This Day in Horror: Happy Birthday Duane Jones
Alyse Wax
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Born on this day in 1937: actor Duane Jones
The role Jones is best known for, both amongst genre fans and regular cinemaphiles, is as ben in George Romero’s seminal Night of the Living Dead. He was the first African-American actor to land a leading role in a film where the script didn’t specifically call for a black lead. When Romero cast him, he didn’t pick him to make a statement; he simply picked him because he gave the best audition. Despite this, it has led Night of the Living Dead to be analyzed for racial meaning.
Jones had very few film roles, choosing instead to work and teach in the theater. He played Dr. Hess Green, who was turned into a vampire when stabbed by a cursed dagger, in Ganja & Hess. He also had a small role in the forgettable direct-to-video movie Vampires, and one in To Die For, in which Vlad Tepes resurfaces in Los Angeles.
Jones died in 1988 of a heart attack.
Categorized:News This Day in Horror
