Mike Colter
Mike Randal Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, appearing in the streaming television series Luke Cage (2016–2018), The Defenders (2017), and Jessica Jones (2015; 2019). He has also appeared as Lemond Bishop in the television series The Good Wife (2010–2015) and The Good Fight (2017–present), Malcolm Ward in Ringer (2011–2012), Jameson Locke in the Halo franchise (2014–2015), Agent J's father in Men in Black 3, and David Acosta, a former journalist studying to be a Catholic priest in the CBS/Paramount+ series Evil.
Mike Colter | |
|---|---|
Mike Colter at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | Mike Randal Colter August 26, 1976 Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Education | Benedict College University of South Carolina, Columbia (BA) Rutgers University, New Brunswick (MFA) |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Spouse | Iva Colter (m. 2002) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Viola Davis (second cousin) |
Early life
Colter was born in Columbia, South Carolina the youngest of four children born to Eddie Lee, Sr. and Freddie Marion (née Mitchell) Colter grew up in St. Matthews, South Carolina. He is a graduate of Calhoun County High School. In his senior high school yearbook, his senior superlative as voted by the class was "most ambitious."[1] Colter spent a year at Benedict College before transferring to the University of South Carolina, receiving a bachelor's degree in theater in 1999. He obtained an MFA degree in acting from the Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts.[2][3]
Career
Colter's first role was in the film Million Dollar Baby as boxer Big Willie Little. He also guest starred on Law & Order: Trial By Jury, Law and Order: Criminal Intent, The Good Wife, ER, and The Parkers as well as several TV movies. He starred in the series Ringer.[4]
In 2012, he was featured in the final act of the film Men in Black 3, playing agent J's father in the year 1969.
In 2014, Colter began portraying the role of Agent Jameson Locke in the Halo franchise.[5] Colter starred in the series Halo: Nightfall and provided the motion capture for Agent Locke in Halo 5: Guardians, and the voice acting is performed by Ike Amadi. He also co-starred as Luke Cage in Jessica Jones on Netflix. The first season was released online on November 20, 2015.[6] This was followed by the character's own series, Luke Cage, and the first season was released on September 30, 2016. The second season release followed on June 22, 2018.[7] In between the two seasons, Colter also played Luke in The Defenders. He also starred in the 2018 alien invasion movie Extinction.[8]
Colter was announced as the male lead in the CBS drama pilot, Evil as David Acosta, a Catholic seminarian who assesses unexplained phenomena for supernatural or scientific explanations.[9]
In 2020, Colter starred in the Netflix anthology series Social Distance.[10]
Personal life
Colter met his future wife, Iva, at Rutgers University in New Jersey while he was pursuing his Masters and she was working on her PhD. The couple married in 2002.[11][12][13] He also confirmed on the September 27, 2016, segment of The Wendy Williams Show that he and his wife had a daughter, Naiella. The couple's second daughter was born in October 2018.[14] Colter is a second cousin of actress Viola Davis.[15][16] He resides in Los Angeles.
In 2019, Colter played for the "home" roster during the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Bojangles' Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina. The roster was made up of celebrities with Carolina roots.[17]
Filmography
Film and TV Movies
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Million Dollar Baby | Big Willie Little | |
| 2005 | Brooklyn Lobster | Jamal | |
| Silver Bells | Bill | TV Movie | |
| 2007 | And Then Came Love | Yuppie Paul | |
| 2009 | Taking Chance | Master Gunnery Sergeant Demetry | TV Movie |
| Solving Charlie | Jack Dash | TV Movie | |
| 2010 | Salt | CIA Tactical Leader | |
| 2012 | Men In Black 3 | Colonel James Darrell Edwards Senior | |
| Zero Dark Thirty | DEVGRU Operative Mike | ||
| 2013 | The Surgeon General | Dr. McCallan | TV Movie |
| 2017 | Girls Trip | Stewart Pierce | |
| 2018 | Extinction | David | |
| Skin | Daryle Lamont Jenkins | ||
| 2019 | Before You Know It | Charles | |
| Breakthrough | Tommy Shine | ||
| Black and Blue | Darius Tureau | ||
| 2020 | Fatale | Rafe Grimes | |
| 2021 | South of Heaven | Whit Price | |
| 2022 | I'm Charlie Walker | Charlie Walker | |
| Carter | Smith | ||
| 2023 | Plane | Louis Gaspare |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | ER | Watts | Episode: "Hindsight" |
| The Parkers | Lamar | Episode: "Lights, Camera, Action" | |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Officer Billy Tolbert | Episode: "Blue Wall" |
| 2007 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Dave Oldren | Episode: "Albatross" |
| 2009 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Joseph Serumaga | Episode: "Hell" |
