D'Urville Martin
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2014) |
D'Urville Martin | |
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![]() Martin in 1974 | |
Born | New York City,New York, U.S. | February 11, 1939
Died | May 28, 1984 | (aged 45)
Resting place | Inglewood Park Cemetery,Inglewood, California,U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Actor and director |
Years active | 1964–1984 |
Spouses | Frances L. Johnson (divorced)Lillian Ferguson (m.1966) |
Children | 3 |
D'Urville Martin(February 11, 1939 – May 28, 1984) was an American actor in both film and television. He appeared in numerous 1970s movies in theblaxploitationgenre. He also appeared in two unaired pilots of what would becomeAll in the FamilyasLionel Jefferson.Born in New York City, Martin began his career in the mid-1960s and soon appeared in prominent films such asBlack Like Me,Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,andRosemary's Baby.Martin also directed films in his career, includingDolemite,starringRudy Ray Moore.[1]
Personal life[edit]
D'Urville Martin was born in New York City in 1939. He had a daughter, Debra, with his first wife, Frances L. Johnson. After their divorce, he married Lillian Ferguson in 1966 and had two more children. Martin died of a massive heart attack in Los Angeles in 1984 at the age of 45.[2][3]
Career[edit]
Martin's first film role was as a speaking-line extra inBlack Like Me(1964).[4]He then had small roles inGuess Who's Coming to Dinner(1967) (as Frankie, whose car is accidentally struck by Spencer Tracy's character Matt Drayton)[5]andRosemary's Baby(1968) (as Diego, the elevator operator).[6]
Later movies of D'Urville Martin are of theblaxploitationgenre, starting withThe Legend of Nigger Charleyin 1972 and continuing throughout the decade until he appeared inThe Bearin 1983. InThe Legend of Nigger Charley,Martin played Toby, a fellow fugitive of the title character. He reprised his role in the film's two sequels:The Soul of Nigger Charley(1973) andBoss Nigger(1975).
He played Sonny in the filmHammer(1972),[citation needed]Reverend Rufus inBlack Caesar(1973) and its sequelHell Up in Harlem(also 1973), and the pimp inThe Get-Man(a.k.a.Combat Cops) (1974).
Martin directed the 1975Rudy Ray MooremovieDolemite.In addition to directing the film, Martin plays the villain, Willie Green. The movie was followed by a sequel,The Human Tornado,in 1976; Martin did not direct the sequel. In the 2019 film about Moore and the making ofDolemite,Dolemite Is My Name,Martin is played byWesley Snipes,and is portrayed as a reluctant participant in the film, with his role as director regularly usurped by Moore.
Legacy[edit]
DirectingDolemite,Martin directed a film that proved to be a good example of the era's blaxploitation movies and to this day remains one of the most popular, still inspiring tributes and spoofs today such asBlack Dynamite(2009). Cultural historianTodd Boydfinds that Rudy Ray Moore's depiction of Dolemite is linked to rappers likeSnoop DoggandThe Notorious B.I.G.,pointing out Moore came up with the pronunciation "Biotch!", which later became ubiquitous. Boyd notes the humor in Moore carrying himself off as a sex symbol "to bed the fine-ass women who can't keep their hands off him.”[7]
Filmography[edit]
Film[edit]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | Black Like Me | ||
1967 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Frankie | |
1968 | Rosemary's Baby | Diego | |
A Time to Sing | Luke Harper | ||
1970 | Watermelon Man | Bus Driver | |
1972 | The Legend of Nigger Charley | Toby | |
The Final Comedown | Billy Joe Ashley | ||
Hammer | Sonny | ||
1973 | Black Caesar | Reverend Rufus | |
Book of Numbers | Billy Bowlegs | ||
The Soul of Nigger Charley | Toby | ||
Five on the Black Hand Side | Booker T. | ||
Hell Up in Harlem | Reverend Rufus | ||
1974 | The Get-Man | The Pimp | |
1975 | Boss Nigger | Amos | |
Sheba, Baby | Pilot | ||
Dolemite | Willie Green | Also directed | |
1976 | Death Journey | Detective Don | |
Blind Rage | Willie Black | ||
Black Samurai | Uncredited | ||
1977 | Disco 9000 | Stuffman | Also directed and produced |
1983 | The Big Score | Easy | |
1984 | The Bear | Billy | Final film role |
Television[edit]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | The Monkees | The Champ | Episode: "Monkees in the Ring" |
References[edit]
- ^"D'Urville Martin | The Museum Of UnCut Funk".museumofuncutfunk.Retrieved2019-11-27.
- ^"Actor D'Urville Martin Dies Of Heart Attack".Jet.66(14): 14. June 11, 1984.
- ^"D'urville Martin".tcm.Retrieved2022-04-29.
- ^D'Urville Martin filmography,d-urville-martin.fullmoviereview; accessed November 1, 2014.
- ^IMDb synopsis ofGuess Who's Coming to Dinner,imdb; accessed November 1, 2014.
- ^IMDB synopsis ofRosemary's Baby,imdb; accessed November 1, 2014.
- ^Greg Oguss's review of Todd Boyd's bookA Guide to the Super Fly '70s: A connoisseur's Journey through the Fabulous Flix, Hip Sounds and Cool Vibes that Defined a Decadein the article "Stereotypes of a Black Male Misunderstood", 2007
External links[edit]
- 1939 births
- 1984 deaths
- American male film actors
- Male actors from New York City
- African-American film directors
- Film directors from New York City
- Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery
- American male television actors
- African-American male actors
- 20th-century American male actors
- Blaxploitation film directors
- 20th-century African-American people