Christopher Dukes-Improvising His Way Through Life’s Obstacles

Entertainment, People You Should Know — By Buddy Sampson on July 16, 2020 at 9:00 am

People You Should Know

By Buddy Sampson

When Christopher Dukes, a very handsome man, called in for the interview, I joked with him “to stay away from my ladies,” because he was too handsome. The master of improv Chris, without missing a beat said, “well you can just remember, you can take the player out the game, but you can’t take the game out of the player. My wife she’s like, ‘seriously? C’mon!’”

I liked him right away. And you will too.

He is not your average actor. The handsome actor, from Omaha, Nebraska is a true double threat- charming audiences with his considerable talent on screen and, when not on screen, a successful entrepreneur. He heads his own company, Dukes Wealth Management, Inc. a financial and insurance services agency. After working in Hollywood for several years, from 1995-2003, he met his wife Kristina and decided he needed more stability. “Well, if this acting thing doesn’t quite turn out the way I want, I’d better have another avenue,” he said. “I had a mentor back in the day that said to me ‘the more avenues you give yourself, the more destinations you can arrive at.’” He pursued and received his insurance and securities licenses and formed his own company, growing his business into a successful venture. “Today we have about 500 households and I manage over 100 million dollars,” he explained.” We’ve come a long way.”

Growing up in Omaha, Nebraska from humble beginnings, Christopher looks back on his life in Omaha with fond memories. “It was a great place to grow up,” said Christopher. “I grew up the oldest kid from Tom and Kathryn, my mechanic father and my waitress mom and they did their best with the three of us kids there. When you grow up with not a whole lot, it certainly makes you respect later in life when things turn around a little bit when you have things.  It certainly makes you look back on those times.” He later attended the University of Nebraska, Omaha, majoring in Theater, with a minor in Speech Communications. After completing his college education, he decided to try his luck in Hollywood and found some success.

From 1995-2003 Christopher was a working actor and stunt man in Hollywood, booking several roles in films such as “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra” and “Transformers.”  His first foray into acting and stunts was for a theme park, Six Flags San Antonio, where many stunt actors gain valuable experience to work their way into the ranks of Hollywood. “It got me a lot of real-world training that I was able to utilize to cross over into TV and Film,” said the actor and entrepreneur. “I guess I always considered myself an actor who can do their own stunts, sort of in the vein of Tom Cruise.” Not only was Christopher a great stunt actor, he developed his improvisational skills, taking classes at The Groundlings Theater & School. His improvisational skills served him well- he booked a role on the popular TV series “Fresh Off the Boat.” “There couldn’t have been a more gracious cast,” said Christopher of working on the show. “The director was pretty cool with improv and there were some lines that they weren’t particularly happy with. And they just started rolling and I fired off 15 or 20 things I had written down. They kept themselves from laughing and then they said ‘cut.’”

You can see the improvisational skill and acting prowess of Christopher Dukes in the destined-to-be hit series, “Pump,” a comedy series produced and written by Corey Grant and Lanett Tachel, playing the part of Worthington. He heard about “Pump” from Lanett Tachel, a former classmate (who is also featured in The Scoop LA) and decided to audition. “She said, there’s a role for this 40 something white guy, a kind of financial advisor guy who likes to work out,” he laughed. “Uh, I think I can handle it.” He really enjoyed working on “Pump,” and developed an immediate chemistry with the other cast members. “I’m kind of the token white guy coming to the urban gym to get his swole on,” laughed Christopher.

Christopher can also be seen in the Suzanne De Laurentiis Production, “There Will Always Be Christmas,” with Eileen Davidson and Michael Paré, playing the part of Mr. Masterson. “I’m the jock’s father,” he said about the role, which he enjoyed. “Everyone brought their ‘A’ game, and when you work with people like that (Eileen Davidson and Michael Paré) it causes you to step up your game as well.”

Christopher Dukes also loves extreme sports that include mudding and obstacle courses, sports in which he excels. “It’s a really nice way to test yourself and see how your mettle is and if you can handle it and being in my mid-forties, I like competing against those 20 year old’s,” he said.

One thing is evident, his good looks, sense of humor and ability to improvise his way through the obstacle course of Hollywood makes him a person that can compete with anyone and one of the People You Should Know.

For more information on Christopher Dukes, see his IMDB page, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0241230/. Need financial advice? His website is  www.dukesfinancial.com. Telephone (805) 449-8700. You may also e-mail him at cduke1972@aol.com.