Anthony Mackie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anthony Mackie
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![]() Mackie in 2024
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Born |
Anthony Dwane Mackie
September 23, 1978 New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
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Education | Juilliard School (BFA) |
Occupation |
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Years active | 2002–present |
Spouse(s) |
Sheletta Chapital
(m. 2014; div. 2018) |
Children | 4 |
Relatives | Calvin Mackie (brother) |
Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. He is famous for playing Sam Wilson, also known as Falcon and later Captain America, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He first appeared as Falcon in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He continued this role in many Marvel films and the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021). He will also star in the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World (2025).
Mackie started his acting career in the music drama film 8 Mile (2002). He also gained recognition for his roles in films like Brother to Brother (2004) and The Hurt Locker (2008). He has played real-life figures such as Tupac Shakur in Notorious (2009) and Martin Luther King Jr. in the HBO TV film All the Way (2016). Beyond films, Mackie has performed in many Broadway and Off-Broadway plays. He currently stars in the Peacock series Twisted Metal (2023–present).
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Early life and education
Anthony Mackie was born on September 23, 1978, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His parents are Martha Gordon and Willie Mackie Sr. He has a brother named Calvin Mackie. Calvin is a former engineering professor.
Anthony went to Warren Easton Sr High School. He also attended the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). In 1997, he graduated from the high school drama program at the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA). He later studied acting at the Juilliard School from 1997 to 2001. Other famous actors like Tracie Thoms and Lee Pace were in his class.
Acting career highlights

Anthony Mackie began his professional acting career in 2002. He was an understudy in the play Topdog/Underdog. He also won an Obie Award for his role in the play Talk. His first film role was as Papa Doc in 8 Mile (2002).
In 2003, he starred in the independent film Brother to Brother. He played Perry, a young artist. The next year, he appeared in Million Dollar Baby, which won an Academy Award. He also worked with director Spike Lee in She Hate Me. In 2006, Mackie starred in Half Nelson and We Are Marshall.
Mackie has performed in many plays by August Wilson. In 2008, he was in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Fences, and Jitney. These plays were part of a special event in Washington D.C. In 2009, he played Pentheus in a Shakespeare in the Park production. He also starred on Broadway with Christopher Walken in A Behanding in Spokane in 2010.
A notable role for Mackie was playing the rapper Tupac Shakur. He first played Tupac in a play in 2001. Later, he played him again in the 2009 film Notorious. In 2009, he also appeared in the critically acclaimed film The Hurt Locker. He narrated a documentary about football player Marcus Dupree. In 2011, he was in The Adjustment Bureau.
Joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Anthony Mackie became widely known for his role as Sam Wilson / Falcon. He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He then appeared in many other Marvel films. These include Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Ant-Man (2015). He also starred in Captain America: Civil War (2016). Later, he was in Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and Avengers: Endgame (2019).
In 2021, Mackie starred in the Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. In this series, his character Sam Wilson took on the mantle of Captain America. He will continue this role in the upcoming film Captain America: Brave New World.
Other recent projects
In 2016, Mackie played Martin Luther King Jr. in the HBO TV film All the Way. In 2018, he appeared in The Hate U Give. This film was based on a popular novel. In 2019, he was in the Netflix science-fiction film IO.
In 2018, Mackie was cast as Takeshi Kovacs in the second season of Netflix's series Altered Carbon. He also appeared in an episode of the Black Mirror series in 2019. In 2021, he starred in and produced the science fiction film Outside the Wire for Netflix.
In 2022, it was announced that Mackie would direct his first film, Spark. He is also set to star in the action film Ending Things. He leads the live-action series Twisted Metal for Peacock. This series is based on the video game. Mackie also appeared in the 2024 documentary Shark Beach with Anthony Mackie: Gulf Coast.
Personal life
In 2014, Anthony Mackie married his childhood sweetheart, Sheletta Chapital. They later divorced in 2018. They have four children together. The family lives in New Orleans.
Mackie has shared that he is dyslexic. This means he sometimes has difficulty with reading and writing.
