15 Actors Who Have Played Martin Luther King Jr. And Coretta Scott King
Some of the biggest theatrical talents in our community have taken on the roles.
MONTGOMERY- MARCH 25: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. seen close from the rear, speaking in front of 25,000 civil rights marchers, at the conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery march in front of Alabama state capital building on March 25, 1965. In Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo by Stephen Somerstein/Getty Images)
The legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. looms over our nation daily. In recent years, Black creators like Ava Duvernary and Lee Daniels have worked to tell his story from different angles, and for decades Black performers have used their talents to translate the impact of the civil rights icon and his beloved wife on screens big and small.
Interpretations of the image of King Jr. have appeared in multiple miniseries, films, and Broadway plays. So have interpretations of the stoic queen who dedicated her life to caring for him in life and death, Coretta Scott King.
Some focus on MLK as a foil to other social justice movements, while others focus on him as a family man fighting to balance the needs of his wife and children with his commitment to Black liberation.
Set in different points of his tragically short life, and told from various perspectives on his actions, each portrayal attempts to shed light on the father, friend, and husband at the center of the historic headlines, and the bond that was able to withstand the weight of Cointelpro.
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., (center) is escorted into a mass meeting at Fish University in Nashville. His colleagues are, left to right, John Lewis, national chairman of the Student Non-Violent Committee and Lester McKinnie, on of the leaders in the racial demonstrations in Nashville recently. King gave the main address to a packed crowd. (Photo by Bettmann Archive/Getty Images)
A few of the most celebrated theatrical talents in our community have taken cracks at the roles throughout the years with each bringing something different to their careful portrayal of the iconic figures.
See 15 actors who have had the privilege of playing Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in their careers below.
01
Cicely Tyson
The veteran actress and new author portrayed Scott-King in the 1978 television miniseries King.
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02
Paul Winfield
The late Emmy award-winning actor played King in the three-part limited series King.
03
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson owned the role on stage in the Broadway smash from Katori Hall The Mountaintop.
04
LeVar Burton
Before he had us jumping for joy over the return of Reading Rainbow, Burton was putting his personal touch on the role of Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2001 film Ali.
05
Angela Bassett
Bassett played Scott-King in the 2013 made-for-television production Betty & Coretta alongside Mary J. Blige.
06
Malik Yoba
Yoba played Bassett’s on-screen husband when he portrayed the iconic activist in 2013’s Betty & Coretta.
07
Clifton Powell
Powell’s version of Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a young Jurnee Smollett to fight for civil rights onscreen in 1999’s Selma, Lord, Selma.
08
Courtney B. Vance
Over a decade before his bride would portray Coretta Scott King, Courtney B. Vance claimed the role of Martin Luther King Jr. in the 2000 miniseries Parting the Waters.
09
Carmen Ejogo
Carmen Ejogo had the rare honor of playing Coretta Scott King twice. She held the role in HBO’s Boycott in 2001 and once again in Ava Duvernay’s Selma in 2014.
10
David Oyelowo
Oyelowo was the subject of widespread praise for his layered portrayal of King in the Ava Duvernay film Selma in 2014. The movie had such an impact schools scheduled film trips to ensure students screened it.
David Oyelowo and Ava DuVernay
11
Robert Guillaume
The late Robert Guillaume played King in 1985’s Kennedy brothers biopic Prince Jack.
12
Dexter Scott King
King’s son Dexter Scott King played his father in The Rosa Parks Story in 2002.
13
Nelsan Ellis
The late actor played King in the critically acclaimed Lee Daniels film The Butler.
14
Jeffrey Wright
The Westworld star brought his talent for thunderous monologues to the role in the 2001 TV movie Boycott.
15
James Earl Jones
Today he and his thunderous voice have cemented countless characters in our brain including the King savvy enough to throw his own funeral in Coming 2 America.
