What an honor to sit down with the legendary Bill Duke (pre-order his book Bill Duke: My 40-Year Career on Screen and behind the Camera!)  Bill is so much more than a successful director or well-known actor.  He has used his position and power to increase awareness and lift others in the pursuit of their dreams.  Our conversation goes deep and in many directions.  I hope you will tune in and join us.

Bill Duke is an Actor, Director and Producer in Hollywood for over 30 years of experience. His acting credits include television and feature film roles in Predator, American Gigolo, Car Wash, Action Jackson, Commando, Menace II Society, Bird on a Wire, Get Rich or Die Tryinʼ, X-Men 3, Henry’s Crime, The Big Bang, Starsky & Hutch, Charlieʼs Angels, Fastlane, Karen Sisco and Lost. Also his directing credits  include television series Falcon Crest, Fame, Hill Street Blues and PBSʼ The Killing Floor, for which he won the Sundance Special Jury Award in 1985. The accolades continued with a feature film directorial debut in 1991 A Rage in Harlem, an official selection of the Cannes Film Festival and contender for the prestigious Palme dʼOr. This global recognition led to further opportunities and went on to direct Sister Act 2, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, The Cemetery Club, Cover, Not Easily Broken and the documentary Dark Girls, which aired on OWN and succeeded as one of the most successful programs in the network’s history.

Over the course of his career, he has been appointed to the National Endowment of Humanities by President Bill Clinton, the Board of the California State Film Commission by Former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, served on the Board of Trustees at the American Film Institute and as the Time Warner Endowed Chair in the Department of Radio Television and Film at Howard University. As well as been recognized by his peers with a Lifetime Achievement Tribute from the Directors Guild of Americaʼs African- American Steering Committee.