fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Patsy King (born 16 September 1930)[1][3][4] is an Australian retired actress known for work in both theatre and television. She has been a children's television presenter, theatre director, playwright and worked in commercials, and in radio and voice over work, particularly in her early career in the United Kingdom.[5]

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Patsy King
Born	(1930-09-16) 16 September 1930 (age 92)[1] Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Occupation	Actress (stage, radio, television, film) television presenter director commercial voiceover [2]
Years active	Theatre actress: 1951–1984, theatre directing 1989-1990 TV and Film: 1961–1984[2]
Known for	Prisoner
Notable work	Bellbird, Play School, Adventure Island
Spouse	John Sumner (years unknown)

King started her career exclusively as a radio and classical stage actress, with roles in everything from Shakespeare to Peter Pan starting from 1951 until 1990. with a brief return to the stage post-retirement in 2009. Her career in television and children's entertainment started in the early 1960s and extended until 1984.[6]She is known best internationally as an original cast member of the TV series Prisoner, internationally known as Prisoner: Cell Block H, appearing for 351 episodes as well-coiffured Governor/Warden Erica Davidson.[7]

Biography

Early life

King was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 16 September 1930.[1] She aspired to become a dress designer[1] and spent her early years in the United Kingdom.[5] Returning to Australia and opting to work in the theatre, she trained as a Shakespearean actress with Melbourne's National Theatre. In 1959, she married English-born theatre impresario John Sumner. They divorced in 1967.[4]

Career

Theatre

King started her career exclusively in theatre starting in the early 1950s, appearing in dramatic and period pieces and had numerous stage credits including Victoria Regina, The Miser, Summer of the Seventeenth Doll, Richard II, Blithe Spirit. Absurd Person Singular, Half a Sixpence, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, Love for Love and Love Letters

King earned awards including the Erik Award and the Melbourne Critics Awards for Agnes in Four Poster before retiring the stage in 1984, however she turned her hand to writing and directing her own plays in the late 1980s.

Television

After appearing in a few made-for-TV movies in the early 1960s she appeared in a variety of television serials from the late-1960s, including a prominent role in the rural series Bellbird and guest roles in the Crawford Productions series Hunter, The Box, and in their police procedurals Matlock Police, Division 4 and playing 14 different character parts in Homicide. She also acted in Power Without Glory, The Sullivans, Chopper Squad, Bluey, Cop Shop, Out of Love and the comedy series Good Morning, Mr. Doubleday. She was an early presenter on the ABC TV show Play School, and also appeared on The Magic Circle Club and Adventure Island.[6]

She portrayed Erica Davidson, the first governor of the fictional Wentworth Detention Centre, on the cult soap opera Prisoner, as well as appearing in a spin-off stage play in the UK . King left Prisoner in 1983, but returned for guest appearances in 1984, after which she retired from television.[8] [9]

Selected roles

Theatre

Source = AusStage

Title	Year	Playwright	Director
Victoria Regina	1951	Laurence Housman	Ray Lawler
Summer and Smoke	1956	Tennessee Williams	Wal Cherry
The Miser	1956	Jean Baptiste Moliere	William P. Carr
The Wind of Heaven	1957	Emlyn Williams	Malcolm Phillips
Our Town	1957	Thornton Wilder	Wal Cherry
The Queen and the Rebels	?	Ugo Betti	Wal Cherry
The Matchmaker	1957	Thornton Wilder	Wal Cherry
Tonight in Samarkand	1957	Jaquels Deval	Wal Cherry
Ring Round the Moon	1957	Jean Anouilh	Wal Cherry
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof	1957	Tennessee Williams	Wal Cherry
A View from the Bridge	1957	Arthur Miller	Wal Cherry
Peter Pan (pantomime)	1957	J.M. Barrie	John Carroll
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll	1958 (tour, 27 performances)	1957-1960	Ray Lawler
See How They Run	1960	Philip King	Malcolm Roberts
The Mystery of a Hansom Cab	1961	The Importance of Being Ernest adopted by novel Fergus Hume	George Ogilvie
The Importance of Being Ernest	1961	Oscar Wilde	Brian Crossley
Romanoff and Juliet	1961	Sir Peter Ustinov	John Sumner
Dracula	1962	Bram Stoker	Moira Carleton
The Good Ship Walter Raleigh	1963	?	Peter Batey
Richard II	1963	William Shakespeare	Raymond Westwell
The Fourposter	1963-1965 (tour, 32)	Ray Lawler	Ronald Densen
The Happy Invalid	1963	Jean Baptiste-Molière	Wal Cherry
The Glazed Look	1965	Terence Journet	Irene Mitchell
The Cavern	1966	Jean Anoulit	Irene Mitchell
Half A Sixpence	1967	?	Fred Hebert
Marching Song	1969	John Whiting	Paul Eddey
Love for Love	1969	William Congreve	Irene Mitchell
The Slaughter of St Theresa's Day	1974	Peter Kenna	Bruce Kerr
Absurd Person Singular	1976	Alan Ayckbourne	Malcolm Robertson
Innocent Bystanders	1978	Gordon Graham	Malcolm Robertson
A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur	1983	Tennessee Williams	Murray Copeland
Farewell Brisbane Ladies	?	Doreen Clarke	Malcolm Robertson
Love wiih the Lights Out	1989	Patsy King	Graham Turner
A Constant Lover	1990	Gaytana Adorna	Patsy King
An Office Romance	1990	John Price	Patsy King
Love Letters (charity performance)[9]	2009	A.R. Gurney

