Duane Jones(1937-1988)

His role in Die Nacht der lebenden Toten (1968) was the first time in American cinema that a black actor was cast in a lead role of a major motion picture that did not specify that the part had to be played by a black actor.

It never occurred to me that I was hired because I was black, but it did occur to me that because I was black it would give a different historic element to the film. (on being cast as Ben in Die Nacht der lebenden Toten (1968))