Winston Duke

Duke was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to the U.S. with his mother, Cora Pantin, and sister when he was nine years old. He graduated from Brighton High School in Rochester, New York in 2004. He attended University at Buffalo, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, and moved on to Yale School of Drama where he received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Acting, graduating 2013.

He started acting in theater productions for Portland Stage Company and Yale Repertory Theatre before being cast in Person of Interest. At Yale, he befriended fellow actor Lupita Nyong'o, with whom he would later star in Black Panther and Us. Winston returned to his native Trinidad and Tobago in 2012 for the theatre production of An Echo in the Bone starring alongside actress Taromi Lourdes Joseph and directed by fellow Yale alumna Timmia Hearn Feldman.

Winston Duke is best known for his role of M'Baku in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, starting with Black Panther (his feature film debut), and Avengers: Infinity War (both 2018); followed by Avengers: Endgame (2019). In 2019, he starred alongside Lupita Nyong'o in Jordan Peele's horror film, Us.