Actor Derrick A. King has built a career around his passion for the arts.
King was raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and attended Thomas G. Pullen K-8 Creative and Performing Arts School as a child, where he learned dance, drama, and how to play an instrument, he said in an interview with The Spotlight DMV. He studied theater at Suitland High School before enrolling at Clark Atlanta University initially as a radio and TV major.
He also considered a career as a police officer or a firefighter, but attending the Historically Black College or University (HBCU) allowed him to dive deeper into areas such as poetry and acting, according to The Spotlight DMV.
“I’ve always had a passion for this in general, like just the arts and being in front of people and especially when it comes to theater and acting,” he told the outlet.
He graduated from Clark Atlanta University with a degree in public relations. Initially, he spent some time in corporate America. While working at Nestlé, he recalls being promoted and eventually moving to the company’s Los Angeles headquarters, according to The Spotlight DMV. Outside of his 9-to-5 job, he started taking acting classes, which reignited his passion.
“I’m playing opposite Taraji P. Henson (1995 Howard graduate). I’m still wrapping my head around that,” King said, according to Howard University’s The Dig. “Prayerfully, I’m banking on this being a big break, a recognizable break at least, where from this moment on, I’m in the Tyler Perry universe in one of his biggest franchises. At the very least, I’m the guy from ‘Why Did I Get Married Again?’”
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King is also sharing his experience with the next generation, serving as an acting instructor. He teaches the “Intro to TV and Film” class at Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.
Speaking of his time at Clark Atlanta University, King told The Dig, “I claimed all parts of the HBCU life. To be here at The Mecca is unfathomable.”
