Arguably one of the most talented individuals in today’s Hollywood, Donald Glover has delivered superb, back-to-back performances in movies and TV shows. He’s one of those talents filmmakers can always trust to breathe life into characters in a way only Donald Glover knows how to. Whether in independent, low-budget, or studio movies, Donald Glover has had growing credits in movies and TV shows since his screen debut in 2005.
Born Donald McKinley Glover Jr. at Edwards Air Force Base in California, Glover is an actor, singer, rapper, comedian, writer, and filmmaker. With all these talents, Donald Glover performs under the stage name Childish Gambino, a name he admits he stumbled upon while using an online Wu-Tang Name Generator. In appreciation of his acting talents, here are 7 Donald Glover’s must-watch movies and TV shows performances.
Community (2009-2014)
The Dan Harmon-created sitcom Community for NBC was a hit with television audiences. Although he was fired after season 3 (and rehired for season 5), Community enjoyed exceptional ratings from critics and audiences. Donald Glover was cast as Troy Barnes, a former high school jock and Greendale Community College student. Community was far from being Glover’s first television project, but it certainly helped redefine his career. If not for anything, Donald Glover fans and admirers need to watch Community to appreciate Glover’s acting genius.
Atlanta (2016-2022)
Donald Glover has kept a busy profile since Community. However, his next big television project was the FX’s comedy-drama Atlanta. Interestingly, the show was created by Donald Glover. Besides creating the series, Glover is credited as a writer and executive producer. Glover also played the lead character, Earnest “Earn” Marks. Glover’s character is a Princeton dropout who became a music manager. Donald Glover also played Teddy Perkins and Kirkwood Chocolate in two separate episodes of Atlanta. The show aired for 4 seasons from September 6, 2016, to November 10, 2022.
Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Unsurprisingly, Donald Glover joined the cast of the second Spider-Man reboot trilogy. Cast as one of the movie’s minor antagonists, Aaron Davis, a role which quickly became Donald Glover’s most successful role in movies and TV shows. Aaron Davis is a local, weapon-dealing criminal to whom Jackson Brice/Shocker and Herman Schultz sold weapons. Glover doesn’t get much screen time, but his character is Miles Morales’s uncle. His presence in Spider-Man: Homecoming is more symbolic, especially to Marvel Comics and MCU fans.
Watch Spider-Man: Homecoming on Disney+
Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
Donald Glover was cast in the iconic role of Lando Calrissian in Ron Howard’s space Western movie Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). The movie is the second Star Wars anthology film centered around Han Solo’s life. In the Star Wars universe, Glover is the second actor to portray the character, following in the footsteps of veteran actor Billy Dee Williams. If anything, Glover’s performance in Solo: A Star Wars Story proves his versatility as an actor.
Watch Solo: A Star Wars Story on Apple TV+
Guava Island (2019)
In his rawest form and talent, Donald Glover delivers an unmatched performance in the 2019 musical film Guava Island. For most of the movie’s 56-minute runtime, audiences are serenaded with Glover’s singing talents as well as his acting genius. Starring alongside Rihanna and Letitia Wright, Glover plays Deni Maroon, a Cuban musician and local talent determined to give the island a memorable musical festival. Against the island’s tyrannical business magnate Red’s (Nonso Anozie) wishes, Deni goes ahead with the planned festival. However, things end deadly, as Deni is killed. Donald Glover also co-wrote and co-produced Guava Island.
Watch Guava Island on Apple TV+
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023)
What began as a fan’s request to have Donald Glover play Spider-Man/Peter Parker in the then-upcoming The Amazing Spider-Man movie turned into a social media campaign for the actor. Much of the campaign was a result of Glover’s character in Community wearing the Spider-Man costume. Interestingly, it was just a quick scene shot of Glover’s character waking up in the costume. Although the African-American version of Spider-Man, Miles Morales, was announced a year later by Marvel Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis, he, too, admitted it wasn’t the campaign that first gave him the idea but also when he watched Glover in Community.
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’s Miles Morales was created with Donald Glover in mind. Glover wasn’t entirely a stranger to the character after being offered to voice the character in the 2 episodes of Ultimate Spider-Man in 2015. Although Donald Glover only appeared as a live-action cameo in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, the fact Miles Morales was based on him puts the film in Donald Glover’s must-watch movies and TV shows. If anything, it shows the level of influence Glover commands.
Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)
Donald Glover’s latest television project is playing John Smith/Michael on Amazon Prime Video’s spy series Mr. & Mrs. Smith. The series was created by Glover and Francesca Sloane, and was based on the famous 2005 movie of the same name. Glover co-stars alongside actress Maya Erskine, who plays his on-screen wife, Jane Smith/Alana. Mr. & Mrs. Smith season 1, released on February 2, 2024, has been met with mostly positive reviews. The 8-episode season is another testament to Donald Glover’s creative mind and genius. If you’re a fan of Donald Glover‘s movies and TV shows, read about Donald Glover Signs 8-Figure Deal With Amazon.
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