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Duane Jones
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Duane Lionel Jones (April 11, 1937 – July 22, 1988) was an American actor. He was best known for his lead role as Ben in the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead.[1][2] He was later director of the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury, and the artistic director of the Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art in Manhattan.
Key Information
Early life and education
[edit]Jones was born in New York City to Mildred Jones (née Gordon). He had a sister, Marva (later Marva Brooks), and a brother, Henry.[3] He graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a B.A. and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris, before training as an actor in New York City. He later completed an M.A. in Communications at New York University in between shooting Night of the Living Dead.
Prior to becoming an actor, Jones was a Phelps-Stokes exchange scholar in Niger and taught literature at Long Island University. He created English-language training programs for the Peace Corps and helped design Harlem Preparatory School, where he headed the English department.[3]
Career
[edit]
His role in the 1968 film Night of the Living Dead marked the first time an African-American actor was cast as the star and hero of a horror film, and one of the first times in American cinema where an important role was given to a Black actor when the script did not explicitly call for one. While some saw the casting as significant, director George A. Romero stated Jones' race was not a factor in his casting; Romero cast him simply because "Jones was the best actor we met to play Ben."[4]
Jones continued working in film after Night of the Living Dead in Ganja & Hess (1973), Losing Ground (1982), and Beat Street (1984), among others.[3] Despite his other film roles, Jones worried that people only recognized him as Ben.[5]
From 1972 to 1976, Jones oversaw the literature department at Antioch College. He was subsequently executive director of the Black Theatre Alliance, a federation of theater companies, from 1976 through 1981[3] and continued working as a theater actor and director, until his death in 1988. As executive director of the Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art (RACCA), he promoted African-American theater. He also taught acting styles at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. After leaving the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he taught a select group of students privately in Manhattan, by invitation only. His hand-selected students were of diverse ethnic backgrounds. The students were picked from his Acting Styles classes at American Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Death
[edit]Jones died of cardiopulmonary arrest at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, Long Island, New York, on July 22, 1988, aged 51.[3] He was cremated and his ashes given to his family.[6]
Legacy
[edit]The Duane L. Jones Recital Hall at the State University of New York at Old Westbury is named after him.[3] In the zombie comic book series The Walking Dead, the character Duane Jones is named in his honor.[7]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Night of the Living Dead | Ben | |
| 1973 | Ganja & Hess | Doctor Hess Green | Also released as Blood Couple |
| 1982 | Losing Ground | Duke | |
| 1984 | Beat Street | Robert | |
| 1986 | Vampires | Charles Harmon | |
| 1988 | To Die For | Simon Little | Posthumously released |
| Negatives | Charles Harmon | Archive footage from Vampires | |
| 1989 | Fright House | Archive footage from Vampires; Segment: "Abadon" Final film role |
References
[edit]- ^ Maçek, J.C. III (June 15, 2012). "The Zombification Family Tree: Legacy of the Living Dead". PopMatters. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
- ^ "Interview: George Romero - Film director". The Scotsman. March 6, 2010. Retrieved December 23, 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f Fraser, C. Gerald (July 28, 1988). "Duane L. Jones, 51, Actor and Director of Stage Works, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
- ^ Kane, Joe (August 31, 2010). "How Casting a Black Actor Changed 'Night of the Living Dead'". The Wrap.
- ^ Jones, Duane (2002). Bonus interviews (DVD). Night of the Living Dead. Millennium Edition. Elite Entertainment.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons (3rd ed.). McFarland Publishing. p. 384. ISBN 9781476625997.
- ^ Davis, Brandon (September 6, 2017). "Robert Kirkman Writes Tribute To 'Walking Dead' Inspiration George Romero". Comicbook.com. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Duane Jones.
