David Coleman Dukes (June 6, 1945 – October 9, 2000) was an American character actor.
Dukes was born in San Francisco, California, the son of a highway patrolman. He had a long career in films, appearing in 35; and as a television guest star, notably as the man who attempted to rape Edith Bunker on All in the Family, and during the 1980s in the miniseries The Winds of War. He received an Emmy nomination for best supporting actor for his role in The Josephine Baker Story (1991) and appeared as Arthur Miller in Norma Jean & Marilyn (1996). He was also a regular in the first season of Sisters as the transvestite doctor husband of oldest sister Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), and appeared occasionally as the character in subsequent seasons. On Dawson's Creek, he had a recurring role as Mr. McPhee, the father to Jack (Kerr Smith) and Andie (Meredith Monroe) from the second through fourth seasons.
Dukes had extensive stage experience, first appearing on Broadway in 1971 and later in a revival of Molière's The School for Wives. He also played such colorful roles as Dracula, Doctor Frankenstein, and Antonio Salieri in the original production of Amadeus — replacing Sir Ian McKellen. He won plaudits when he replaced John Lithgow in the original production of David Henry Hwang's play M. Butterfly and a Tony nomination in 1980 for best featured actor in a play for Bent.
The father of a son and a daughter, Dukes died of a heart attack in Spanaway, Washington while on location shooting the Stephen King mini-series Rose Red. His widow Carol Muske-Dukes's experiences with the Pierce County, Washington medical examiner's office were so frustrating that she publicly spoke out against the office's lack of cooperation. The ME's office would not let her see her husband's body, did not inform her of her rights or honor some of the rights she did try to exercise, and failed to detect during his autopsy the evidence of a previous heart attack.
Dukes was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
He collapsed and died whilst in Washington to film "Rose Red" (2002) (mini).
Received numerous death threats after he played a character who tried to rape Edith Bunker in "All in the Family" (1971) "Edith's 50th Birthday, Part One" (episode 8.5) 10/16/1977.
His wife, Carol Muske, wrote a book titled Life after Death, where a woman upset at her husband for leaving her and child says to him "Why don't you just die?". The next day he dies of a heart attack on a tennis court. Shortly after the book was completed, David Dukes went to play tennis and died of a heart attack.
Was Rob Reiner's first choice to play the adult Gordy LaChance, the narrator of Stand by Me (1986), before being replaced by Richard Dreyfuss. In the first long shot of the adult Gordie, you can still see that it is Dukes, not Dreyfuss, sitting in the car. The story is about the character's first experiences with death. Ironically, Dukes died while appearing in another Stephen King adaptation.
Was nominated for Broadway's 1980 Tony Award as Best Actor (Featured Role - Play) for Martin Sherman (I)'s "Bent."
