Reel to real: "Selma" actors and the historical figures they play
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MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. (1929-1968): Played by David Oyelowo in "Selma." By the time King received his Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 (the first scene of the film), he was already famous for the successful Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56, for his "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and for his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington, both in 1963. He had already cofounded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, which had led desegregation efforts in Albany, Ga., Birmingham, and St. Augustine, Fla. After Selma, he became involved in a campaign to improve housing in Chicago, and was an increasingly vocal critic of the Vietnam War. He was still involved in the "Poor People's Campaign" to address economic disparities, when he was assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. The photo at right is from 1963, the same year as the March on Washington and two years before the Selma marches. (Left photo: Atsushi Nishijima/Paramount Pictures. Right photo: Allyn Baum/The New York Times)