← Back

Erik King

Erik King

Born: 1963-04-21 • Washington, District of Columbia, USA

Erik King is an American actor, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Sgt. Doakes on Showtime's television series Dexter. He is also known for his roles as Moses Deyell on Oz, and as Bobby Davidson in Missing Persons

King, whose father was a policeman, attended The Duke Ellington High School of Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. and later attended Towson University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Early roles for King were in TV series such as Matlock, NYPD Blue and JAG. In 1990, he starred in the short-lived ABC police drama Sunset Beat. He appeared as Moses Deyell in HBO's television series Oz. Other episodic work includes Malcolm in the Middle, Charmed and CSI: Miami. King appeared on The District as Travis Hayward, as well as CBS' Touched by an Angel.

King has appeared in multiple feature films, including the adventure film National Treasure[1] and the thriller Desperate Measures.

King's prominence rose with his role as police detective James Doakes in the Showtime TV series Dexter. He starred in 24 episodes from the pilot in 2006 to the last episode of Season 2 in 2007. For his portrayal as the main antagonist of the show, he received a Saturn Award nomination in 2008 for Best Supporting Actor on Television. He said of his role that:

What I love about Sgt. Doakes is that when you run into a cop, a lot of them are fair, even-minded guys; but there are a lot of guys who are hard-asses and I love the fact that I get to play it.

He was a spokesman for Michelin tires.

Filmography
Crybaby Bridge poster
Crybaby Bridge
2026 • John
Vox Lux poster
Vox Lux
2018
The Tank poster
The Tank
2017 • Luke Millens
Born to Race poster
Born to Race
2011 • Mr. Briggs
Ice Princess poster
Ice Princess
2005 • Chip Healey
National Treasure poster
National Treasure
2004 • Agent Colfax
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her poster
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her
2000 • Police Officer (segment "Love Waits For Kathy")
True Crime poster
True Crime
1999 • Pussy Man
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn poster
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn
1998 • Wayne Jackson
Desperate Measures poster
Desperate Measures
1998 • Nate Oliver
Joey Breaker poster
Joey Breaker
1993 • Hip Hop Hank
The Pickle poster
The Pickle
1993 • Man with Beer
Stay Tuned poster
Stay Tuned
1992 • Pierce
Golden Years poster
Golden Years
1991 • Burton
Cadillac Man poster
Cadillac Man
1990 • Davey
Casualties of War poster
Casualties of War
1989 • Brown
Pretty Kill poster
Pretty Kill
1987 • Sullivan
Street Smart poster
Street Smart
1987 • Reginald "Reggie" Liggens