Night of the Living Dead
1968
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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. 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.
Duane Jones was a versatile and influential actor who played the lead role of Ben in George A. Romero's classic zombie film Night of the Living Dead (1968). He was also a former English professor and a theater director who appeared in other horror movies such as Ganja & Hess (1973) and Vampires (1986).
- January 1, 1
- New York City, New York, USA
- January 1, 1
- Mineola, Long Island, New York, USA
Duane Jones was the first Black actor to play the lead role in a horror film, challenging racial and sexual stereotypes. Learn about his life, career, and performance as Ben, the hero of George A. Romero's classic zombie movie.
Duane Jones was a former English professor and actor who starred in Night of the Living Dead (1968), the first horror film with a black lead. He also appeared in Ganja & Hess (1973) and Vampires (1986), and died of heart failure in 1988.
- April 11, 1937
- July 22, 1988
Aug 31, 2010 · Duane Jones was the first black actor to play the lead role in a horror film, challenging racial stereotypes and audience expectations. Learn how he transformed the character of Ben from a crude trucker to a resourceful and intelligent survivor in George Romero's classic zombie movie.
Feb 26, 2019 · Night of the Living Dead, directed by adopted Torontonian George Romero in 1968, marked the first time a Black actor was cast as the lead in a horror film. A...
- 7 min
- 12.6K
- TIFF Originals
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Nov 2, 2018 · Learn about the legacy of Duane Jones, the first Black actor to star in a horror movie and a professor of humanities at Antioch College. He taught courses in theater and Black literature and refused to let his role in Night of the Living Dead define him.
