Winston Duke

Winston Duke (born 15 November 1986) is a Trinidadian and Tobagonian actor. Duke was born in Tobago and moved to Brooklyn, New York, United States, at age nine.

Duke began his career with minor roles in theatre productions and recurring roles on the CBS science fiction series Person of Interest (2014–2015) and the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2016). He rose to prominence after playing M'Baku in several films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is one of the highest-grossing media franchises. He has since taken roles in the horror film Us (2019), the fantasy drama film Nine Days (2020), and the action comedy films Spenser Confidential (2020) and The Fall Guy (2024).

Early life, family and education Winston Duke was born in the village of Argyle, Tobago in the country of Trinidad and Tobago on 15 November 1986. He was raised by Cora Pantin, a single mother who was a Tobagonian government worker and restaurant owner. He does not have a relationship with his father. His cousin is the Tobagonian politician and Progressive Democratic Patriots leader Watson Duke.

As a child, Duke worked at his mother's restaurant, seating customers at their tables and learned how to "charm" strangers at an early age. When he was nine years old, his mother decided to move her family to the US. She sold the restaurant and their possessions. The three of them settled in a studio apartment in Brooklyn, New York City, where Cindy could attend medical school.

Duke attended a public primary school in Crown Heights, and often frequented the local library and comic book store after school. He attended the University at Buffalo, earning a Bachelor of Arts in theatre. He subsequently earned a Master of Fine Arts in acting at Yale School of Drama, graduating in 2013. His mother died in 2022 at age 66. It was released in 2018. Wesley Morris of The New York Times named his performance in Black Panther as one of the best in 2018, describing him as "funny, shameless [and] imposing". He reprised the role in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019), which are among the highest-grossing films ever made.

In 2019, Duke starred in the hit horror film Us, directed by Jordan Peele. In October 2019, Duke signed on to headline in the Apple TV+ drama series Swagger, but due to an injury suffered on-set in February 2020, he was replaced by O'Shea Jackson Jr. In September, Duke was named Actor of the Year by GQ Australia. He starred in Nine Days (2020), directed by Edson Oda, as a manager who interviews unborn souls and selects them to live on Earth.

On 24 October 2021, Duke received the Maverick Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival. It was reported in July 2021 that Duke would be playing Bruce Wayne/Batman in the Spotify podcast audio drama Batman Unburied, which was released in 2022. Although Duke worried that backlash from fans about a Black actor playing Wayne would surface, his role was instead met with support and intrigue. Duke reprised his role as M'Baku in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), and the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Black Panther III (2028). According to Esquire magazine, he is an "art fanatic". Avengers: Infinity War

Us Gabriel "Gabe" Wilson / Abraham

Avengers: Endgame M'Baku

Nine Days Will Also executive producer

Spenser Confidential Hawk

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever M'Baku

The Fall Guy Dan Tucker

M'Baku Post-production

(voice) In production

Television Year Title Role Notes 2014 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Cedric Jones Episode: "Gridiron Soldier" 2014–2015 Person of Interest Dominic Besson / Mini Recurring role; 7 episodes 2015 The Messengers Zahir Zakaria Recurring role; 3 episodes Major Crimes Curtis Turner Episode: "#FindKaylaWeber" 2016 Modern Family Dwight Recurring role; 3 episodes 2026 Invincible Space Racer (voice) Recurring role

Podcast

Awards and nominations + Award Year Category Nominated work Result AARP Movies for Grownups Awards 2019 Best Ensemble Black Panther Austin Film Critics Association Awards 2018 Best Ensemble Black Panther Black Reel Awards 2019 Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male Black Panther Outstanding Ensemble Black Panther 2022 Outstanding Actor Nine Days 2023 Outstanding Ensemble Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Critics' Choice Awards 2019 Best Acting Ensemble Black Panther Denver International Film Festival 2020 Excellence in Acting Nine Days Fangoria Chainsaw Awards 2020 Best Actor Us Georgia Film Critics Association 2019 Best Ensemble Black Panther MTV Movie & TV Awards 2018 Best Fight Black Panther 2023 Best Kick-ass Cast Black Panther: Wakanda Forever NAACP Image Awards 2019 Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture Black Panther Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture Black Panther Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Black Panther 2020 Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Us 2023 Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Newport Beach Film Festival Awards 2021 Maverick Award Nine Days Online Film & Television Association Awards 2019 Best Ensemble Black Panther Screen Actors Guild Awards 2019 Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Black Panther Seattle Film Critics Society Awards 2018 Best Ensemble Black Panther Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards 2018 Best Ensemble Black Panther