Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Life of a King

  • 20132013
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
16,518
11,962
Cuba Gooding Jr., Malcolm M. Mays, and Kevin Hendricks in Life of a King (2013)
Trailer
Play trailer2:11
2 Videos
31 Photos
Drama
Ex-felon, Eugene Brown, establishes a Chess Club for inner city teenagers in Washington, D.C.Ex-felon, Eugene Brown, establishes a Chess Club for inner city teenagers in Washington, D.C.Ex-felon, Eugene Brown, establishes a Chess Club for inner city teenagers in Washington, D.C.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
6.6K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
16,518
11,962
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Jake Goldberger
    • Writers
      • Jake Goldberger
      • David Scott
      • Dan Wetzel
    • Stars
      • Cuba Gooding Jr.
      • Dennis Haysbert
      • George Dick
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Jake Goldberger
    • Writers
      • Jake Goldberger
      • David Scott
      • Dan Wetzel
    • Stars
      • Cuba Gooding Jr.
      • Dennis Haysbert
      • George Dick
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 23User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
    • 52Metascore
    • Awards
      • 2 nominations

    Videos2

    Life of A King Trailer
    Trailer 2:11
    Life of A King Trailer
    Theatrical Trailer
    Trailer 2:12
    Theatrical Trailer

    Photos31

    Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Haysbert, and Malcolm M. Mays in Life of a King (2013)
    Cuba Gooding Jr. in Life of a King (2013)
    Malcolm M. Mays in Life of a King (2013)
    Cuba Gooding Jr. in Life of a King (2013)
    Malcolm M. Mays and Blake Cooper Griffin in Life of a King (2013)
    Cuba Gooding Jr. and Dennis Haysbert in Life of a King (2013)
    Cuba Gooding Jr. and LisaGay Hamilton in Life of a King (2013)
    Cuba Gooding Jr. and Dennis Haysbert in Life of a King (2013)
    Cuba Gooding Jr. and Malcolm M. Mays in Life of a King (2013)
    Cuba Gooding Jr. and Dennis Haysbert in Life of a King (2013)
    Jake Goldberger in Life of a King (2013)
    Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Haysbert, and Jake Goldberger in Life of a King (2013)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cuba Gooding Jr.
    Cuba Gooding Jr.
    • Eugene
    Dennis Haysbert
    Dennis Haysbert
    • Searcy
    George Dick
    • Jamal
    Thurston Hill III
    Thurston Hill III
    • Henry
    J.D. Walsh
    J.D. Walsh
    • Fritz
    Rachae Thomas
    • Katrina
    Derrick L. McMillon
    Derrick L. McMillon
    • Billy West
    • (as Derrick McMillon)
    LisaGay Hamilton
    LisaGay Hamilton
    • Sheila King
    Richard T. Jones
    Richard T. Jones
    • Perry
    Meakil Bell
    • Darius
    Lyn Alicia Henderson
    Lyn Alicia Henderson
    • Ms. Gadbaw
    Alani Ilongwe
    Alani Ilongwe
    • Clifton
    • (as Carlton Byrd)
    Kevin Hendricks
    • Peanut
    Malcolm M. Mays
    Malcolm M. Mays
    • Tahime
    Hammerton Killick
    Hammerton Killick
    • Derek
    Glenn Fontane
    Glenn Fontane
    • Lucas
    Pepi Sonuga
    Pepi Sonuga
    • Michelle
    Ketra Long
    • Kendall
    • Director
      • Jake Goldberger
    • Writers
      • Jake Goldberger
      • David Scott
      • Dan Wetzel
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Brooklyn Castle
    7.2
    Brooklyn Castle
    Critical Thinking
    6.4
    Critical Thinking
    Knights of the South Bronx
    6.7
    Knights of the South Bronx
    Queen of Katwe
    7.4
    Queen of Katwe
    Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School
    6.5
    Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School
    The Dark Horse
    7.4
    The Dark Horse
    An Acceptable Loss
    5.4
    An Acceptable Loss
    One in the Chamber
    5.1
    One in the Chamber
    Freedom
    6.2
    Freedom
    The Way of War
    3.1
    The Way of War
    For NYC
    For NYC
    Absolute Deception
    4.3
    Absolute Deception

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Real life Eugene Brown has cameo at registration desk in final tournament sequence.
    • Goofs
      After Tee wins his first tournament in a library, The moderator declares that he has been disqualified because the parent signature was obviously forged by a child. It is impossible to tell the signature of a 16 year old or older teen from a 45 year old parent let alone one who was possibly illiterate and clearly drug addicted as Tee's mother was. While the Moderator could have made his claim, it is unlikely that 20 seconds would not be put forth by someone challenging the faulty logic. In fact, this immediately caused questions by 50% of viewers in one random screening.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Searcy: [knocking over the king] Wanna play again? Chance to get those cigarettes back.

      Eugene: I'm scared, man. I don't got too many friends on the outside. Not any more.

      Searcy: Just keep your eye on the end game. Everything'll fall into place.

      Eugene: I'm gonna miss you chess man.

      Searcy: Listen to me, Eugene. Every day you out there, you out there for me, and every other brother in here. 'Cuz I'm never gonna be out there again.

    • Soundtracks
      Days Undone
      Written by Michael Gennaro Catanese and Michael Richard Post

      Performed by The Jay Vons

    User reviews23

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    Excellent
    There are not many "feel good" movies out there today, but this one really counts among those that fill this category. Cuba Gooding has long been one of my favourite actors. He possesses a wide range of acting abilities as evidenced by "Snow Dogs" on one hand with his somewhat bland comedic style to "Gifted Hands" wherein he brings to the screen a dramatic style that is uniquely his own. It is this latter gift that he portrays in this feature as he moves from an ex-con to a giver that gives back to the community and its young confused residents, a new hope that most had never known. He portrays the real life story of Eugene Brown, a man who'd known nothing but crime for most of his life, but once he was through serving many years for armed robbery, he dedicated his life to helping other young men to see that there was more to life than crime. It's a good story made better by the fact that it was based on real life.
    helpful•25
    11
    • maxaira
    • Jan 20, 2014

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 22, 2013 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Жизнь короля
    • Production companies
      • Animus Films
      • Serena Films
      • Steakhaus Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $6,547
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,231
      • Jan 19, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $44,161
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Cuba Gooding Jr., Malcolm M. Mays, and Kevin Hendricks in Life of a King (2013)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Life of a King (2013) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in August
    See the full list
    View list
    List
    Fall TV Guide: The Best Shows Coming This Year
    See the full list
    View image
    Photos
    These Stars Are on the Rise
    See the gallery
    Back to top

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more access
    Sign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.