D'Urville Martin Death
D'Urville passed away on May 28, 1984 at the age of 45 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
When did D'Urville Martin die?
May 28, 1984How old was D'Urville Martin when died?
45Where did D'Urville Martin die? What was the location of death?
Los Angeles, California, USA
D'Urville Martin Birthday and Date of Death
D'Urville Martin was born on February 11, 1939 and died on May 28, 1984. D'Urville was 45 years old at the time of death.
Birthday: February 11, 1939
Date of Death: May 28, 1984
Age at Death: 45
D'Urville Martin - Biography
D'Urville Martin (February 11, 1939 – May 28, 1984) was an American actor and director in both film and television. He appeared in numerous 1970s movies in the blaxploitation genre. He also appeared in two unaired pilots of what would become All in the Family as Lionel Jefferson, the role was later played by Mike Evans. Born in New York City, Martin began his career in the mid-1960s, soon becoming a prominent recurring figure in the genre. Martin acted in several movies of the time, including Black Like Me and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Martin also directed films in his career, including Dolemite, starring Rudy Ray Moore.
As a prominent supporting actor in blaxploitation movies, D'Urville Martin helped define the genre through all of its increasing controversy and popularity. Following the lead of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, these films typically possessed certain attributes and stereotypes. For example, in The Get-Man, Martin plays a pimp, a common occupation in the genre. In addition Martin takes on the job of both a hit man and drug dealer in his later movies which targeted primarily lower class black audiences across the country. Though extremely popular with these audiences, they were accused of stereotyping blacks. Calling for the end of the controversial genre, organizations such as the NAACP, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the Urban League condemned these films and formed the Coalition Against Blaxploitation. With the support of many professionals in black film, media exposure eventually forced the end of the genre by the late 1970s.
Directing Dolemite was Martin's career high. The film proved to be a good example of the era's blaxploitation movies and to this day remains one of the most popular, still inspiring spoofs today such as Black Dynamite (2009). Cultural historian Todd Boyd finds that Rudy Ray Moore's depiction of Dolemite is linked to rappers like Snoop Dogg and The Notorious B.I.G., pointing out Moore came up with the pronunciation "Biotch!" that Snoop made ubiquitous. Boyd notes the humor in Moore carrying himself off as a sex symbol "to bed the fine-ass women who can't keep their hands off him.”
He had a daughter, Debra, with his first wife, Frances L. Johnson. After their divorce he married Lillian Ferguson in 1966 and had two more children. Martin died of a heart attack in Los Angeles in 1984 at the age of 45.
