Today, the United States observes Martin Luther King, Jr. Day — the third Monday of January is set aside as a federal holiday to commemorate the civil rights leader’s birth on January 15, 1929. MLKJ advocated for equal rights for people of color, including desegregation, voting rights, and economic justice, and he used nonviolent means. He also actively protested the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Martin Luther King, Jr. was awarded the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize “for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population.” He appealed to, and sometimes clashed with, both the Kennedy and Johnson administrations over civil rights legislation, ultimately resulting in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. Let’s take this opportunity to look how Martin Luther King, Jr. has been depicted in movies and on TV. Usually, these shows center on MLKJ’s work from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968.
Raymond St. Jacques in The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977)
Paul Winfield in King (1978)
Charles Brown in Kennedy (1983)
Robert Guillaume in Prince Jack (1985)
Leland Gantt in Hoover vs. The Kennedys: The Second Civil War (1987)
Clifton Powell in Selma, Lord, Selma (1999)
Jeffrey Wright in Boycott (2001)
LeVar Burton in Ali (2001)
Dexter Scott King in The Rosa Parks Story (2002)
Curtis L. McClarin in Path to War (2002)
Nelsan Ellis in Lee Daniels’ The Butler (2013)
Malik Yoba in Betty & Coretta (2013)
Lamorne Morris in “Atlanta,” Drunk History (2013)
David Oyelowo in Selma (2014)
Anthony Mackie in All the Way (2016)
Jaleel White in “Game Changers,” Drunk History (2018)
Sheaun McKinney in “Civil Rights,” Drunk History (2018)
Ray Sesay in “Rosa,” Doctor Who (2018)
Aml Ameen in Rustin (coming in 2023)
Jalyn Hall as Young Martin Luther King Jr. & Kelvin Harrison Jr. as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Genius: MLK/X (upcoming)
Which onscreen Martin Luther King Jr. do you know best?
There’s one movie not listed here, called “The Boy King,” about MLK well, as a boy. I remember very little of it. I saw it back in the late 90s when my teacher played us the video. Doubt it was much of a frock flick.
Ah, darn, that one didn’t turn up in my searches!
David Oyelowo’s portrayal in Selma was exceptional. I think he’s one of the most underrated actors currently working.
Agreed. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve seen him in!
I hadn’t heard of “Betty and Coretta”; Yoba and Bassett look wonderful together.
Love me some Drunk History. :)
Oooh….thanks for this list! I want to see several of these. I definitely blinked and missed Levar Burton as Dr King in Ali!
I only skimmed thru the movie (not a fave, sorry) & just couldn’t find Burton’s scene to screencap, but he’s in the credits.