Mike Colter (born August 26, 1976) is an American actor best known for his role as Luke Cage in the Marvel Cinematic Universe 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'' (2018–2019), Malcolm Ward in '' Ringer'' (2011–2012), Agent J's father in '' Men in Black 3'' (2012), Jameson Locke in the ''Halo'' franchise (2014–2015), and David Acosta, a former journalist studying to be a Catholic priest in the CBS/

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

series ''

Evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

'' (2019–2024).

Early life

Colter 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." Colter spent a year at Benedict College before transferring to the

University of South Carolina The University of South Carolina (USC, SC, or Carolina) is a Public university, public research university in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1801 as South Carolina College, It is the flagship of the University of South Car ...

, 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 Mason Gross School of the Arts ("Mason Gross" or "MGSA") is the arts conservatory at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mason Gross offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theater. Ma ...

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 television films. He starred in the series '' Ringer''. In 2012, Colter appeared in '' Men in Black 3'' as Agent J's father. In 2014, Colter began portraying the role of Agent Jameson Locke in the '' Halo'' franchise. Colter starred in the series '' Halo: Nightfall'' and provided the motion capture for Locke in '' Halo 5: Guardians'', with Ike Amadi voicing the character. He also co-starred as Luke Cage / Carl Lucas in '' Jessica Jones'' on Netflix. The first season was released online on November 20, 2015. This was followed by a solo series, '' Luke Cage'', with the first season being released on September 30, 2016. The second season release followed on June 22, 2018. In between the two seasons, Colter also appeared as Cage in '' The Defenders''. He also starred in the 2018 alien invasion film ''

Extinction Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

''. Colter was announced as the male lead in the CBS drama pilot, ''

'' as David Acosta, a Catholic seminarian who assesses unexplained phenomena for supernatural or scientific explanations. In 2020, Colter starred in the Netflix anthology series ''Social Distance''. In 2023, Colter and Gerard Butler starred in the film '' Plane'' by Lionsgate Play.

Personal life

Colter met his future wife, Iva, at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where they were both graduate students. The couple married in 2002. They have two daughters. Colter is a second cousin of actress Viola Davis. 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 North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

. The roster was made up of celebrities with Carolina roots.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Colter, Mike 1976 births Living people 20th-century African-American male actors 21st-century African-American male actors 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male television actors Benedict College alumni Rutgers University alumni University of South Carolina alumni