Donald McKinley Glover Jr. From to , he starred in the FX series Atlanta , which he created and occasionally directed. After a number of independently released projects, Glover signed with Glassnote Records in , [ 9 ] and released his debut studio album, Camp , in November of that year to critical and commercial success.
Glover was raised as a Jehovah's Witness but is no longer religious. In , Glover caught the attention of producer David Miner after Glover sent writing samples including a spec script that he had written for The Simpsons. In , he unsuccessfully auditioned to play President Barack Obama on the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live ; [ 36 ] the role went to cast member Fred Armisen. The group wrote and starred in a feature-length film, Mystery Team , a comedy about amateur teenage detectives; it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in He later revealed that he was never contacted by Sony Pictures.
Comics writer Brian Michael Bendis , who announced Miles Morales , an African-American version of Spider-Man a year later, said he had conceived of the character before Glover's campaign went viral. Glover received the Rising Comedy Star award at the Just for Laughs festival in July , and was featured in Gap 's holiday advertising campaign. In , Glover signed a deal to create a music-themed show for FX titled Atlanta , in which he would star, write, and serve as an executive producer.
After being in development since August , FX ordered the Atlanta series in December , announcing a episode season in October , which premiered on September 6, , to widespread critical acclaim. The first of these shows was an animated series featuring the Marvel Comics character Deadpool , which was set to premiere in but was later canceled due to creative differences. Glover appeared in three films in In The Lazarus Effect , he played a scientist working with a team of researchers who bring dead people back to life with disastrous consequences.
Tina Fey wrote the entry for Glover; she remarked that he "embodies his generation's belief that people can be whatever they want and change what it is they want, at any time". The casting was described as "a surprise treat for fans" by the film's director Jon Watts , aware of his campaign to portray the superhero. While filming Atlanta 's second season, Glover portrayed a young version of Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story , causing him to miss appearances in some episodes; Calrissian was previously played by Billy Dee Williams in two films in the original Star Wars trilogy.
