| Luke Durville | |||||||||||
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| Shortland Street character | |||||||||||
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| Portrayed by | Gerald Urquhart | ||||||||||
| Duration | 2007–2013 | ||||||||||
| First appearance | 14 September 2007 | ||||||||||
| Last appearance | 31 January 2013 | ||||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||
| Introduced by | Jason Daniel (2007–2008) Steven Zanoski (2009–2011) | ||||||||||
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Dr. Luke Louis Demonte Durville is a fictional character on the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street who was played by Gerald Urquhart from the character's first appearance in September 2007 until January 2013. The character appeared on a sporadic status until 2012 when he became a core cast member.
Used primarily for comedic relief, Luke was a highly sought after and respected anaesthetist who was portrayed as having a quiet manner and awkward demeanour, but was always a bit of an enigma to his workmates. Despite being highly respected and sought after in his field, he chose not to socialise with his colleagues, preferring to spend his time alone and pursuing his interest in amateur taxidermy and the history of witchcraft and necromancy. The character has been involved in several high profile storylines, including being a suspect in both the Ferndale Strangler storyline and the murder of Ethan Pierce (Owen Black), as well as a romance with popular character Bella Cooper (Ameila Reid).
Luke Durville received a hugely popular reception with the character being highly praised as well as Urquhart's performance. His pairing with Bella Cooper has also been well received and singled out by reviewers of the soap.