D'Urville Martin

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 the blaxploitation genre. He also appeared in two unaired pilots of what would become ''All in the Family'' as Lionel Jefferson. Born in New York City, Martin began his career in the mid-1960s and soon appeared in prominent films such as '' Black Like Me'', ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'', and '' Rosemary's Baby''. Martin also directed films in his career, including ''Dolemite'', starring Rudy Ray Moore.

Personal life

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 heart attack in Los Angeles in 1984 at the age of 45.

Career

Martin's first film role was as a speaking-line extra in '' Black Like Me'' (1964). He then had small roles in ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner'' (1967) (as Frankie, whose car is accidentally struck by Spencer Tracy's character Matt Drayton) and '' Rosemary's Baby'' (1968) (as Diego, the elevator operator).

Later movies of D'Urville Martin are of the blaxploitation genre, starting with ''The Legend of Nigger Charley'' in 1972 and continuing throughout the decade until he appeared in '' The Bear'' in 1983. In ''The 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) and ''Boss Nigger'' (1975).

He played Sonny in the film '' Hammer'' (1972), Reverend Rufus in '' Black Caesar'' (1973) and its sequel ''Hell Up in Harlem'' (also 1973), and the pimp in ''The Get-Man'' (a.k.a. ''Combat Cops'') (1974).

Martin directed the 1975 Rudy Ray Moore movie ''Dolemite''. 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 of ''Dolemite'', ''Dolemite Is My Name'', Martin is played by Wesley Snipes, and is portrayed as a reluctant participant in the film, with his role as director regularly usurped by Moore.

Legacy

Directing ''Dolemite,'' 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 as '' Black Dynamite'' (2009). Cultural historian Todd Boyd finds that Rudy Ray Moore's depiction of Dolemite is linked to rappers like Snoop Dogg and The 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.”Greg Oguss's review of Todd Boyd's book ''A Guide to the Super Fly '70s: A connoisseur's Journey through the Fabulous Flix, Hip Sounds and Cool Vibes that Defined a Decade'' in the article "Stereotypes of a Black Male Misunderstood", 2007
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Filmography

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Durville
1939 births
1984 deaths
American male film actors
Male actors from New York City
African-American film directors
American film directors
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