WATCH: From Hollywood to Dudley - NCIS actor goes back to college
NCIS star Duane Henry tells us why going to college in Dudley helped him reach Hollywood.
‘Without Dudley College, I don’t know where I would be.’
Those are the words of Hollywood actor Duane Henry, who has paid tribute to the college tutors who helped him forge his career.
Duane, who stars in award-winning US police drama Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), has lifted the lid on his exploits as he returned home to the West Midlands.
WATCH the full interview with Duane Henry here:
He said his tutors helped to channel his energy after his first year at the college, where he studied a performing arts course.
“I liked the course they offered,” said the 32-year-old, who is originally from Handsworth.
“I admit the first year I went there I didn’t take it that serious.
“I was just happy to be out of school and be around new faces in the canteen and the girls doing hairdressing upstairs – it was all crazy to me.
“After my first year, a couple of my teachers in their own time sat me down and said ‘look, buck your ideas up and you could probably do something with your life’.
“And I was like ‘really, really?’ And they were like ‘yeah you can’. So I started to focus my energy on the performance side of things.”
Duane left for London, aged 17, to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor on November 27, 2003 – and exactly 10 years later booked a flight to Los Angeles.
“I took a year out in LA and the rest is history,” he said.
Duane plays British intelligence officer Clayton Reeves in the hit TV series. He has also starred in UK shows including Doctor Who and Midlands-set drama series Doctors.
Duane, who has flown back to the region during a break in filming, met up with friend Steve Edwards, who organises the Black Country Festival and which the actor has shown support for.
Steve said: “Duane has finished filming for a couple of months so he has come home.
“He will be going back to LA in July. Duane is still filming in NCIS, he signed a four-year contract with them.
"We used to go to Dudley College together where we studied performing arts. I manage to see him once a year. He has properly made it and has worked with Madonna, but still comes back to good old Dudley which is great.”
