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 52) 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 important award called the Independent Spirit Award for his very first big movie role. This was in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher, which was directed by Denzel Washington.

Derek Luke has also played memorable characters like Boobie Miles in Friday Night Lights (2004), Bobby Joe Hill in Glory Road (2006), and Gabe Jones in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). More recently, he was Kevin Porter in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020).

Growing Up

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

Derek attended Henry Snyder High School and later graduated from Linden High School.

Derek Luke's Acting Journey

Derek Luke started his acting career with small parts. He appeared as a nurse in an episode of the TV show The King of Queens in 1999. He also had a role in the Moesha episode "Mayhem at the Jam Esp" in 2001.

First Big Roles

Derek Luke's first major role was playing the main character in the 2002 film Antwone Fisher. This movie tells the story of a sailor who seeks help from a psychiatrist to deal with a difficult past. Through the story, he learns about himself and searches for his family.

After that, Derek Luke starred with actor Laurence Fishburne in the 2003 film Biker Boyz. In this movie, Derek played Kid, the son of a mechanic. Kid's father worked for a famous motorcycle racer. After a sad event, Kid starts racing motorcycles himself and shows great skill. He even forms his own motorcycle group, leading to exciting competitions.

He then played James 'Boobie' Miles in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights. This film is about a high school football team. He also played Bobby Joe in the 2006 film Glory Road, which tells the true story of a college basketball team. In 2009, he played Sean 'Puffy' Combs in the film Notorious. Derek Luke also appeared in music videos for popular singers like Alicia Keys ("Teenage Love Affair") and Monica ("So Gone" and "Knock Knock").

Later Film and TV Roles

In 2008, Derek Luke was one of the main actors in Spike Lee's war film Miracle at St. Anna. He then starred in the NBC show Trauma.

In 2011, he joined the Marvel Universe as Gabe Jones, a member of the Howling Commandos, in the movie Captain America: The First Avenger. That same year, he also began a role as Dr. Miles Bourdet, an assistant surgeon, in the TNT medical drama series Hawthorne.

From 2013 to 2018, he played Gregory Thomas in the FX series The Americans. In 2015, he appeared in the TV series Empire as Malcolm Devoe, who was the head of security for a music company. From 2017 to 2019, he was a main cast member in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, playing Mr. Kevin Porter. In 2019, he also had a role in The Purge as Marcus Moore. Most recently, in 2023, he played Chuck Bell in The Crossover.

Life Outside Acting

Derek Luke is married to actress Sophia Adella Luke. They have one son.

Filmography

Film

Television

See also

In Spanish: Derek Luke para niños