Duke Griffith was a character on The Kids of Degrassi Street, and the adult brother and guardian of Robin "Griff" Griffith.
Character biography[]
Duke assumed the guardianship of his younger brother Griff after their parents were killed in a car crash, and there was no-one else in the family to take Griff in. Duke never had much of an education, and was determined to see Griff didn't go the same way.
In "Griff Makes a Date", Duke caught Griff drawing a picture of Lisa Canard instead of studying for his junior high exams, and called Griff a retard in a moment of anger. Not knowing what the word meant, Griff later called Danny O'Brian, the school crossing guard, a retard after Danny told him off for crossing the street without waiting for the signal; Danny was visibly upset. Fortunately, Griff later apologized to Danny and the pair became friends.
In "Griff Gets a Hand", Duke wasn't keen on attending Griff's graduation. After Griff told him that everyone else's parents would be going, Duke pointed out matter-of-factly "We don't have parents any more."
When Duke heard Danny had died, and Griff told him he saw Danny sometimes, Duke assured Griff that it was only his imagination he was seeing. He helped Griff come to terms with the loss, even admitting to his brother "After the crash, I thought I saw Mom and Dad."
Eventually, Duke attended the graduation, though he didn't look or feel very comfortable at having to wear a suit. However, Duke managed to find the courage to ask Mrs. Mackenzie to dance, after having queried to Griff why he himself never had a teacher as glamorous as her when he was at school.
Duke Griffith was portrayed by the late Dave James.