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2002 | 8 Mile | Papa Doc / Pulikkattil Charlie | |
2003 | Crossing | Cass | Short film |
Hollywood Homicide | Killer "Joker" | ||
2004 | Brother to Brother | Perry | |
The Manchurian Candidate | PFC Robert Baker | ||
She Hate Me | John Henry "Jack" Armstrong | ||
Haven | Hammer | ||
Million Dollar Baby | Shawrelle Berry | ||
2005 | The Man | Booty | |
2006 | Freedomland | Billy Williams | |
Half Nelson | Frank | ||
Heavens Fall | William Lee | ||
We Are Marshall | Nate Ruffin | ||
Crossover | Tech | ||
2007 | Ascension Day | Nathaniel "Nat" Turner | |
2008 | Eagle Eye | Major William Bowman | |
2009 | The Hurt Locker | Sergeant J. T. Sanborn | |
American Violet | Eddie Porter | ||
Notorious | Tupac Shakur | ||
Desert Flower | Harold Jackson | ||
2010 | Night Catches Us | Marcus Washington | |
2011 | The Adjustment Bureau | Harry Mitchell | |
10 Years | Andre Irine | ||
What's Your Number? | Tom Piper | ||
Real Steel | Finn | ||
2012 | Man on a Ledge | Mike Ackerman | |
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Will Johnson | ||
2013 | Gangster Squad | Coleman Harris | |
Repentance | Tommy Carter | ||
Pain & Gain | Adrian Doorbal | ||
The Fifth Estate | Sam Coulson | ||
Runner Runner | Agent Eric Shavers | ||
The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete | Kris | ||
2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Sam Wilson / Falcon | |
Black or White | Jeremiah Jeffers | ||
Shelter | Tahir | ||
Playing It Cool | Bryan | ||
2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Sam Wilson / Falcon | |
Ant-Man | |||
Our Brand Is Crisis | Ben | ||
Love the Coopers | Officer Percy Williams | ||
The Night Before | Chris Roberts | ||
2016 | Triple 9 | Marcus Belmont | |
Captain America: Civil War | Sam Wilson / Falcon | ||
2017 | Detroit | Karl Greene | |
2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | Sam Wilson / Falcon | |
The Hate U Give | King | ||
2019 | Io | Micah | Also executive producer |
Miss Bala | Jimmy | ||
Avengers: Endgame | Sam Wilson / Falcon | ||
Point Blank | Paul Booker | ||
Synchronic | Steve Denube | ||
Seberg | Hakim Jamal | ||
2020 | The Banker | Bernard Garrett | Also producer |
2021 | Outside the Wire | Captain Leo | |
The Woman in the Window | Edward "Ed" Fox | ||
2023 | We Have a Ghost | Frank | |
If You Were the Last | Adam Gary | ||
Ghosted | Grandson of Sam | Cameo | |
2024 | Elevation | Will | Also producer |
2025 | Captain America: Brave New World | Sam Wilson / Captain America | Post-production; Also executive producer |
The Electric State | Herman (voice) | Post-production | |
Sneaks | Ty (voice) | In-production | |
TBA | Desert Warrior | TBA | Post-production |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2002 | As If | Bar Patron | Episode: "Seven"; uncredited |
2003 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Carl Hines | Episode: "Pravda" |
2004 | Sucker Free City | K-Luv (Keith) | TV movie |
2010 | 30 for 30 | Narrator | Episode: "The Best That Never Was" |
2013 | Top Chef: New Orleans | Himself | Episode: “Like Mama Made” |
2016 | All the Way | Martin Luther King Jr. | TV movie |
2018 | Animals | Receipt (voice) | 2 episodes |
2019 | Black Mirror | Danny Parker | Episode: "Striking Vipers" |
2020 | Altered Carbon | Takeshi Kovacs | 8 episodes |
2021 | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Sam Wilson / Falcon / Captain America | Main role |
Marvel Studios: Assembled | Himself | Documentary; Episode: "Assembled: The Making of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier" | |
Solos | Tom | Episode: "Tom" | |
2021 ESPY Awards | Himself/host | Awards show | |
2023 | Rennervations | Himself | Guest |
2023–present | Twisted Metal | John Doe | Main role; also executive producer |
2024 | What If...? | Sam Wilson / Captain America (voice) | Episode: "What If... the Hulk Fought the Mech Avengers?" |
Video games
Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
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2018 | NBA 2K19 | Big Tunney | Also motion capture |
Theme park attractions
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2022 | Avengers: Quantum Encounter | Sam Wilson / Captain America | Disney Wish |
Stage
Year | Title | Role(s) | Notes |
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2001 | Up Against the Wind | Tupac Shakur | Off-Broadway debut |
2002 | Talk | Moderator | Off-Broadway |
2003 | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Sylvester, understudy Levee | Broadway debut |
2004 | Drowning Crow | Constantine Trip | Broadway |
2005 | McReele | Darius McReele | Off-Broadway |
2005 | A Soldier's Play | Private First Class Melvin Peterson | Off-Broadway |
2008 | The Good Negro | James Lawrence | Off-Broadway |
2009 | The Bacchae | Pentheus | Off-Broadway |
2010 | A Behanding in Spokane | Toby | Broadway |
Awards and nominations
Association | Year | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
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Independent Spirit Awards | 2004 | Brother to Brother | Best Debut Performance | Nominated | |
Gotham Independent Film Awards | Breakthrough Actor | Nominated | |||
Black Reel Awards | She Hate Me | Best Breakthrough Performance | Nominated | ||
2006 | Sucker Free City | Outstanding Actor in a TV Movie or Limited Series | Nominated | ||
Independent Spirit Awards | 2009 | The Hurt Locker | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards | Best Ensemble Cast | Won | |||
Gotham Independent Film Award | Best Ensemble Cast | Won | |||
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Ensemble | Won | |||
Online Film Critics Society Award | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |||
Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |||
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |||
AAFCA Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Won | |||
Black Reel Awards | 2010 | Best Supporting Actor | Won | ||
NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |||
Black Reel Awards | Night Catches Us | Best Actor | Won | ||
Outstanding Ensemble | Nominated | ||||
NAACP Image Award | 2011 | Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture | Nominated | ||
Black Reel Awards | 2012 | The Adjustment Bureau | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |||
Saturn Awards | 2014 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Best Supporting Actor | Nominated | |
Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie Scene Stealer | Nominated | |||
MTV Movie Awards | 2015 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | Ensemble Cast | Nominated | |
Teen Choice Awards | 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | Choice Movie: Chemistry (shared with Sebastian Stan, Chris Evans, Elizabeth Olsen, and Jeremy Renner) | Nominated | |
Kids' Choice Awards | #SQUAD (shared with cast) | Nominated | |||
MTV Movie & TV Awards | 2021 | The Falcon and the Winter Soldier | Best Hero | Won | |
Best Duo (shared with Sebastian Stan) | Won | ||||
Saturn Awards | 2022 | Saturn Award for Best Actor in a Streaming Television Series | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Anthony Mackie para niños