Edward Duke; Actor Best Known as Jeeves

Edward Duke, 40, British actor known for his solo show “Jeeves Takes Charge.” The son of a diplomat, Duke completed his expulsion-riddled schooling in Japan and then went into theater--beginning in the box office--determined to become an actor. He hit his stride in 1978 when he took on the persona of young Bertie Wooster, master of P.G. Wodehouse’s perfect valet, Jeeves. Duke performed the one-man show in London, under the sponsorship of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and soon won the Society of West End Theatre Award as most promising new actor. In 1987 he won the Olivier, England’s Tony. Taking the show on the road, he won a Drama Desk nomination for his performance in New York in 1983. Duke brought the show to Los Angeles in 1985 and San Diego in 1990. He appeared in the films “The French Lieutenant’s Woman,” “Invitation to the Wedding” and “Decadence,” which has yet to be released. He was also in the short-lived 1992 Broadway revival of “Private Lives” with Joan Collins. On Jan. 8 in London of cancer.