Duane L. Jones (February 2, 1937 – July 22, 1988) was an American actor, best known for his leading role as Ben in the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead. He was director of the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury. He was the artistic director of the Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art in Manhattan.He is not to be confused with another actor of the same name who was also known as Barron Winchester.
"It never occurred to me that I was hired because I was black. But it did occur to me that because I was black it would give a different historic element to the film." (on being cast as Ben in "Night of the Living Dead")
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Fact
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In an audio interview conducted shortly before his untimely death in 1988, he recalled an occasion during which he met with a group of his theater students at a local café near the Old Westbury campus on Long Island, New York, when they were suddenly awestruck at the film then playing on TV. Duane turned around and noticed that the movie playing on the television in the café was none other than Night of the Living Dead (1968). His students were amazed to see their professor on screen, because Duane never usually made any mention of his movie roles to his students. After this occasion, the word spread that "Night of the Living Dead's" star hero was teaching at Old Westbury college on Long Island.
His role in Night of the Living Dead (1968) was the first time in American cinema that a Black actor was cast in a lead role of a major motion picture that did not specify that the part had to be played by a black actor.
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At the time of his death, Dr. Duane Jones was the head of the Theater Department at the State University of New York at Old Westbury.
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First African-American to have a starring role in a mainstream horror film - Night of the Living Dead (1968).
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Living Dead
2012
Ben
Fright House
1989
Video
Charles Harmon (segment "Abadon")
Negatives
1988
Charles
To Die For
1988
Simon Little
Vampires
1986
Charles Harmon
Beat Street
1984
Robert
Losing Ground
1982
Duke
Ganja & Hess
1973
Dr. Hess Green
Night of the Living Dead
1968
Ben
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Night of the Living Dead 2: Deadlock
2017
filming
Ben
Die Nacht der lebenden Idioten
2016
Short
Barbra's New Boyfriend
Dante's Domicile
2015
TV Series
Ben
The Hutchcast
2015
TV Series
Ben
Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks
2014
TV Series documentary
Ben
Cinemassacre's Monster Madness
2007-2013
TV Series documentary
Ben
Ninja the Mission Force
2012
TV Series
Gary
Zombies: A Living History
2011
TV Movie documentary
Himself
Another Night of the Living Dead
2011
Edición Especial Coleccionista
2010
TV Series
Ben
A History of Horror with Mark Gatiss
2010
TV Mini-Series documentary
Ben
The Dead of Night
2010
Video
Ben (uncredited)
Autopsy of the Dead
2009
Video documentary
Himself
Muchachada nui
2008
TV Series
Paco "El Pocero" (segment "Mundo Viejuno: Primera vivienda en propiedad no arrendada")
One for the Fire: The Legacy of 'Night of the Living Dead'
2008
Documentary
Himself
Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream
2005
Documentary
Himself
The American Nightmare
2000
Documentary
Himself
Night of the Living Dead: 30th Anniversary Edition
1999
Video
Ben
Night of the Living Dead: 25th Anniversary Documentary
1993
Video documentary
Himself
Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Terror
$14 Million
