Actor O.L. Duke dies in car accident

Jet, Oct 11, 2004

Veteran actor O.L. Duke, 51, who appeared in the hit movies Malcolm X, Antwone Fisher and Out of Time along with Oscar-winner Denzel Washington, was recently killed in a car accident in New York.

Duke, whose initials stood for Orville Lewis, was re- O.L. turning home after performing in the off-Broadway play Waitin' 2 End Hell when a vehicle cut him off said Monica Duke, his wife of two years. According to police Duke's vehicle jumped a divider on the West Side Highway and struck an oncoming car. At JET press time, authorities were investigating.

The Los Angeles native started his career in theater at New York City's Negro Ensemble Company (NEC) when he replaced fellow actor Washington in the original production of Charles Fuller's Pulitzer Prize-winning A Soldier's Play in 1982. Prior to his death, Duke Duke, a member of the Actors Studio, served as the NEC's artistic director.

Duke performed in several plays, co-starred in many TV series and appeared in over a dozen movies. His TV credits include "NYPD Blue," "Law and Order" and HBO's "Oz." His film credits include Sugar Hill and The Five Heartbeats. Duke is survived by his parents, three siblings, his wife, two daughters, and three grandchildren.