# D'Urville Martin
**D'Urville Martin** (February 11, 1939 – May 28, 1984) was an American actor and director who appeared regularly in 1970s blaxploitation films and directed the [Rudy Ray Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/rudy-ray-moore) comedy *[Dolemite](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolemite)* (1975), in which he also played the villain [Willie Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/willie-green).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) Born in New York City, he began acting in the 1960s, became a recurring figure in the blaxploitation cycle, and died in Los Angeles of a heart attack at age 45.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | February 11, 1939, New York City; May 28, 1984, Los Angeles (heart attack), age 45[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) |
| Professions | Actor, director, producer, assistant director[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/durville-martin/credits/3000520893/) |
| Signature work | *Dolemite* (1975), his feature directorial debut, in which he also played Willie Green[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55541-DOLEMITE) |
| Other directing credit | *Disco 9000*, dated 1977 by IMDb and 1978 by the AFI Catalog[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/) • [5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658) |
| Registry films | Appeared in two Library of Congress National Film Registry selections: *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967) and *Rosemary's Baby* (1968)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) |
| Frequent collaborator | Fred "The Hammer" Williamson; Martin also produced several pictures with him for the independent Po'Boy Productions company[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/durville_martin) |
| Portrayal on screen | Played by Wesley Snipes in *Dolemite Is My Name* (2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) |
## Early screen work
Martin began acting in the 1960s. His early credits include the elevator attendant Diego in *Rosemary's Baby* (1968) and Frankie in [Stanley Kramer](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-kramer)'s *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967), both later chosen for the [National Film Registry](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-film-registry) as "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) • [5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658) The AFI Catalog also lists a bus driver in *Watermelon Man* (1970) and Luke Harper in *A Time to Sing* (1968) among his featured credits.[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658)
On television he made guest appearances on shows including *[Dr. Kildare](https://www.edgepedia.org/dr-kildare-tv-series)*, *Daniel Boone*, *The Monkees*, *The Man from U.N.C.L.E.*, *The Invaders*, *All in the Family*, *Love, American Style*, and *Ironside*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) According to IMDb trivia, he played Lionel Jefferson in the first two unaired pilots for *All in the Family* (1971).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/)
## Blaxploitation career
Martin became a principal recurring figure in the 1970s blaxploitation cinema cycle, working repeatedly with Fred "The Hammer" Williamson.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) He played Williamson's reluctant partner Toby in *The Legend of Nigger Charley* (1972) and *The Soul of Nigger Charley* (1973), and the childhood friend Reverend Rufus in Larry Cohen's *Black Caesar* (1973) and its sequel *Hell Up in Harlem* (1973).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) • [5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658) For director William Girdler he played the villainous Pilot in the [Pam Grier](https://www.edgepedia.org/pam-grier) vehicle *Sheba, Baby* (1975) and a pimp in *The Zebra Killer*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) Other 1970s credits include *Hammer* (1972), *The Final Comedown* (1972), *Five on the Black Hand Side* (1973), *Book of Numbers* (1973), *Boss Nigger* (1975), *Death Journey* (1978), *Blind Rage* (1978), and *The Big Score* (1983).[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658) • [6](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/durville_martin)
He also worked behind the camera as associate producer on *The Final Comedown* (1972) and *Disco 9000*.[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658) In an October 1972 interview with *The Harvard Crimson*, Martin defended the new wave of black films against critics: "There was a time when there was no black work, and now that we've got work people are still complaining." He acknowledged the films' low quality but attributed it to a lack of initial capital from the black community, saying of would-be investors, "it's impossible to get any money out of them for a black film."[7](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1972/10/10/black-movies-a-new-wave-of/)
## Dolemite
Martin's best-known work as a director is *Dolemite* (1975), starring comedian Rudy Ray Moore as the title character. The AFI Catalog records that it was Martin's feature film directorial debut, that Moore financed the production himself at a cost of $100,000, and that Martin completed negotiations with the theatrical distributor Dimension Pictures in March 1975.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55541-DOLEMITE) The film premiered at the Rialto Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 6, 1975, and opened in Detroit and Chicago on May 23.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55541-DOLEMITE)
The film was commercially successful. Its opening week earned $26,765 in Atlanta, $67,033 in Chicago, $23,072 in New Orleans, and $21,649 in Houston, and a Los Angeles Sentinel article of October 9, 1975 reported that it had taken in over $3 million in box-office receipts to that time.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55541-DOLEMITE) A 2019 *Time* review of *Dolemite Is My Name* called the original "a landmark of Blaxploitation cinema," noting that it came after more polished pictures such as *Shaft* (1971) and *Black Caesar* (1973) had already established the genre, and described Martin as "a moderately successful actor who, Moore incorrectly surmised, would know what he was doing when it came to making a film."[8](https://time.com/5692501/dolemite-is-my-name-review-eddie-murphy/)
Martin's other directing credit is *Disco 9000*, which the AFI Catalog dates to 1978 and IMDb to 1977.[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/) [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide) also lists a second-unit directing credit on *Human Tornado*.[2](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/durville-martin/credits/3000520893/)
## Later years and legacy
Martin's final screen appearance was as Billy in *The Bear* (1984).[5](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658) He died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on May 28, 1984, at age 45; IMDb's biographical sketch attributes the death to a hard-partying lifestyle.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) He was married to Lillian Ferguson from March 21, 1966 until his death, with two children, and had a child, Jacques, from a previous marriage to Frances L. Johnson.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/)
Interest in his career was renewed by *Dolemite Is My Name* (2019), the Netflix film about Rudy Ray Moore, in which [Wesley Snipes](https://www.edgepedia.org/wesley-snipes) portrayed Martin.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/) • [8](https://time.com/5692501/dolemite-is-my-name-review-eddie-murphy/) The Los Angeles Sentinel wrote at the time that what made the real-life Moore story significant was "the lack of opportunity for Black people to make it in Hollywood," with Moore hiring the actor Martin to direct.[9](https://lasentinel.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/11/2019-11-07-FULL-v2.pdf)
## References
1. [D'Urville Martin – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/bio/)
2. [D'Urville Martin List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/durville-martin/credits/3000520893/)
3. [Dolemite (1975), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/55541-DOLEMITE)
4. [D'Urville Martin, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0552121/)
5. [D'Urville Martin, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/34658)
6. [D'Urville Martin, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/durville_martin)
7. [Black Movies: A New Wave of Exploitation, The Harvard Crimson (October 10, 1972)](https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1972/10/10/black-movies-a-new-wave-of/)
8. [Eddie Murphy Pays Tribute to a Blaxploitation Legend in Dolemite Is My Name, Time (2019)](https://time.com/5692501/dolemite-is-my-name-review-eddie-murphy/)
9. [Los Angeles Sentinel, November 7, 2019 issue](https://lasentinel.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2019/11/2019-11-07-FULL-v2.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames M to Ma*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license