Biography
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.
Awards & recognition
- Congressional Gold Medal · 2004
- Humanitarian of the Year · 1984
- United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights · 1978
- Presidential Medal of Freedom · 1977
- Jawaharlal Nehru Award — International Understanding · 1966
Show all 16 awards →
- Margaret Sanger Awards · 1966
- Pacem in Terris Award · 1965
- Gandhi Peace Award · 1964
- Nobel Peace Prize · 1964
- Time Person of the Year · 1963
- Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards · 1959
- Spingarn Medal · 1957
- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- honorary doctor of the Hofstra University
- Order of the Companions of O. R. Tambo
- Nobel Peace Prize · 1964 · nominated
Filmography50+ titles
Hollywood Black
I Am MLK Jr.
King: Man of Peace in a Time of War
O.J.: Made in America
Adjust Your Color: The Truth of Petey Greene
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
1968: A Year of War, Turmoil and Beyond
In Remembrance of Martin
La Californie !
O.J.: Made in America
13th
Race for the White House
The Green Book: Guide to Freedom
Bobby Kennedy for President
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
Fists of Freedom: The Story of the '68 Summer Games
Uncle Tom
No Direction Home: Bob Dylan
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Historical Perspective
The Choice 2024: Harris vs. Trump
Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror
The Corporation
Integration Report 1
Explained
The House I Live In
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Return of the King: The Fall and Rise of Elvis Presley
What's My Name: Muhammad Ali
Elvis Presley: The Searcher
MLK: The Assassination Tapes
The War at Home
Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation
Hesburgh
Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary
Precious
When You're Strange
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Bill Russell: Legend
4 Little Girls
History 101
Capitalism: A Love Story
The Doors
MLK/FBI
King In The Wilderness
Ethel
Klansville U.S.A.
Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind
Imminent Threat
Helter Skelter: An American Myth