From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Daryl Duke (8 March 1929 – 21 October 2006) was a Canadian film and TV director. Duke was born at Vancouver, British Columbia, where he became one of CBC Television's earliest regional producers. His career continued with CBC in Toronto producing such series as This Hour Has Seven Days, then in the United States for major television networks and studios there. In 1977 he won the Canadian Film Award for best Director for his surprise hit The Silent Partner. His significant achievement in television was directing the Emmy Award winning miniseries The Thorn Birds. Duke was also among those responsible for the creation of CKVU-TV in Vancouver which is today part of the Citytv franchise. Noteworthy is that he produced and directed early Bob Dylan "song films," black and white vignettes that were the forerunners of today's music videos. He was inducted to the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame and Starwalk in 1997. Duke died in West Vancouver, British Columbia in 2006 due to pulmonary fibrosis.