Mike Colter, born in South Carolina in 1976, first became interested in acting after watching the 1984 film A Soldier’s Story. He pursued that passion by earning a B.A. in theater from the University of South Carolina. Later, he went on to complete his M.F.A. at the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Like many aspiring actors, Colter spent years building his career through guest appearances on television shows such as ER (NBC, 1994–2009) and the popular sitcom The Parkers (UPN, 1999–2004).
A major break came for Mike Colter in 2004 when he portrayed Big Willie Little in Clint Eastwood’s Oscar-nominated film Million Dollar Baby. While this role brought him more attention, it still took some time before he landed a recurring television role—this finally happened in 2010 with The Good Wife (CBS, 2009–16). It wasn’t until the following year, 2011, that Colter earned his first series regular role in the drama Ringer (The CW, 2011–12). The show revolved around a twisty, high-concept plot, with Sarah Michelle Gellar playing a woman who assumes her twin sister’s identity to escape a dangerous mobster.
Following that, Mike Colter took on another recurring role in the hit Fox series The Following (2013–15), while also seeing his part in The Good Wife grow. Then, in 2014, it was announced that he would take on the iconic role of Luke Cage in Netflix’s interconnected series based on Marvel’s Defenders. He first appeared as Luke Cage in the second installment of the franchise, the gritty private investigator series Jessica Jones (Netflix, 2015– ).
Mike Colter has been part of several movies, but one of his most popular and highly rated films is Girls Trip, which came out in 2017. On the flip side, one of his least rated works includes the film Alarum, set to release in 2025. While Girls Trip really showcased his talent and helped boost his career, Alarum didn’t quite resonate as well with audiences. It’s interesting to see how different projects can impact a performer’s trajectory, and for Mike Colter, these two films represent both a high and a low point in terms of reception.