He graduated high school in 1956 in Detroit, Michigan, United States, and worked at the Ford Motor Company there for three years.
He then worked for the City of Detroit as a draftsman. He founded the New Federal Theater in 1970. He earned an M.F.A. at Brooklyn College in 1999.
King has a long list of credits in film and stage direction and production, including the following: 1985 Joseph Jefferson Award nomination for Appear and Show Cause.