← Back to explore

Erik King

Acting

Born April 21, 1963 · Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Biography

Erik King is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sgt. Doakes on Showtime's television series Dexter. He is also known for his roles as Moses Deyell on Oz, and as Bobby Davidson in Missing Persons King, whose father was a policeman, attended The Duke Ellington High School of Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and later attended Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland. Early roles for King were in TV series such as Matlock, NYPD Blue and JAG. In 1990, he starred in the short-lived ABC police drama Sunset Beat. He appeared as Moses Deyell in HBO's television series Oz. Other episodic work includes Malcolm in the Middle, Charmed and CSI: Miami. King appeared on The District as Travis Hayward, as well as CBS' Touched by an Angel. King has appeared in multiple feature films, including the adventure film National Treasure[1] and the thriller Desperate Measures. King's prominence rose with his role as police detective James Doakes in the Showtime TV series Dexter. He starred in 24 episodes from the pilot in 2006 to the last episode of Season 2 in 2007. For his portrayal as the main antagonist of the show, he received a Saturn Award nomination in 2008 for Best Supporting Actor on Television. He said of his role that: What I love about Sgt. Doakes is that when you run into a cop, a lot of them are fair, even-minded guys; but there are a lot of guys who are hard-asses and I love the fact that I get to play it. He was a spokesman for Michelin tires.

Filmography37 titles

Dexter: Resurrection

2025as Sergeant James Doakes

Malcolm in the Middle

2000as Agent Stone

Dexter

2006as James Doakes

Charmed

1998as Dex

Oz

1997as Moses Deyell

Banshee

2013as Tim Hubbard

Dexter: New Blood

2021as James Doakes

CSI: Miami

2002as Detective Fenwick

The Good Fight

2017as Jonah

Burn Notice

2007as Bolo

JAG

1995as Henry Banes

Law & Order

1990as Dorian 'Silky' Ford

Touched by an Angel

1994as Peter Lakes

Casualties of War

1989as Brown

The Detour

2016as Randy

Diagnosis: Murder

1993as Tommy Brackett

Matlock

1986as Ron Jaffe

Queen

1993

Born to Race

2011as Mr. Briggs

The District

2000as Travis Haywood

National Treasure

2004as Agent Colfax

True Crime

1999as Pussy Man

Ice Princess

2005as Chip Healey

South of Hell

as DeMar

The Oath

2018as Pastor Greg

Growing Up Fisher

2014as Vice Prinicipal Collins

Missing Persons

as Bobby Davison

Stay Tuned

1992as Pierce

Desperate Measures

1998as Nate Oliver

Street Smart

1987as Reginald "Reggie" Liggens

Vox Lux

2018

Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her

2000as Police Officer (segment "Love Waits For Kathy")

Cadillac Man

1990as Davey

Crybaby Bridge

2026as John

The Pickle

1993as Man with Beer

The Tank

2017as Luke Millens

An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn

1997as Wayne Jackson