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Derek Luke biography

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American actor Derek Luke has starred in films including Antwone Fisher (2002) and Friday Night Lights (2004).

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Washington recalls, "I walked past the real Antwone and I said to Derek, 'Hey, Antwone. How's it going?' He said, 'That's right, I am Antwone. I'm working on it. I'm Antwone.' And I said, 'No, you ARE Antwone. You got the part.' First he was stunned, then he practically broke down in tears, then joy, then he started to pray… it was really exciting." Luke received rave reviews for his big-screen debut and won an Independent Spirit Award for his performance.

Later Roles

Since then, Luke has gone on to become a versatile actor. He played a high school football star in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights; in 2006 and he played the South African anti-apartheid activist Patrick Chamusso in Catch a Fire, co-starring Tim Robbins. After appearing in the 2008 romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe, Luke played music mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs in Notorious (2009), a film about the late rapper Biggie Smalls.

"My getting the role was based on [Combs'] recommendation after his seeing me in Friday Night Lights," Luke explains. "He thought that the character was kinda similar to who he was and shared a lot of his aspirations. I didn't have to audition for the role because that movie auditioned for him, and he told me, 'If anybody ever played me, I would want you.' From there, we developed a bond, and today we're friends."

Luke went on to play paramedic Cameron Boone in the NBC drama series Trauma and Gabe Jones in Captain America. In 1998, Luke married actress and singer Sophia Adella Hernandez.

Personal Life

Luke attributes much of his success in Hollywood to his fearlessness. He has made a career of portraying real people while they are still alive -- roles that come with added pressure and scrutiny and from which many actors steer clear. "No matter what project," he says, "I've always had to bind up and wrestle fear, because acting is really about faith. And faith and fear can't really stay in the same room. So, in order for you to be more than a conqueror, you're going to have to defeat fear with faith."

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

© 2013 A+E Networks. All rights reserved.

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