Duane Jones
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Duane L. Jones (April 11, 1937 – July 22, 1988) was an American actor, theater director, and educator renowned for his portrayal of Ben, the level-headed protagonist who leads a group of survivors against ghouls in George A. Romero's seminal 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead.[1][2]
Jones earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of Pittsburgh in 1959, where he performed in campus plays, before advancing to roles in teaching, academic administration, and the performing arts.[3] He headed literature departments at Antioch College and Long Island University, developed English-language training for the Peace Corps, and served as an exchange scholar in Niger.[4] In theater, he directed over twenty productions such as Mama, I Want to Sing and God's Trombones, acted with groups including the Negro Ensemble Company, and held positions as artistic director of the Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art and executive director of the Black Theater Alliance from 1976 to 1981.[1][4]
Selected for Ben via color-blind auditions despite the character's unspecified race in the script, Jones delivered a performance emphasizing intellect and composure that contrasted sharply with the film's other frantic characters, marking a rare instance of an African American in a leading horror role at the time.[2][3] Beyond Night of the Living Dead, he starred in independent films like Ganja and Hess (1973), Beat Street (1984), and Losing Ground (1982), often in composed, authoritative parts.[4][1] Jones directed the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury until his death from cardiopulmonary arrest.[4][1]
Early life and education
Upbringing and family background
Duane Jones was born in New York City in 1936.[5] [6] Some records list the date as February 2, while others specify April 11 or place the year as 1937.[7] [8] His mother was Mildred Gordon Jones.[9] He had two siblings: a sister, Marva (later Marva Jones Brooks), and a brother, Henry.[10] [9] [11] Jones was raised in New York City during the 1930s and 1940s, an era marked by the Great Depression's aftermath and the early stages of World War II, though specific details on his family's socioeconomic circumstances or relocations remain undocumented in available records.[12]Formal education and early influences
Duane Jones earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education in 1959.[3][13] During his time at Pitt, he developed an interest in literature and humanities, which shaped his intellectual pursuits.[3] Following his undergraduate studies, Jones pursued further education abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris, where he studied literature and enhanced his multilingual capabilities, including fluency in French.[14] He later obtained a Master of Arts degree from New York University, focusing on areas that complemented his academic foundation in education and the arts.[14] In New York, Jones underwent formal acting training, which introduced him to theatrical techniques and performance theory, influencing his approach to dramatic interpretation without immediate professional application.[14] These institutional experiences emphasized merit-based scholarly rigor, distinguishing his formative years from familial background and setting the stage for interdisciplinary engagements in theater and academia.[3]Professional career
Theater directing and acting
Jones directed the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury, overseeing numerous stage productions as head of the theater department.[1] As artistic director of the Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art in Manhattan, he helmed over 20 productions, among them The Estate by Ray Aranha, God's Trombones adapted from James Weldon Johnson, and Black Picture Show by Bill Gunn.[1] Additional directing credits included the gospel musical Mama, I Want to Sing by Vy Higgensen, as well as The Medium and Sojourner for Opera Ebony.[1] From 1976 to 1981, he served as executive director of the Black Theater Alliance, coordinating a federation of theater companies in New York.[1] In acting, Jones performed with the Negro Ensemble Company, including a role in the 1972 production Douglass, which dramatized Frederick Douglass's life through his own words and featured actors such as Adolph Caesar and Brock Peters.[15] [1] He also appeared on stage with the Actors Playhouse and the National Black Theater, contributing to ensemble works that emphasized Black narratives.[1] Jones extended his theater involvement internationally as a Phelps-Stokes exchange scholar in Niger, where he engaged in educational and cultural exchanges, including literature and performance instruction adapted to local contexts.[1] [16] His stage career featured a prolific output of directing and acting assignments, fostering direct audience interaction in live settings that differed markedly from the broader reach but fewer commitments of screen work.[1]Film appearances prior to and post-breakthrough