| 2010 | Royal Pains | Officer Tanner | Episode: "Lovesick" |
| 2010–15 | The Good Wife | Lemond Bishop | Recurring Cast: Season 1-2 & 4-6, Guest: Season 3 |
| 2011 | Blue Bloods | Cliff Reacher | Episode: "The Blue Templar" |
| 2011–12 | Ringer | Malcolm Ward | Main Cast |
| 2013 | Criminal Minds | Colin Bramwell | Episode: "Final Shot" |
| 2013–14 | American Horror Story: Coven | David | Recurring Cast |
| 2013–15 | The Following | Nick Donovan | Recurring Cast: Season 1 & 3 |
| 2014 | Halo: Nightfall | Agent Jameson Locke | Main Cast |
| 2015 | Agent X | Miles Lathem | Main Cast |
| 2015; 2019 | Jessica Jones | Luke Cage | Main Cast: Season 1, Guest: Season 3 |
| 2016 | Comedy Bang! Bang! | Himself | Episode: "Mike Colter Wears a Pink Button Up and Black Boots" |
| 2016–18 | Luke Cage | Luke Cage | Main Cast |
| 2017 | The Defenders | Luke Cage | Main Cast |
| 2018 | American Dad! | Guerrilla Soldier (voice) | Episode: "(You Gotta) Strike for Your Right" |
| 2018–19 | The Good Fight | Lemond Bishop | Episode: "Day 471" & "The One with the Celebrity Divorce" |
| 2019 | Seis Manos | Brister (voice) | Main Cast |
| 2019–present | Evil | David Acosta | Main Cast |
| 2020 | Tiny Creatures | Narrator (voice) | Main Cast |
| Monsterland | Brian Cooke | Episode: "Newark, New Jersey" | |
| Social Distance | Ike | Episode: "Delete All Future Events" | |
| 2021 | City Confidential | Narrator |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Halo: The Master Chief Collection | Spartan Jameson Locke | |
| 2015 | Halo 5: Guardians | Spartan Jameson Locke | Also likeness Motion-capture only |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Nominated work | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Luke Cage | Black Reel Awards | Black Reel Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| MTV Movie & TV Awards | MTV Movie Award for Best Hero | Nominated | ||
| NAACP Image Awards | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated | ||
| Saturn Awards | Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television | Nominated | ||
| 2018 | The Defenders | NAACP Image Awards | NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| 2020 | Evil | Critics' Choice Television Awards | Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series | Nominated |
| 2021 | Critics' Choice Super Awards | Critics' Choice Super Award for Best Actor in a Horror Series | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television | Nominated |
References
- ^ "7 Fast Facts About Mike Colter Marvel's Luke Cage". The Geek Twins. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Gleaton, Dionne (July 22, 2012). "Following a dream: St. Matthews native navigating acting world". The Times and Democrat. Orangeburg, South Carolina.
- ^ Myers, Marc (June 16, 2020). "To Act or Not to Act? For Mike Colter, That Was Never a Question". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Mike Colter | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
- ^ Opam, Kwame (November 10, 2015). "Meet the new face of 'Halo'". The Verge. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Truitt, Brian. "'Jessica Jones' star Mike Colter a powerhouse as Luke Cage". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
- ^ Stedman, Alex (December 4, 2016). "'Luke Cage' Renewed for Season 2 on Netflix". Variety. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- ^ Caron, Nathalie (April 21, 2017). "Luke Cage's Mike Colter joins alien invasion movie Extinction". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ Baysinger, Tim (February 19, 2019). "Luke Cage' Star Mike Colter Cast as Lead on CBS Drama Pilot 'Evil'". www.thewrap.com. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Warner, Sam (August 27, 2020). "Luke Cage's Mike Colter returns to Netflix in quarantine-shot series Social Distance". Digital Spy. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Mike Colter". IMDb.
- ^ "Fun Facts About 'Evil' Star Mike Colter's Wife, Iva Colter". YourTango. October 1, 2020. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Sihlangu, Junie (December 26, 2020). "Mike Colter's Wife Iva Works at Netflix — Glimpse into the Actor's Interracial Marriage". news.amomama.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Mike Colter Welcomes Baby as Luke Cage Is Canceled: 'As One Door Closes, Another Has Opened'". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Sharma, Nemisha (December 6, 2015). . Design & Trend. Archived from the original on July 27, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
- ^ Mike Colter; Luke Cage (September 30, 2016). "Mike Colter Interview With The Breakfast Club (9-30-16)". The Breakfast Club (Radio program). Interviewed by DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlamagne Tha God. New York City. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
- ^ release, Official. "ESPN and NBA announce celebrity rosters and coaches for 2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles exclusively on ESPN". NBA.com. Retrieved February 11, 2019.