Mike Colter Biography

When he was only 8 years old, Mike Colter watched the ‘Academy Award’-nominated movie 'A Soldier’s Story' (1984), which showed an African–American soldier investigating a murder during World War II. It was at that moment that he had decided to become an actor. He began by starting a drama club in high school and became the president of the club. He attended acting classes in his school, college, and university. He then tried his luck in Los Angeles. A year later, in 2002, he moved to New York and began appearing TV series such as 'ER' and 'The Parkers.’ He gained recognition after he appeared as boxer ‘Big Willie Little’ in Clint Eastwood's 2004 sports drama 'Million Dollar Baby.’ In the following years, he had guest roles in TV series such as 'Law & Order: Trial by Jury,’ 'Law & Order: Criminal Intent,’ 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,’ and 'Royal Pains.’ After appearing in a recurring role in 'The Good Wife' and a main role in 'Ringer,’ he portrayed ‘Agent Jameson Locke’ in the series 'Halo: Nightfall.' He also provided the motion capture for the character in the video game 'Halo 5: Guardians' (2015). Also in 2015, he appeared as ‘Luke Cage’ in the ‘Netflix’ series 'Jessica Jones.’ The following year, he got his own ‘Netflix’ series, 'Luke Cage,’ for which he was nominated for an 'NAACP Image Award.’

Mike Randal Colter was born on August 26, 1976, in Columbia, South Carolina, US, to Eddie Lee, Sr. and Freddie Marion (née Mitchell) Colter. He is the youngest of his parents' five children. He grew up in St. Matthews, South Carolina, where he attended the ‘Calhoun County High School.’ He was voted "most ambitious" by his class in his senior year. Following school graduation, he joined ‘Benedict College’ in Columbia, South Carolina, where he was mentored by drama professor Scott Blanks. However, he transferred to the ‘University of South Carolina’ a year later and completed his bachelor's degree in theater in 1999. Eventually, in 2001, he earned his MFA degree in acting from the ‘Mason Gross School of the Arts’ of ‘Rutgers University,’ where he was under the tutelage of William Esper and Maggie Flanigan. At the university, actor Andrea Anders was his classmate. Actor Viola Davis, who has won the ‘Triple Crown of Acting,’ is his second cousin.

Mike Colter married ‘Netflix’ executive Iva Colter in 2016. On September 27, he revealed during his appearance on a segment of the 'Wendy Williams Show' that they had had a daughter named Naiella earlier that year. During the talk show, a picture of him and his wife was shown on the screen. However, his fans stopped cheering as soon as they saw the picture, as many expressed disapproval over the fact that he had married a white woman. 'TV One' subsequently put up a poll titled 'Luke Cage's Got A White Wife — Mad Or Nah?,’ which revealed the shocking fact that many of his fans were hurt and could not accept the interracial marriage even in the twenty-first century. Later, during his interview on the radio show 'The Breakfast Club,’ Mike explained that the way he loved was no different than the way he treated people in general, which depended on their character and not on their race. He also revealed that he and his wife had first met when he was struggling and pursuing his master's degree. She was pursuing her PhD at the time. He stated that it worked better for them that she was not an actor and that they did not talk about work during dinner. Soon, it was announced that his ‘Netflix’ show 'Luke Cage' would not be renewed for a third season. Following this, he announced that his second daughter had been born that week and that he was looking forward to making great memories with his family.