Jones had no credited film appearances prior to his breakthrough role in 1968.[8] Following Night of the Living Dead, his film work remained limited, with five subsequent credited roles spanning independent dramas and low-budget genre films, consistent with his primary commitments to theater direction, stage acting, and academic positions at institutions including the University of Pittsburgh.[2] These appearances, often in supporting capacities, highlight his selective engagement with cinema rather than a shift to prolific screen acting. In 1973, Jones starred as Dr. Hess Green, a wealthy anthropologist afflicted by vampirism after a stabbing with an ancient Myrthan dagger, in Bill Gunn's Ganja & Hess, a nonlinear horror exploration of addiction, immortality, and Black identity.[17] The film, produced on a modest budget, featured Jones opposite Marlene Clark and marked one of his few lead roles post-breakthrough. Jones portrayed Duke, a seasoned actor mentoring a younger performer, in Kathleen Collins's 1982 drama Losing Ground, depicting marital strains and artistic pursuits among Black intellectuals during a summer in upstate New York.[18] As one of the earliest narrative features directed by an African American woman, the film drew on Collins's background as a playwright and professor.[19] In the 1984 hip-hop culture film Beat Street, Jones appeared as Robert, a character in the Bronx street dance and music scene narrative centered on breakdancing crews and DJs.[20] The production captured early 1980s urban youth culture with a soundtrack featuring Grandmaster Melle Mel and Rae Dawn Chong in a lead role. His later genre work included Charles Harmon in the 1986 horror Vampires, a lesser-known entry involving supernatural elements, and Simon Little in the 1988 thriller To Die For, filmed prior to his death that year.[21][22] These roles, released amid his ongoing theater and teaching duties, reflect a pattern of occasional returns to film without abandoning his foundational career paths.[23]Academic teaching and administrative roles
Jones held several academic positions in literature and theater education, often concurrently with his performing arts career. From 1972 to 1976, he served as head of the literature department at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where he also taught as an associate professor of humanities.[4][24] During this period, he contributed to the institution's emphasis on interdisciplinary studies, drawing from his background in English and dramatic arts.[24] As a Phelps-Stokes Fund exchange scholar, Jones taught English and literature in Niger in the early 1970s, facilitating cultural and educational exchanges between African and American institutions focused on African American studies and development.[4] This role extended his scholarly influence internationally, emphasizing practical language instruction and cross-cultural curriculum adaptation in post-colonial educational settings.[1] Jones also instructed literature courses at Long Island University, applying his expertise in English to undergraduate and potentially graduate-level pedagogy.[4] In his later administrative capacity, he directed the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury from 1986 until his death in 1988, overseeing productions and serving as head of the theater department to integrate performance training with academic theater studies.[4][25] These roles underscored his commitment to theater as an educational discipline, fostering student involvement in practical staging and dramatic analysis within public university frameworks.[14]Role in Night of the Living Dead
Casting process and preparation
The role of Ben in Night of the Living Dead was scripted without racial specification, allowing for open auditions. Duane Jones, a 31-year-old African American theater instructor from New York, auditioned for the part while visiting Pittsburgh, facilitated by mutual connections including production associate Betty Ellen Haughey.[26] Director George A. Romero selected Jones based on his demonstrated acting proficiency, stating that "Duane Jones was the best actor we met to play Ben."[26] This merit-based choice superseded initial considerations for other actors, such as Rudy Ricci, amid creative differences in the production.[3] Following his casting, Jones collaborated with Romero to refine the character's portrayal. He revised portions of Ben's dialogue, elevating crude lines to align with an educated, understated demeanor reflective of his own background, which added intellectual depth to the role.[26] [3] Jones also advocated for Ben's fatal ending over potential survival, arguing it would resonate more powerfully with black audiences, influencing Romero's decision on the script's conclusion.[26] While expressing reservations about scenes involving racial dynamics, such as slapping a white female character, Jones proceeded with the adjustments to ensure the performance's authenticity.[3]Performance analysis and on-set contributions
Duane Jones portrayed Ben as a pragmatic and resourceful leader who prioritized survival through decisive actions, such as barricading the farmhouse against zombie assaults and advocating for proactive defense over passive hiding.[27][2] His performance emphasized calm rationality and eloquence, contrasting sharply with the hysteria of other characters like Barbra, conveyed through subtle facial expressions that suggested underlying restraint born of necessity rather than emotional excess.[2] Any perceived stiffness in delivery aligned with Ben's mode of constrained survival, reflecting controlled intensity amid chaos rather than actor limitation.[2] On set, Jones contributed by refining Ben's dialogue to eliminate crude dialects and uneducated phrasing originally scripted for a stereotypical truck driver role, insisting on lines like "The truck is out of gas" over dialect-heavy alternatives to better suit an educated persona.[26][28] He refused to perform the character as initially written, prompting adjustments that incorporated elements of "black rage" for added authenticity and intensity, while negotiating specifics like reducing the number of slaps to Barbra from three to one and adding a punch for dramatic effect.[26] Jones also influenced the film's conclusion by convincing director George Romero to retain Ben's fatal shooting by posse members, arguing that a Black hero's death delivered a stronger subversive impact than a contrived survival, stating the Black community would prefer seeing him "dead than saved by whites."[29][26] Improvisation permeated production, with Jones and others adapting scenes fluidly under loose scripting guidelines.[28] Romero praised Jones as the strongest actor auditioned, crediting his presence for elevating the low-budget effort without altering dialogue solely for racial reasons.[26]