Lukas Kenneth "Luke" Duke is a fictional character in the American television series The Dukes of Hazzard which ran from 1979 to 1985. Luke was played by Tom Wopat.
Luke, and his younger cousin Bo Duke live in an unincorporated area of the fictional Hazzard County, in Georgia. Luke and Bo own a 1969 Dodge Charger, nicknamed The General Lee, which is painted orange, with the Confederate Flag on top, and 01 painted on the sides. Luke and Bo evade the corrupt politicians of Hazzard County, such as Boss Hogg and Rosco P. Coltrane.
The Duke family, including cousin Daisy and Uncle Jesse, is well known for their role in the moonshine business among other interests. Bo and Luke had both been sentenced to probation for illegal transportation of moonshine. As a result, neither was permitted to use firearms, instead preferring to use bow and arrows. It should also be noted that the terms of Bo and Luke's probation included staying within the boundaries of Hazzard County (unless given special permission by their Probation Officer, who happened to be Boss Hogg).
Of the two Duke boys, Luke was generally considered to be the more "cool-headed" one. Luke was older, and more mature than his younger cousin Bo. He usually thought his way through situations that arose, in contrast to Bo, whose actions were much more precarious. However, when it came to fisticuffs, Luke was generally the more skilled fighter of the two. Where Bo was the one known to get the two into trouble, Luke was the one who usually got them out of it. Luke was the more physical one, often performing stunts like jumping onto moving cars during high speed chases and rescuing Bo from sticky situations. In one episode, Bo mentions that Luke had served in the U.S. Marine corps and because of the time period it can be presumed that he fought in the Vietnam War.
Luke's famous "hood slide" (as seen in the opening credits) is the trick most commonly associated with the character. In a subsequent TV interview, Tom Wopat admitted that the move was actually a mistake; it originated when he was trying to vault over the car to get to the passenger side and his foot accidentally caught the edge of the hood, causing his leg to slide across it. They actually reshot it without the stumble, but for some unknown reason the show aired the slide with the stumble. The move eventually caught on and became the character's hallmark.
Despite being quite a skilled driver, Luke rarely ever drove The General Lee; he usually preferred to ride shotgun, while Bo chose the driver's seat.
Luke later left Hazzard County, along with his cousin Bo, to join the NASCAR circuit (they both returned the following year).
According to the 1997 Reunion movie, Luke eventually would leave Hazzard for good, and put his military training to good use by becoming a fire jumper for the U.S. Forest Service. During training in Montana, he met and fell in love with a woman named Anita Blackwell, who was a talented singer. He convinced her to leave to pursue her dreams, and she became a successful country music star. Luke met her again in the 2000 Hazzard in Hollywood movie, although by then she was married.
Luke Duke was later played by Johnny Knoxville in the subsequent cinematic version. Luke Duke was then played by Randy Wayne in The Dukes of Hazzard: The Beginning.
