Photo: Direction and cinematography both by George A. Romero / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
What strikes me about Duane Jones is how one role can both define and confine a career. As Ben in Night of the Living Dead, he gave a performance whose composure still lands today, and the fact that a Black lead anchored a 1968 horror film carried weight he never set out to make a statement about. I respect that he didn't chase Hollywood afterward. He poured himself into theater instead, running the Maguire Theater and the Richard Allen Center. That tells me he valued the craft over the spotlight. Dying at 51 feels far too soon for someone whose real legacy was as much teacher as actor.
Overview
Duane Lionel Jones (April 11, 1937 – July 22, 1988) was an American actor. He was best known for his lead role as Ben in the 1968 horror film Night of the Living Dead. He was later director of the Maguire Theater at the State University of New York at Old Westbury, and the artistic director of the Richard Allen Center for Culture and Art in Manhattan.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Duane Jones
- Name (Japanese)
- デュアン・ジョーンズ
- Reading
- でゅあん・じょーんず
- Born
- February 2, 1937 – July 22, 1988
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Aquarius / Ox
- Origin
- New York City, New York, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor / actor / stage actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Paris
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film actor — see all → · Actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.