D’Urville Martin was a key important, prolific and hugely engaging supporting actor who appeared with pleasing regularity in a handful of delightfully down’n’dirty 70s blaxploitation features. Martin was born on February 11, 1939 in New York City. D’Urville first began acting in the 1960s including the elevator attendant in “Rosemary’s Baby”. He soon became a principal recurring figure in the 70s blaxploitation cinema cycle. Martin acted in several movies with legendary blaxploitation icon Fred “The Hammer” Williamson; he was especially memorable as Williamson’s reluctant partner Toby in the “Black Charley” pictures and old childhood chum Reverand Rufus in both the terrific “Black Caesar” and its solid sequel “Hell Up in Harlem.” D’Urville popped up in two flicks for director William Girdler: he’s the villainous Pilot in the Pam Grier vehicle “Sheba, Baby” and a flamboyant pimp in the enjoyably tacky “The Zebra Killer.” Martin directed the hilarious Rudy Ray Moore comedy hoot “Dolemite” — he also plays Willie Green in this film — and “Disco 9000.” Among the TV shows he did guest spots on are “Dr. Kildare,” “Daniel Boone,” “The Monkees,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Invaders,” “All in the Family,” “Love, American Style,” and “Ironside.” Alas, D’Urville Martin had a hard partying lifestyle which directly lead to his unfortunate untimely death from a heart attack at age 45 on May 28, 1984.
