David Dukes

David Coleman Dukes (June 6, 1945 – October 9, 2000) was an American actor whose career spanned Broadway, film, and television over several decades. Born in San Francisco, California, he was the eldest of four brothers — James, Robert, and Joe Paul — and the son of a California Highway Patrol officer.

Dukes made his Broadway debut in 1971 and remained active on stage through 1994, accumulating credits that included Frankenstein, Bent, The Rules of the Game, and Broken Glass. His role in Bent earned him both a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play, both in 1980. Among his other stage roles, he played Doctor Frankenstein, Dracula, and Antonio Salieri in the original Broadway production of Amadeus, stepping into the role previously held by Ian McKellen. He also succeeded John Lithgow in the original production of David Henry Hwang's M. Butterfly, and appeared in a revival of Molière's The School for Wives. In 1998, he joined Stacy Keach and George Wendt in a London West End production of Art.

Dukes appeared in 35 films over the course of his career and was a frequent television guest star, with notable appearances that included the role of the man who attempted to rape Edith Bunker on All in the Family, an advertising executive on The Jeffersons, and a blind bully on Three's Company. During the 1980s, he took on prominent roles in the paired miniseries The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. In 1992, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for his portrayal of Jo Bouillon in the HBO production The Josephine Baker Story. He later appeared as Arthur Miller in the HBO film Norma Jean & Marilyn in 1996, and starred in Without a Trace as the ex-husband of Kate Nelligan's character.

On the series Sisters, Dukes was a regular in the first season, playing the husband of eldest Reed sister Alex, portrayed by Swoosie Kurtz, with his character continuing in a recurring capacity in later seasons. On Dawson's Creek, he recurred from the second through fourth seasons as Mr. McPhee, father of Jack and Andie. In addition to his screen and stage work, Dukes recorded several audiobooks, among them unabridged readings of Philip Roth's Sabbath's Theater and Isaac Asimov's Prelude to Foundation.

Dukes was married to Carol Muske-Dukes. He died of a heart attack on October 9, 2000, in Spanaway, Washington, while on location filming the Stephen King miniseries Rose Red. He was 55 years old. The fourth-season Dawson's Creek episode that aired on November 15, 2000, in which he appeared, was dedicated to his memory. Dukes is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.