Dave King (actor)

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Dave King
Photo montage of King from a 1959 Kraft Music Hall appearance
Born
David Kingshott

(1929-06-23)23 June 1929
Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Died15 April 2002(2002-04-15) (aged 72)
London, England
Occupation(s)Comedian, singer, actor
Years active1955–1990s

Dave King (born David Kingshott; 23 June 1929 – 15 April 2002)[1][2] was an English comedian, actor and vocalist of popular songs.[3] He is remembered for screen roles such as the corrupt policeman 'Parky' in the British gangster film The Long Good Friday (1980)[1] and Clifford Duckworth in the soap opera Coronation Street.[2]

Life and career

Born in

BBC starting on October 15, 1955.[7] The next year he turned to singing, while continuing to perform on television. During the seaside summer season of 1956 he performed at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. He starred in The Dave King Show.[8] During the 1950s he also starred in the same show alongside Shani Wallis.[9] In 1958, King moved to ITV with The Dave King Show[4]
which was song, dance and comedy with famous guests of the day.

King scored four hits on the

UK Singles Chart
.

In 1959, he went to the United States and hosted the country's high-profile

Dick Hills.[4] On returning to the United Kingdom, he found that the public's taste in comedy had changed. Dave's Kingdom ran on ITV in 1964, again made by ATV, but was less successful than King's earlier TV work.[4] King became a straight actor with some success,[7] starring in the films Pirates of Tortuga (1961), Go to Blazes (1962), The Road to Hong Kong (1962), Strange Bedfellows (1965), Up the Chastity Belt (1971), The Ritz (1976), The Golden Lady (1979), Cuba (1979), The Long Good Friday (1980), Warren Beatty's Reds (1981) and Revolution (1985). He also appeared in a number of TV series including Hazell (1978), Pennies From Heaven (1978), Minder (episode: "Gunfight at the OK Laundrette", 1979), Shoestring
(episode: "The Teddy Bears' Nightmare", 1980).

King appeared in two of the UK's most hard-hitting police series, The Sweeney and The Professionals. His appearance in The Sweeney saw him play Arnold Drake, the leader of a gang of armed robbers in the episode: "Pay Off" (1976),

silver bullion
robbery in the episode "Hijack" (1980).

Further television appearances included the

Station Master Roy Hutton in Heartbeat (episode: "Unfinished Business", 1995). The closing scene of the episode features King's character standing on the platform of Aidensfield Station while "Memories Are Made of This
" plays in the background.

In the theatre, he appeared in Arsenic and Old Lace, playing Mortimer Brewster, and in Teeth 'n' Smiles (1975/6).

He married Jean Hart in 1955, and they had two daughters, Cheyenne and Kiowa. They lived in

American folklore
.

King died in London on 15 April 2002, aged 72.[3]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1961 Pirates of Tortuga Pee Wee
1962 The Road to Hong Kong Mr. Ahso - Chinese Restaurant Owner Uncredited
1962 Go to Blazes Bernard
1965 Strange Bedfellows Toni's Taxi Driver
1970 Up the Chastity Belt Landlord of the Blue Boar
1976 The Ritz Abe
1979 Cuba Miss Wonderly's Press Agent
1979 The Golden Lady Dietmar Schuster
1979 Minder Alfie
1980 The Long Good Friday Parky
1981 Reds Allan Benson
1985 Revolution Mr. McConnahay
1989 Rude Awakening Hippy on Street

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 1-84854-195-3
    .
  2. ^ a b c Obituary: Dave King, The Guardian, 18 April 2002
  3. ^ a b c Thedeadrockstarsclub.com – accessed March 2011
  4. ^ a b c d Spencer Leigh Obituary: Dave King, The Independent, 18 April 2002
  5. ^ "Daily Mirror". Daily Mirror: 4. 19 April 1954.
  6. ^ "Manchester Evening News". Manchester Evening News: 2. 24 January 1955.
  7. ^ a b "Actor Dave King dies", BBC News, 17 April 2002
  8. ^ Theatre Programme, Winter Gardens Pavilion, Blackpool, 1956. Cyril Critchlow Collection, Blackpool Central Library, Vol. 48 p. 38.
  9. ^ Theatre Programme, "The Dave King Show", published by Ayre & Senior Limited, Blackpool, c1957.
  10. ISBN 1-904994-10-5
    .
  11. ^ "The Sweeney : Pay Off : Series 3 - Episode 10". Radiotimes.com. Retrieved 20 August 2020.

External links

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