Diana King (actress)
Encyclopedia
Diana King was an English television actress who had a career on British television from 1939 to 1986. She was sometimes credited as Diane King, and was born in Buckinghamshire
.
King's first television appearance was as a pupil of Tadworth House School in Little Ladyship in 1939. She continued to appear on television and in films throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In 1961, she appeared in The Avengers
. During the 1960s and 1970s, she appeared in The Benny Hill Show
, Crossroads, Dixon of Dock Green
, Pride and Prejudice, You're Only Young Twice, and Z-Cars
.
However, Diana King is perhaps best known for her many appearances in situation comedies from the 1960s onwards. She had roles in Dad's Army
, Father, Dear Father
, The Liver Birds
, Fawlty Towers
(in the episode "The Wedding Party
"), George and Mildred
, Bless This House, Rising Damp
, Come Back Mrs Noah
and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
. King also had semi-regular roles in Are You Being Served?
as Mrs Peacock, in Terry and June
replacing the late Joan Benham
in the role of Melinda Spry, as Norah in Bachelor Father and as George's mother in Marriage Lines
. She also acted in an English learning programme called Follow Me from 1978 to 1981 with Francis Matthews
as moderator.
Her final television appearance was in Inside Story, which was shown in 1986, the year she died of cancer at the age of 67 in Nettlebed
, Oxfordshire
.
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
.
King's first television appearance was as a pupil of Tadworth House School in Little Ladyship in 1939. She continued to appear on television and in films throughout the 1940s and 1950s. In 1961, she appeared in The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
. During the 1960s and 1970s, she appeared in The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show
The Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill.There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre...
, Crossroads, Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, Pride and Prejudice, You're Only Young Twice, and Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
.
However, Diana King is perhaps best known for her many appearances in situation comedies from the 1960s onwards. She had roles in Dad's Army
Dad's Army
Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...
, Father, Dear Father
Father, Dear Father
Father, Dear Father is a British television sitcom produced by Thames Television for ITV from 1968 to 1973 starring Patrick Cargill. It was subsequently made into a spin-off film of the same title released in 1973....
, The Liver Birds
The Liver Birds
The Liver Birds is a British situation comedy, set in Liverpool, Merseyside, North-West of England, which aired on BBC1 from 1969 to 1978, and again in 1996. It was created by Carla Lane and Myra Taylor. The two Liverpool housewives had met at a local writers club and decided to pool their talents...
, Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
(in the episode "The Wedding Party
The Wedding Party
"The Wedding Party" is the third episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers.-Synopsis:Basil is disgusted when two young lovers, Alan and Jean, begin 'hanky-pankying' under his very nose while checking in. He becomes convinced that they and two other guests are engaged in group sexual misbehaviour,...
"), George and Mildred
George and Mildred
George and Mildred is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television that aired from 1976 to 1979. It was a spin-off from Man About the House and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as an ill-matched married couple, George and Mildred Roper...
, Bless This House, Rising Damp
Rising Damp
Rising Damp is a television sitcom produced by Yorkshire Television for ITV, first broadcast from 1974 to 1978. It was adapted for television by Eric Chappell from his well-received 1971 stage play, The Banana Box The series was the highest-ranking ITV sitcom on the 100 Best Sitcoms poll run in...
, Come Back Mrs Noah
Come Back Mrs Noah
Come Back Mrs. Noah is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1977 to 1978. Starring Mollie Sugden and Ian Lavender, it was written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who had also written Are You Being Served?, which had also starred Mollie Sugden. Joke banter was recycled off other series, and...
and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em
Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em was a BBC situation comedy, written by Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice.The series followed the accident-prone Frank Spencer and his tolerant wife Betty through Frank's various attempts to hold down a job, which frequently end in...
. King also had semi-regular roles in Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
as Mrs Peacock, in Terry and June
Terry and June
Terry and June is a British sitcom that was broadcast on BBC1 from 1979 to 1987. The programme is largely a continuation of Happy Ever After, and stars Terry Scott and June Whitfield as a middle-class suburban couple, Terry and June Medford...
replacing the late Joan Benham
Joan Benham
Joan Benham was an English actress best known for her portrayal of Lady Prudence Fairfax in the ITV period drama series Upstairs, Downstairs...
in the role of Melinda Spry, as Norah in Bachelor Father and as George's mother in Marriage Lines
Marriage Lines
Marriage Lines was a popular black-and-white British sitcom that aired from 1961 to 1966 which launched the careers of its lead stars, Richard Briers and Prunella Scales. It was originally entitled The Marriage Lines...
. She also acted in an English learning programme called Follow Me from 1978 to 1981 with Francis Matthews
Francis Matthews
Francis Matthews may refer to:*Francis Matthews , British actor*Francis P. Matthews, 49th United States Secretary of the Navy and the 8th Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus...
as moderator.
Her final television appearance was in Inside Story, which was shown in 1986, the year she died of cancer at the age of 67 in Nettlebed
Nettlebed
Nettlebed is a village in England in the Chiltern Hills about northwest of Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire and southeast of Wallingford.-History:Archaeological finds show that the area around Nettlebed has been inhabited since Palaeolithic times....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
.
Selected filmography
- SpellboundSpellbound (1941 film)Spellbound is a 1941 British drama film directed by John Harlow. The film is based on the novel The Necromancer by Robert Hugh Benson. It was also released under the titles of Ghost Story and The Spell of Army Nugent.-Plot:...
(1941) - Once a CrookOnce a CrookOnce a Crook is a 1941 British crime film directed by Herbert Mason and featuring Gordon Harker, Sydney Howard, Bernard Lee, Kathleen Harrison, and Raymond Huntley.-Cast:* Gordon Harker as Charlie Hopkins* Sydney Howard as Hallelujah Harry...
(1941) - OffbeatOffbeat (film)Offbeat is a 1961 British crime film directed by Cliff Owen and starring William Sylvester, Mai Zetterling, and John Meillon. In the film, an MI5 officer goes undercover to catch a criminal gang.-Cast:* William Sylvester - Layton / Steve Ross...
(1961) - Be My GuestBe My Guest (film)Be My Guest is a 1965 British black and white musical film. It was filmed at Pinewood Film Studios, London, England. The film is notable for the appearance of Steve Marriott who started out as a child actor before giving up a promising acting career to help form successful rock groups Small Faces...
(1965) - The Wildcats of St Trinian'sThe Wildcats of St Trinian'sThe Wildcats of St. Trinian's is the fifth British comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School, released in 1980.It poked fun at the British trade union movement which had been responsible for the recent wave of strikes that culminated in the Winter of Discontent.The film was not a...
(1980)