Mike explores the unique and controversial story of the former undisputed world heavyweight champion.
But who is in the cast bringing Tyson’s life to the small screen?
Newsweek has everything you need to know about the cast and their real-life counterparts.
Mike Tyson: Trevante Rhodes
Trevante Rhodes portrays Mike Tyson, in Hulu and Disney+’s Mike.
The show goes through the ups and downs of Tyson’s boxing career and personal life, including his 50 wins out of 58 fights (44 of them by knockout), as well as his marriage to Robin Givens and his time in prison for the rape of 18-year-old Desiree Washington.
BJ Minor stars as a teenage Mike Tyson in Hulu’s Mike.
Audiences will most likely recognize Rhodes from his role as Chiron in the Oscar-winning film Moonlight.
His other credits include Bird Box, 12 Strong, and The United States vs Billie Holiday.
Don King: Russell Hornsby
Russell Hornsby stars as American boxer promotor Don King in Mike.
During his career, King worked with the likes of Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, Chris Byrd, John Ruiz, and George Foreman. However, he also faced several controversies, including a manslaughter conviction and civil cases against him. He was faced with allegations of corrupt business practices by numerous boxers.
Hornsby is best known for playing Lyons in Fences and Carl Gatewood in The Affair.
Speaking to Pop Culture, Hornsby shared he was nervous to take on the role of Don King.
He said: “Well, first and foremost, I’m a little nervous. I can’t lie. The thing is, it’s not about getting it right or wrong. It’s about getting it true. And so as just for me as an actor, what I look to do, we know that there are aspects of Don King that is a showman, that he is a character and someone say a caricature in some standpoints and that’s all there.
“But for me, I have to be able to find moments where we can give humanity where no matter what our perception of him is, or what we think or thought of him, that we know that he’s a human being. And so where did this behavior come from? How did it come about? How did it manifest? And I look to ask those questions.”
Cus D’Amato: Harvey Keitel
Hollywood legend Harvey Keitel takes on the role of Cus D’Amato in Mike.
D’Amato was an Italian-American boxing manager who worked closely with the likes of Tyson, Floyd Patterson, and José Torres.
Alongside Camille Ewald, he secured legal guardianship over a young Mike Tyson after his mother died. D’Amato became a father-like figure to Tyson and taught him his famous peek-a-boo style of boxing, where a boxer holds his gloves close to his face.
Keitel is best known for his roles in numerous Martin Scorsese films including The Irishman, Who’s That Knocking at My Door, Mean Streets, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver, and The Last Temptation of Christ.
Audiences may also recognize him from the films Blue Collar, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Desiree Washington: Li Eubanks
Up-and-coming actor Li Eubanks portrays Desiree Washington in Mike.
Desiree Washington, the former winner of Miss Black Rhode Island, accused Tyson of rape in July 1991 in an Indianapolis hotel room when she was 18 years old. Tyson has always denied all allegations of rape.
Tyson was found guilty of rape on February 10, 1992, by a jury and was sentenced to six years in prison along with four years of probation. He was released in March 1995 after serving less than three years of his sentence.
Eubanks’s credits include If Not Now, When? and All Rise.
Robin Givens: Laura Harrier
Laura Harrier portrays Mike Tyson’s ex-wife Robin Givens in Mike.
They began dating in 1987 and wed in February 1988.
Their marriage was not always easy and in October 1988 Givens filed for divorce, citing spousal abuse. She was granted a temporary restraining order. Their divorce also played out in public, with Givens suing Tyson for defamation.
The divorce was finalized on Valentine’s Day in 1989.
Harrier is best known for her role as Liz Allan in Spider-Man: Homecoming and Patrice Dumas in BlacKkKlansman.
Bill Cayton: Kale Browne
Kale Browne stars as William D’Archy “Bill” Cayton in Mike on Hulu and Disney+.
Cayton was a boxing promoter and manager who was famously sued by Tyson in the 1980s. At the time, Tyson wanted to replace Cayton as manager with Don King.
Despite their differences, Tyson retained him as a manager as they worked to settle the lawsuit. The matter was settled out of court.
Clayton was also a film historian and producer, working to preserve boxing’s legacy. He also founded or co-founded the companies Cayton Sports, Inc., Reel Sports., Inc., Radio.
Browne is best known for playing Michael Hudson on Another One and Sam Rappaport on One Life to Live.
Also starring in Mike are Kerry Sims, Laura Harrier, Scott MacDonald, Nathalie J. Alarcon, Garland Whitt, Johnny Alexander, and Dharma Moreau.