King (miniseries)
1978 television miniseries directed by Abby Mann
King is a 1978 American television miniseries written and directed by Abby Mann, based on the life of Martin Luther King Jr., the American civil rights leader. It aired for three consecutive nights on NBC from February 12 through 14, 1978.
Production
Several real-life figures from the Civil Rights Movement had minor roles in the production, including then-Atlanta mayor Maynard Jackson, King's sister Christine King Farris, his niece Alveda King, and his four children: Yolanda, Martin III, Dexter and Bernice. Donzaleigh Abernathy, Tony Bennett, Julian Bond and Ramsey Clark each portrayed themselves.
Reception
The miniseries earned nine Emmy Award nominations, including nominations for actors Paul Winfield, Cicely Tyson and Ossie Davis.
Though heavily promoted, the series met with controversy and was a huge ratings disappointment. The first installment was the lowest rated of all 64 prime time programs for the week of its debut.
Cast
Paul Winfield as Martin Luther King Jr.
Cicely Tyson as Coretta Scott King
Tony Bennett as himself
Roscoe Lee Browne as Phillip Harrison
Lonny Chapman as Chief Frank Holloman
Ossie Davis as Martin Luther King Sr.
Cliff DeYoung as Robert F. Kennedy
Al Freeman Jr.
“King (miniseries)” enters the record as 1978 television miniseries directed by Abby Mann. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what King, miniseries and television can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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Attribution, date and provenance are strongest when supported by the original work, a catalogue record and documented transmission. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6411192. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1978.
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