Filmography

FILM

Year	Title	Role	Type
1972	The Journey	Role unknown	Film short

TELEVISION

Year	Title	Role	Type
1961	The General Motors Hour	Herself - Guest	TV series, 1 episode
1961	The Rivals	Role unknown	Teleplay
1962	Suspect	Janet	Teleplay
1964	Wind from the Icy Country	Ella	Teleplay
1965-1975	Homicide	Guest roles: Sarah Adams / Helen Taylor / Trin Turner / Shirley Wallace / Kay Loder / Policewoman Burke / Janet Smith / Pat Palmer / Sybil Cochrane / Mary Hamilton / Joan Preston / Carol Long / Betty Nyberg / Joy	TV series, 14 episodes
1965	A Time to Speak	Annie	TV film
1965	Photo Finish	Role unknown	Teleplay
1966	Australian Playhouse	Guest role	ABC TV series, 1 episode "The Decision"
1966	Play School	Herself - Presenter	ABC TV series, 10 episodes
1967	Bellbird	Recurring role: Kate Andrews	ABC TV series
1967	Adventure Island	Regular role: Miss Behaviour	ABC TV series
1968	Hunter	Guest role: Jean Gallagher	TV series, 1 episode
1969	Good Morning, Mr. Doubleday	Guest role: Bridget O'Connor	TV series, 1 episode
1969	Dynasty	Guest role: Kathy Mason	ABC TV series, 1 episode
1970-1975	Division 4	Guest roles: Mrs. Carr / Susan Hill / Carol Foster / Marion Dalton / Valerie Fisher	TV series, 5 episodes
1970	The Long Arm	Guest role: Naomi	TV series, 1 episode
1971-1974	Matlock Police	Guest roles: Lily / Joan / Jan Ross	TV series, 3 episodes
1974	Marion	Recurring role: Mrs. Finnegan	ABC TV miniseries, 3 episodes
1974	This Love Affair	Guest role	ABC TV series, 1 episode 2: "Tilting At Windmills"
1974	The Box	Recurring Guest role: Gloria	TV series, 2 episodes
1974	Out of Love	Guest role	ABC TV series, 1 episode 2: "It Will Never Work"
1976	Power Without Glory	Recurring role: Vera Maguire	ABC TV miniseries, 4 episodes
1977	Bluey	Guest role: Tina Golding	TV series, 1 episode 33: "Final Devotion"
1977	Hotel Story	Guest role	TV series, 1 episode
1977	The Sullivans	Recurring role: Beryl Fletcher	TV series, 4 episodes
1978	Cop Shop	Guest roles: Sara Fitzsimmons / Julie Gibbons	TV series, 2 episodes
1978	Chopper Squad	Guest role: Iris Deacon	TV series, 1 episode 5: "8:52 A.M."
1979-1984	Prisoner	Regular role: Governor Erica Davidson / Erica	TV series, 353 episodes
1979	The Franky Doyle Story	Governor Erica Davidson	TV film
1981	Prisoner In Concert	Herself / Erica Davidson	TV special

References

External links

• Patsy King at IMDb

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