M MyList
Actor · Acting

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 48

Crybaby Bridge
as John
2026
Dexter: Resurrection
as Sergeant James Doakes
2025
Dexter: New Blood
as James Doakes
2021
Vox Lux
2018
The Oath
as Pastor Greg
2018
The Tank
as Luke Millens
2017
The Good Fight
as Jonah
2017
The Detour
as Randy
2016
South of Hell
as DeMar
2015
Growing Up Fisher
as Vice Prinicipal Collins
2014
Banshee
as Tim Hubbard
2013
Born to Race
as Mr. Briggs
2011
Burn Notice
as Bolo
2007
Dexter
as James Doakes
2006
Ice Princess
as Chip Healey
2005
National Treasure
as Agent Colfax
2004
CSI: Miami
as Detective Fenwick
2002
The Twilight Zone
as Lenny
2002
The Division
2001
The District
as Travis Haywood
2000
Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her
as Police Officer (segment "Love Waits For Kathy")
2000
Malcolm in the Middle
as Agent Stone
2000
Atomic Train
as Beau Randall
1999
True Crime
as Pussy Man
1999
Charmed
as Dex
1998
An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn
as Wayne Jackson
1998
Desperate Measures
as Nate Oliver
1998
Oz
as Moses Deyell
1997
Kindred: The Embraced
as Sonny Toussaint
1996
JAG
as Henry Banes
1995
Touched by an Angel
as Peter Lakes
1994
Touched by an Angel
as Kevin Carter
1994
Diagnosis: Murder
as Tommy Brackett
1993
Missing Persons
as Bobby Davison
1993
Joey Breaker
as Hip Hop Hank
1993
The Pickle
as Man with Beer
1993
Alex Haley's Queen
1993
Stay Tuned
as Pierce
1992
Shake, Rattle and Roll: An American Love Story
as Paul Terranova
1991
Golden Years
as Burton
1991
Golden Years
as Burton
1991
Law & Order
as Dorian 'Silky' Ford
1990
Cadillac Man
as Davey
1990
Sunset Beat
as Tucson Smith
1990
Casualties of War
as Brown
1989
Pretty Kill
as Sullivan
1987
Street Smart
as Reginald "Reggie" Liggens
1987
Matlock
as Ron Jaffe
1986