Duane Jones is recognized throughout the world as the actor behind Ben in the historic George A. Romero film, Night of The Living Dead.
Despite his cult success in the horror world, Duane Jones came from humble beginnings. He was born in February of 1936 in New York. Later in life he would become an english professor and the theatrical director at New York State University.
His role in Night of The Living Dead is iconic within itself because it is the first time an African American male was the hero in a horror movie AND the first time a black male was the starring role in a mainstream movie.
After the success of Night of The Living Dead, Duane Jones continued his professional acting career. He appeared in other horror films including Ganga & Hess (1973), Vampires (1986), To Die For (1988), and Negatives (1988). He also appeared in a comedy, Losing Ground, in 1982 and a musical, Beat Street, in 1984.
So where is he now?
Unfortunately, Duane Jones’ last acting credit was horror’s Fright House in 1989…a movie released after his death. Mr. Jones died of heart failure on July 22, 1988. Such an iconic role, may he always rest in peace.
His portrayal of Ben will live on, since archive footage and interviews of him are used in almost every zombie film documentary; with Zombies: A Living History being the most recent in 2011.
It’s also rumored that the character of Duane in The Walking Dead franchise was named after him.
