Perry King
Encyclopedia
Perry Firestone King is an American television and film actor. King played the role of Cody Allen on the detective series Riptide
from 1983 to 1986.
to a physician
father. His maternal grandfather was Maxwell Perkins
, a well-known editor for the publishing house Charles Scribner's Sons
. Through Perkins, King is the great-great-grandson of U.S. Senator William M. Evarts
and the great-great-great-great-grandson of Roger Sherman
, one of the signers of the Declaration of independence
. King received a degree in drama at Yale University
and also studied at Juilliard.
. Since the 1970s, he has appeared in dozens of feature films, television series and television movies. He auditioned for the role of Han Solo
in Star Wars
, but the role ultimately went to Harrison Ford
. However, he played the character in the radio adaptation
s of Star Wars and both its sequels. In 1984, King was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role in the TV movie The Hasty Heart. That same year, he landed the role of Cody Allen on the series Riptide
. In 1995, he portrayed the role of Hayley Armstrong on Melrose Place. He also appeared as Richard Williams in the NBC
TV series Titans with Yasmine Bleeth
in 2000 and as the President of the United States in the 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow
.
King has made guest appearances on TV shows including Spin City
, Will & Grace
, Eve
, and Cold Case. He has also worked as a voice actor, voice-acting for Samson in the 1985 animated feature Samson & Delilah and the character of Randall in an episode of SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
.
An avid motorcyclist, King was featured on Huell Howser's
California's Gold
where he spoke about his collection of motorcycles and sidecars. On December 1, 2008, the AMA
issued a press release stating that, effective immediately, King had been appointed to its Board of Directors
.
Golden Globe Awards
Riptide (TV series)
Riptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter...
from 1983 to 1986.
Early life
King was born in Alliance, OhioAlliance, Ohio
Alliance is a city in Stark and Mahoning counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 22,322 at the 2010 census. Alliance's nickname is "The Carnation City", and the city is home to the University of Mount Union....
to a physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
father. His maternal grandfather was Maxwell Perkins
Maxwell Perkins
William Maxwell Evarts Perkins , was the editor for Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe. He has been described as the most famous literary editor.-Career:...
, a well-known editor for the publishing house Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons
Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing a number of American authors including Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King, Robert A. Heinlein, Thomas Wolfe, George Santayana, John Clellon...
. Through Perkins, King is the great-great-grandson of U.S. Senator William M. Evarts
William M. Evarts
William Maxwell Evarts was an American lawyer and statesman who served as U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Attorney General and U.S. Senator from New York...
and the great-great-great-great-grandson of Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman was an early American lawyer and politician, as well as a founding father. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic...
, one of the signers of the Declaration of independence
Declaration of independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
. King received a degree in drama at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and also studied at Juilliard.
Career
King made his film debut in the 1972 film Slaughterhouse-FiveSlaughterhouse-Five (film)
Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1972 film based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same name. The screenplay is by Stephen Geller and the film was directed by George Roy Hill. It stars Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, and Valerie Perrine, and features Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans, Holly Near, and Perry King. The...
. Since the 1970s, he has appeared in dozens of feature films, television series and television movies. He auditioned for the role of Han Solo
Han Solo
Han Solo is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise played by Harrison Ford. Introduced in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , Solo and his Wookiee co-pilot, Chewbacca , become involved in the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire...
in Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
, but the role ultimately went to Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
. However, he played the character in the radio adaptation
Star Wars (radio)
An expanded radio dramatization of the original Star Wars trilogy was produced in 1981, 1983, and 1996. The first two radio series, based on A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, were produced and broadcast by National Public Radio as part of NPR Playhouse...
s of Star Wars and both its sequels. In 1984, King was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role in the TV movie The Hasty Heart. That same year, he landed the role of Cody Allen on the series Riptide
Riptide (TV series)
Riptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter...
. In 1995, he portrayed the role of Hayley Armstrong on Melrose Place. He also appeared as Richard Williams in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
TV series Titans with Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Amanda Bleeth is an American actress. Her television roles include Caroline Holden in the long-running series Baywatch.-Early life and career:...
in 2000 and as the President of the United States in the 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow
The Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film that depicts the catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling which leads to a new ice age. The film did well at the box office, grossing $542,771,772 internationally...
.
