Derek Luke facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Derek Luke
Luke at Orlando, Florida in 2013
Born	Derek Nathanial Luke (1974-04-24) April 24, 1974 (age 51) Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1999–present
Spouse(s)	Sophia Adella Luke ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	1

Derek Nathanial Luke (born April 24, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his many roles in movies and TV shows. He won an award for his very first big movie role in Antwone Fisher (2002). This film was directed by the famous actor Denzel Washington.

Derek Luke has also played important characters like Boobie Miles in Friday Night Lights (2004). He was Bobby Joe Hill in Glory Road (2006). You might also know him as Joshua Hardaway in Madea Goes to Jail (2009). He played Gabe Jones in the superhero movie Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). More recently, he was Kevin Porter in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020).

Early Life and Education

Derek Luke was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in the United States. His mother, Marjorie Dixon, was a pianist. His father, Maurice Luke, was also an actor. Derek's father came from Georgetown, Guyana.

Derek went to Henry Snyder High School. He later graduated from Linden High School.

Derek Luke's Acting Career

Derek Luke started his acting journey with smaller parts. In 1999, he appeared as a nurse in an episode of the TV show The King of Queens. He also had a role in the show Moesha in 2001.

Breakthrough Role in Antwone Fisher

Derek Luke's first major role was in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher. In this movie, he played the main character, Antwone Fisher. The story is about a sailor who gets help from a psychiatrist. He learns to deal with difficult experiences from his childhood. The film shows his journey to understand his past and find his family.

Other Notable Film Roles

After Antwone Fisher, Derek Luke continued to act in many popular movies.

• In 2003, he starred with Laurence Fishburne in Biker Boyz. He played Kid, the son of a mechanic. Kid later forms his own motorcycle gang.
• He played James 'Boobie' Miles in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights. This movie is about a high school football team.
• In 2006, he was Bobby Joe in the movie Glory Road. This film tells the story of a college basketball team.
• He played Sean 'Puffy' Combs in the 2009 film Notorious.
• Derek Luke also appeared in music videos. He was the love interest in Alicia Keys' video for "Teenage Love Affair". He was also in Monica's video for "Knock Knock".

War Films and Superhero Movies

In 2008, Derek Luke was one of the main actors in Spike Lee's war film Miracle at St. Anna. He played 2nd Staff Sgt. Aubrey Stamps.

A big role for him was playing Gabe Jones in the 2011 Marvel Studios film Captain America: The First Avenger. Gabe Jones is a member of a special group called the Howling Commandos.

Television Series Appearances

Derek Luke has also been busy on television.

• From 2009 to 2010, he starred in the NBC show Trauma as Cameron Boone.
• In 2011, he joined the TNT medical drama Hawthorne. He played Dr. Miles Bourdet.
• He appeared in the FX series The Americans as Gregory Thomas in 2013 and 2018.
• In 2015, he played Malcolm Devoe in the TV series Empire.
• From 2017 to 2019, he was a main cast member in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. He played Mr. Kevin Porter, a school counselor.
• In 2019, he was in The Purge as Marcus Moore.
• Most recently, in 2023, he played Chuck Bell in the main role of The Crossover.

Personal Life

Derek Luke has been married to actress Sophia Adella Luke since April 4, 1998. They have one son together.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Derek Luke para niños