# Woodie King Jr.

Woodie King Jr. (born July 27, 1937) is an American director and producer of stage and screen, as well as the founding director of the New Federal Theatre in New York City.

## Early life and education

King was born in Baldwin Springs, Alabama, United States. He graduated high school in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, and worked at the Ford Motor Company there for three years. He then worked for the City of Detroit as a draftsman.
In 1970, he founded the New Federal Theatre. He earned a B.A. degree in Self-Determined Studies, with a focus on Theatre and Black Studies, at Lehman College in 1996, and an M.F.A. at Brooklyn College in 1999.

## Credits

King has a long list of credits in film and stage direction and production, including the following:

### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1967 | Sweet Love, Bitter | Performer | |
| 1972 | Together for Days | Jerry | |
| 1973 | Serpico | Larry | |
| 1976 | The Long Night | Steely | Director; Film debut |
| 2012 | Men in Black 3 | MIB HQ Guard | |
| 2015 | Staten Island Summer | Mr. Stewart | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1968 | N.Y.P.D. | Lewis | Episode: "Which Side Are You Own?" |
| 1981 | Death of a Prophet | — | Director; Television film |
| 1983 | Love to all, Lorraine | — | Director; Television film |
| 1994 | Law & Order | Clayton | Episode: "Wager" |
| 2009 | Law & Order: SVU | Parking Attendant | Episode: "Perverted" |
| 2011 | Treme | Performer | Episode: "Slip Away" |
| 2014 | Unforgettable | Barry | 2 episodes |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Playwright | Venue |
| 1976 | Sizwe Banzi Is Dead | Athol Fugard | Pittsburgh Public Theater |
| 1989 | God's Trombone | James Weldon Johnson | Ford's Theater |
| 1987 | Splendid Mummer | Lonne Elder | American Place Theatre; Arena Stage |
| 1987–1988 | Checkmates | Ron Milner | Inner City Cultural Center (Los Angeles) |
| 1988 | Checkmates | Ron Milner | 46th Street Theatre, Broadway |
| 1990 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | August Wilson | Detroit Repertory Theater |
| 1992 | The Member of the Wedding | Carson McCullers | Indiana Repertory Company |
| 1993 | Good Black Don't Crack | Rob Penny | Billie Holiday Theatre (Brooklyn) |
| 1993 | Checkmates | Ron Milner | St Louis Black Repertory Theatre |
| 1994 | A Raisin in the Sun | Lorraine Hansberry | Alliance Theater (Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 1994 | Mudtracks | Regina Taylor | The Ensemble Studio Theater |
| 1995–1996 | Checkmates | Ron Milner | New Federal Theatre |
| 1995–1996 | Eyes | Mari Evans | American Cabaret Theater, Indiana |
| 1995–1996 | Checkmates | Ron Milner | Bermuda International Theatre Festival |
| 1996–1997 | Joe Turner's Come and Gone | August Wilson | Brooklyn College |
| 1996–1997 | Home | Samm-Art Williams | Center Stage of Baltimore |
| 1998–1999 | Angels in America | Tony Kushner | Ohio State University |
| 2000 | James Baldwin: A Soul on Fire | Howard Simon | New York Shakespeare Festival |
| 2012 | The Piano Lesson | August Wilson | Seminole State College of Florida |

## Co-produced plays

* For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange
* What the Wine Sellers Buy
* Reggae
* The Taking of Miss Janie, by Ed Bullins, which earned the Drama Critics Circle Award

## Awards and recognition

* 1985: Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Appear and Show Cause
* 1988: NAACP Image Award for directing Checkmates at the Inner City Cultural Center
* 1993: AUDELCO awards for Best Director and Best Play for Robert Johnson: Trick The Devil
* 1997: Obie Award for Sustained Achievement
* 2003: Paul Robeson Award
* 2005: Rosetta LeNoire Award from Actors' Equity Association
* 2011: Induction into American Theater Hall of Fame
* 2014: Theatre Legend Award, Atlanta Black Theatre Festival
* 2020: Tony Honors for Excellence in the Theatre