D'Urville Martin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids D'Urville Martin
Martin in 1974
Born	(1939-02-11)February 11, 1939 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	May 28, 1984(1984-05-28) (aged 45) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor and director
Years active	1964–1984
Spouse(s)	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 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. He played Sonny in the film Hammer (1972), Reverend Rufus in Black Caesar (1973) and its sequel Hell Up in Harlem (also 1973). He also appeared 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.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: D'Urville Martin para niños