Yolanda King Biography

social activist
Died: May 15, 2007 (Santa Monica, California)
Best Known as: eldest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr.

A social activist, motivational speaker, actress, and eldest child of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. She was born in Montgomery, Ala., just two weeks before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on the bus. King later played the part of Rosa Parks in a 1978 mini-series. She graduated from Smith College and later earned her master's degree from New York University. During her life, King wrote and produced plays, gave speeches to all ages, and acted in a number of commercial movies. A visible member of the King family, Yolanda collapsed after giving a speech in Santa Monica, Calif.