King | |
---|---|
Written by | Abby Mann |
Directed by | Abby Mann |
Starring | Paul Winfield Cicely Tyson |
Music by | Billy Goldenberg |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Paul Maslansky |
Cinematography | Michael Chapman |
Editors | David Berlatsky Byron Brandt Richard C. Meyer |
Running time | 300 minutes |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | February 12 – February 14, 1978 |
King is a 1978 American television miniseries based on the life of Martin Luther King Jr., the American civil rights leader. It aired for three consecutive nights on NBC from February 12 through 14, 1978.
Several real-life figures from the Civil Rights Movement had minor roles in the production, including then-Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson, King's sister Christine King Farris, his niece Alveda King, and his four children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice. Donzaleigh Abernathy, Tony Bennett, Julian Bond and Ramsey Clark each portrayed themselves.
The miniseries earned nine Emmy Award nominations, including nominations for actors Paul Winfield, Cicely Tyson and Ossie Davis.
Though heavily promoted, the series met with controversy and was a huge ratings disappointment. The first installment was the lowest rated of all 64 prime time programs for the week of its debut. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Annazette Chase was considered to portray Coretta Scott King. [8]
The miniseries was released on DVD on January 11, 2005.
Paul Edward Winfield was an American actor. He was known for his portrayal of a Louisiana sharecropper who struggles to support his family during the Great Depression in the landmark film Sounder (1972), which earned him an Academy Award nomination. He portrayed Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1978 television miniseries King, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. Winfield was also known for his roles in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, The Terminator, L.A. Law, and 24 episodes of the sitcom 227. He received four Emmy nominations overall, winning in 1995 for his 1994 guest role in Picket Fences.
Cecily Louise "Cicely" Tyson was an American actress. In a career which spanned more than seven decades, she was known for her portrayals of complex and strong-willed African-American women. She received several awards including an three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award, and a Tony Award as well as nominations a BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award. She was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the Honorary Academy Award in 2018.
Coretta Scott King was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was the wife of Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his assassination in 1968. As an advocate for African-American equality, she was a leader for the civil rights movement in the 1960s. King was also a singer who often incorporated music into her civil rights work. King met her husband while attending graduate school in Boston. They both became increasingly active in the American civil rights movement.
Dexter Scott King was an American civil and animal rights activist and author. The second son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, he was also the brother of Martin Luther King III, Bernice King, and Yolanda King; and also grandson of Martin Luther King Sr. and Alberta Williams King. He is the author of Growing Up King: An Intimate Memoir.
Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received numerous accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy and a Writers Guild of America Award as well as nominations for four additional Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and Tony Award. Davis was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the National Medal of Arts in 1995, Kennedy Center Honors in 2004
Donzaleigh Abernathy is an American actress, author and civil rights activist.
Martin Luther King III is an American human rights activist, philanthropist and advocate. The elder son of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, King served as the fourth president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1997 to 2004. As of 2024, he is a Professor of practice at the University of Virginia.
Alveda Celeste King is an American activist, author, and former state representative for the 28th District in the Georgia House of Representatives.
Bernice Albertine King is an American inactive lawyer, minister, and the youngest child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She was five years old when her father died in 1968. In her adolescence, King chose to work towards becoming a minister after having a breakdown from watching a documentary about her father. King was 17 when she was invited to speak at the United Nations. Twenty years after her father was assassinated, she preached her trial sermon, inspired by her parents' activism.
Yolanda Denise King was an American activist and campaigner for African-American rights and first-born child of civil rights leaders Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, who pursued artistic and entertainment endeavors and public speaking. Her childhood experience was greatly influenced by her father's highly public activism.
The Rosa Parks Story is a 2002 American television movie written by Paris Qualles and directed by Julie Dash. Angela Bassett portrays Rosa Parks, with Cicely Tyson in a supporting role as her mother. It was broadcast by CBS on February 24, 2002. It received awards from the NAACP and the Black Reel Awards.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, commonly known as The King Center, is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization in Atlanta, United States.
Willie Christine King Farris was an American teacher and civil rights activist. King was the sister of Martin Luther King Jr. She taught at Spelman College and was the author of several books and was a public speaker on various topics, including the King family, multicultural education, and teaching.
Rae'Ven Larrymore Kelly is an American actress.
Edythe Scott Bagley was an American author, activist, and educator. The older sister of Coretta Scott King, she worked behind the scenes to promote the Civil Rights Movement and was actively involved in many of the crucial events of that era.
A bust of Martin Luther King Jr. by the American artist John Woodrow Wilson is located at the United States Capitol rotunda in Washington, D.C.
Ebenezer Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch located in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention and American Baptist Churches USA. It was the church where Dr. Martin Luther King Sr. was co-pastor together with his sons Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from 1960 until his assassination in 1968 and A. D. King from 1968 until his death in 1969, the location of the funerals of both Dr. King and, in its later expanded sanctuary, congressman John Lewis, and the church for which United States Senator Raphael Warnock has been pastor since 2005. Its historic church building and expanded sanctuary building are located in the historic area designated as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.
Betty & Coretta is a 2013 American drama film directed by Yves Simoneau and written by Shem Bitterman and Ron Hutchinson. The film stars Mary J. Blige, Angela Bassett, Gloria Reuben, Malik Yoba, Tyler Hynes and Benz Antoine. The film premiered on Lifetime on February 2, 2013.
James Albert King was the father of Martin Luther King Sr. and paternal grandfather of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., A. D. King, and Christine King Farris.