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Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Actor · Died April 4, 1968, aged 39 · Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Martin Luther King Jr. (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist who was a leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience based on his Christian beliefs. King became a civil rights activist early in his career. He led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) in 1957, serving as its first president. With the SCLC, King led an unsuccessful 1962 struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia (the Albany Movement), and helped organize the 1963 nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Alabama. King also helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. There, he established his reputation as one of the greatest orators in American history.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 15, 1929
Died
April 4, 1968 (aged 39)
From
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Works as
Actor
Titles
3 on MovieCove · 19 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 156 days to Oct 27Down 6% in 30 days

What are Martin Luther King Jr.'s films like?

Across their 21 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
41%
Morality
21%
Power
16%
Ideas
11%
Survival
7%
Self
3%
Community9 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice9 titles, browse their movies with this themeOppression6 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy5 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 21 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 7 · Dark 9

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 21 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 7 · Charged 7 · Intense 7

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 15 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 20 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 7 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 7

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 8 · Heavy 9

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 18 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Contemplative
14
Hopeful
12
Tense
8
Melancholic
10
Elegiac
4
Other
10

How their films linger

Thought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteInfuriating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous7
  • Other1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Martin Luther King Jr.'s films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 3 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Subscription and free streaming for Martin Luther King Jr.'s titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

19 credits, 3 with a MovieCove page; 161 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Actor

  • Jim Crow: The History of Africans in America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Actor

  • Martin Luther King: More Than One Dream (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • Andy Warhol's America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • England 79 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    Actor

  • Robert Penn Warren: A Vision (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    Actor

  • The Long Shadow(2017)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Never Lose Sight of Freedom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Actor

  • Assassinations That Changed the World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Nixon(1995)

    as (Archive footage)

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Real Malcolm X(1992)

    Actor

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Murderers, Mobsters, & Madmen: Volume 2: Assassination in the 20th Century (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Actor

  • Dispatches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • First Tuesday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • James Brown Soul Brother No. 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Actor

  • 13 November 1967: Martin Luther King Interview (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Actor

  • The Bus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Actor

  • The Negro and the American Promise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Actor

  • World in Action (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

Career shape

A full career of 18 titles from 1963 to 2023.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting18 of 18: 18 only acting, 0 with another role

By decade

1960s4 · acting1970s1 · acting1980s2 · acting1990s4 · acting2000s1 · acting2010s2 · acting2020s4 · acting

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Martin Luther King Jr.'s films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 76th percentile, the median of all 3; across their 21 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 84th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Approval · how many liked their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Reach · how many have seen their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 21

Midcredits score across 3 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th1

Shape of the crowd

2 of their 3 titles are Divisive.

  • Divisive2
  • Crowd Pleaser1

Most divisive · actor

The Long Shadow (2017)

96th percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Nixon (1995)

Midcredits 81st · 72% liked

Reviewers score the acting 68/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 72, detractors 70. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Martin Luther King Jr. work with?

People who share at least 2 of Martin Luther King Jr.'s MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Lyndon B. Johnson shares the most, 5.

Actors

Producers