Dukie Weems
Duquan "Dukie" Weems is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by Jermaine Crawford. Dukie is a student at Edward Tilghman Middle School. He has a difficult home life because the adults in his home are either alcoholics or drug addicts. He is a recurring target for teasing and bullying because of his lack of personal hygiene, his offensive body odor, and his dirty clothes.
| Duquan Weems | |
|---|---|
| The Wire character | |
Jermaine Crawford as Duquan Weems | |
| First appearance | "Boys of Summer" (2006) |
| Last appearance | "–30–" (2008) |
| Created by | David Simon |
| Portrayed by | Jermaine Crawford |
| In-universe information | |
| Alias | Dukie |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Student |
There is no running water in his house, and his parents sell any clean clothes donated to him. He has to depend upon his three friends – Namond Brice, Michael Lee, and Randy Wagstaff – for emotional and sometimes financial support. Namond has a tendency to bully him, but Michael remains consistently loyal to Dukie.
His original nickname, "Dukie", is a homophone for a slang term for feces. After Mr. Prez lets him use the school showers and takes care of him, his peers begin to call him "Duke" instead.