King has made guest appearances on TV shows including Spin City
Spin City
Spin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
, Will & Grace
Will & Grace
Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
, Eve
Eve (TV series)
Eve is an American sitcom starring Eve, Jason Winston George, Ali Landry, Natalie Desselle-Reid, Brian Hooks and Sean Maguire. That aired on the UPN network from September 15, 2003 to May 11, 2006, with 66 episodes produced spanning 3 seasons...
, and Cold Case. He has also worked as a voice actor, voice-acting for Samson in the 1985 animated feature Samson & Delilah and the character of Randall in an episode of SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron
SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron is an animated series for television created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay and produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Program Services. Every episode of the series was directed by Robert Alvarez. The bulk of the series was written by either Glenn Leopold or Lance Falk...
.
Personal life
Married and divorced twice, King has two daughters, Louise and Hannah, and one granddaughter.An avid motorcyclist, King was featured on Huell Howser's
Huell Howser
Huell Burnley Howser is an American television personality best known for California's Gold, his travel show for the Los Angeles based KCET.-Early career:...
California's Gold
California's Gold
California's Gold is a public television travel program that explores the numerous natural, cultural and historical wonders of the Golden State. The show, now in its 17th year, is produced and hosted by Huell Howser...
where he spoke about his collection of motorcycles and sidecars. On December 1, 2008, the AMA
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
issued a press release stating that, effective immediately, King had been appointed to its Board of Directors
Board of directors
A board of directors is a body of elected or appointed members who jointly oversee the activities of a company or organization. Other names include board of governors, board of managers, board of regents, board of trustees, and board of visitors...
.
Filmography
- Slaughterhouse-FiveSlaughterhouse-Five (film)Slaughterhouse-Five is a 1972 film based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same name. The screenplay is by Stephen Geller and the film was directed by George Roy Hill. It stars Michael Sacks, Ron Leibman, and Valerie Perrine, and features Eugene Roche, Sharon Gans, Holly Near, and Perry King. The...
(1972) - The Possession of Joel DelaneyThe Possession of Joel DelaneyThe Possession of Joel Delaney is a 1972 horror film starring Shirley MacLaine and Perry King, and directed by Waris Hussein. It is based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Ramona Stewart....
(1972) - The Lords of FlatbushThe Lords of FlatbushThe Lords of Flatbush is a 1974 American drama film about a street gang in leather jackets from the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York....
(1974) - The Wild PartyThe Wild Party (1975 film)The Wild Party is a 1975 Merchant Ivory Productions film directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, and starring James Coco and Raquel Welch....
(1975) - MandingoMandingo (film)Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro...
(1975) - LipstickLipstick (film)Lipstick is a 1976 drama film directed by Lamont Johnson. Starring Margaux and Mariel Hemingway, it contains one of the most infamous scenes in motion picture history, showing an extremely graphic rape scene.- Plot :...
(1976) - Andy Warhol's BadAndy Warhol's BadAndy Warhol's Bad is a 1977 comedy film, directed by Jed Johnson, starring Carroll Baker, Perry King and Susan Tyrrell. It was written by Pat Hackett and George Abagnalo, and produced by Andy Warhol....
(1977) - The ChoirboysThe Choirboys (film)The Choirboys is a 1977 American comedy-drama film directed by Robert Aldrich, written by Christopher Knopf and Joseph Wambaugh based on Wambaugh's novel. It features an ensemble cast including Randy Quaid and James Woods...
(1977) - A Different StoryA Different StoryA Different Story is a 1978 American film set in Los Angeles. It stars Meg Foster and Perry King and was directed by Paul Aaron. It tells the story of a gay man and a lesbian woman who become temporary housemates but end up falling in love with each other...
(1978) - Search and Destroy (1979)
- Class of 1984Class of 1984Class of 1984 is a 1982 action-thriller movie about a newly hired music teacher at a troubled inner city school, where students have to pass through a metal detector due to problems with gangs, drugs, and violence. It was directed by Mark L...
(1982) - The Clairvoyant (1982)
- Samson & Delilah (Voice, 1985)
- SwitchSwitch (film)Switch is a 1991 comedy film written and directed by Blake Edwards. A promiscuous man is murdered by his lovers and reincarnated as a beautiful woman .-Legacy:...
