordan Peele's horror film Us (2019).
Winston Duke | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Duke in 2019 | |
| Born | November 15, 1986 Argyle, Saint Paul, Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago |
| Education | University at Buffalo (BA) Yale University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Height | 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in) |
Early lifeEdit
Duke was born in Argyle, Saint Paul, Tobago[1][2] and moved to the United States with his mother, Cora Pantin,[3] and sister when he was nine years old. He graduated from Brighton High School in Rochester, New York in 2004.[4] He attended University at Buffalo, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in theatre. He then moved on to Yale School of Drama where he received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in acting and graduated in 2013.[5] His cousin is the Tobagonian politician and Progressive Democratic Patriots leader Watson Duke.[6]
CareerEdit
Duke started acting in theater productions for Portland Stage Company and Yale Repertory Theatre before being cast in Person of Interest.[7] While at Yale, he befriended fellow actor Lupita Nyong'o, with whom he later starred in Black Panther and Us.[8] In 2012 Duke returned to his native Trinidad and Tobago to appear in the theatre production of An Echo in the Bone starring alongside actress Taromi Lourdes Joseph and directed by fellow Yale alumna Timmia Hearn Feldman.
Duke has starred in Marvel Cinematic Universe's Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers Endgame as M'Baku.[9] In 2019, Duke starred in the blockbuster horror film Us, directed by Jordan Peele.[10] In October 2019, Duke signed on to headline in the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series Swagger, but was replaced by O'Shea Jackson Jr. due to an injury suffered on-set in February 2020.[11] In March 2020, he starred alongside Mark Wahlberg in the Netflix thriller Spenser Confidential.[12]
It was reported in July 2021 that Duke would be playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in the podcast audio drama Batman Unburied.[13] The podcast was released in 2022.
On October 24, 2021, Duke received the Maverick Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival.[14]
FilmographyEdit
FilmEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Black Panther | M'Baku | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated – MTV Movie Award for Best Fight |
| Avengers: Infinity War | |||
| 2019 | Us | Gabe Wilson / Abraham | |
| Avengers: Endgame | M'Baku | ||
| 2020 | Nine Days | Will | |
| Spenser Confidential | Hawk | ||
| 2022 | Black Panther: Wakanda Forever | M'Baku | Post-production |
TelevisionEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Cedric Jones | Episode: "Gridiron Soldier" |
| 2014–2015 | Person of Interest | Dominic Besson / Mini | 7 episodes |
| 2015 | The Messengers | Zahir Zakaria | 3 episodes |
| Major Crimes | Curtis Turner | Episode: "#FindKaylaWeber" | |
| 2016 | Modern Family | Dwight | 3 episodes |
AudioEdit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Batman Unburied | Bruce Wayne | Main role |
ReferencesEdit
- ^ "Winston Duke". www.facebook.com. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
- ^ Desta, Yohana (February 16, 2018). "MEET M'BAKU Black Panther's Winston Duke Is the Star You Should Be Watching". Vanity Fair. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
- ^ Jacob, Debbie (April 2, 2018). "Hands off Winston Duke". Trinidad & Tobago NewsDay.
- ^ Arnold, Alexis (May 22, 2018). "From Brighton High School to Wakanda: Winston Duke remembers his days in Rochester". 13WHAM ABC Rochester. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
- ^ "Winston Duke, UB Alumnus, Cast in Marvel Film". theatredance.buffalo.edu. University at Buffalo. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- ^ "Watch: Winston, Watson Duke confirm Tobago connection | Loop Trinidad & Tobago".
- ^ Cay (April 24, 2015). "Exclusive Interview: Winston Duke Talks Person of Interest and The Messengers". Nice Girls TV.
- ^ Falcone, Dana Rose (October 4, 2017). "PEOPLE's 'Ones to Watch' Talks to Winston Duke About His Breakout Role in Marvel's Upcoming Black Panther". People. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (September 28, 2016). "'Black Panther' Taps 'Person of Interest' Actor Winston Duke to Play M'Baku (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (May 8, 2018). "Jordan Peele Unveils Title Of New Movie; Lupita Nyong'o In Talks, Winston Duke & Elisabeth Moss Eyed". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2019-10-01). "Winston Duke To Headline Apple's Kevin Durant Drama Series 'Swagger' From Imagine & CBS TV Studios". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (October 2, 2018). "'Black Panther's' Winston Duke to Star With Mark Wahlberg in Netflix's 'Wonderland' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (July 27, 2021). "'Batman Unburied': Winston Duke to Voice Star as Bruce Wayne (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Plunkett, Paul (2021-10-21). "Newport Beach Film Festival Returns Live with Events and Honorees Including Harvey Keitel and Regina Hall". Variety. Retrieved 2021-11-19.
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External linksEdit
- Winston Duke at IMDb
- Winston Duke on Twitter