(1991) - The Adventures of Ragtime aka Barclay's Big Adventure (1997)
- The Day After TomorrowThe Day After TomorrowThe Day After Tomorrow is a 2004 American science-fiction disaster film that depicts the catastrophic effects of global warming in a series of extreme weather events that usher in global cooling which leads to a new ice age. The film did well at the box office, grossing $542,771,772 internationally...
(2004)
Television
- Deadly Visitor (1973)
- Medical CenterMedical Center (TV series)Medical Center is a medical drama series which aired on CBS from 1969 to 1976.-Synopsis:The show starred James Daly as Dr. Paul Lochner and Chad Everett as Dr. Joe Gannon, surgeons working in an otherwise unnamed university hospital in Los Angeles. The show focused both on the lives of the doctors...
(1 episode, 1973) - CannonCannon (TV series)Cannon is a CBS detective television series produced by Quinn Martin which aired from March 26, 1971 to March 3, 1976.The primary protagonist was the title character, Frank Cannon, played by William Conrad....
(1 episode, 1974) - Apple's WayApple's WayApple's Way is a television dramedy which aired on CBS from 1974-1975. It was created by Earl Hamner, Jr..-Premise:The Apples, a family from Los Angeles, seek refuge from the hectic pace of city living and relocate to the father's hometown of Appleton, Iowa, which was founded by the father's...
(1 episode, 1974) - Hawaii Five-OHawaii Five-OHawaii Five-O is an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productions and Leonard Freeman. Set in Hawaii, the show originally aired for twelve seasons from 1968 to 1980, and continues in reruns. The show featured a fictional state police unit run by Detective Steve McGarrett,...
(2 episodes, 1974) - Foster and Laurie (1975)
- Captains and the Kings (Miniseries, 1976)
- The Hemingway Play (1977)
- Aspen (Miniseries, 1977)
- The Cracker FactoryThe Cracker FactoryThe Cracker Factory is an American television movie directed by Burt Brinckerhoff. The teleplay by Richard Shapiro is based on the best-selling 1977 novel by Joyce Rebeta-Burditt. The film was broadcast by ABC on March 16, 1979.-Synopsis:...
(1979) - Love's Savage Fury (1979)
- The Last Convertible (Miniseries, 1979)
- City in Fear (1980)
- Inmates: A Love Story (1981)
- Golden GateGolden GateThe Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...
(1981) - The Quest (Unknown episodes, 1982)
- The Hasty HeartThe Hasty HeartThe Hasty Heart is a 1949 British-American co-production film based on the play of the same name by John Patrick. It tells the story of a group of wounded Allied soldiers in a mobile surgery unit at the end of World War II who, after initial resentment and ostracism, rally around a loner, a...
(1983) - Helen Keller: The Miracle Continues (1984)
- RiptideRiptide (TV series)Riptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter...
(56 episodes, 1984–1986) - Stranded (1986)
- I'll Take ManhattanI'll Take Manhattan (TV miniseries)I'll Take Manhattan is a 1987 American television miniseries, adapted from Judith Krantz's novel of the same name. Screened by CBS, it tells the story of the wealthy Amberville family, who run their own publishing company in New York. After Zachary Amberville, the patriarch of the family, dies,...
(Miniseries, 1987) - The Man Who Lived at the Ritz (1988)
- Perfect People (1988)
- Shakedown on the Sunset Strip (1988)
- Disaster at Silo 7 (1988)
- Roxanne: The Prize Pulitzer (1989)
- The Hitchhiker (1 episode, 1989)
- The Knife and Gun Club (1990)
- Kaleidoscope (1990)
- Cacciatori di navi (1991)
- A Cry in the Night (1992)
- Something to Live for: The Alison Gertz StorySomething to Live for: The Alison Gertz StorySomething to Live for: The Alison Gertz Story is a 1992 television movie based on the life of a prominent AIDS activist Alison Gertz.-Plot summary:...
(1992)
- Almost HomeThe Torkelsons/Almost HomeThe Torkelsons is an American sitcom which aired on the NBC television network from September 21, 1991 to June 6, 1993. Produced by Walt Disney Television, the series starred Connie Ray, Olivia Burnette and William Schallert. For the second season, the series was retooled and renamed Almost Home...
(33 episode, 1991–1992) - Country Estates (1993)
- The Trouble With Larry (Unknown episodes, 1993)
- A Stranger in the Mirror (1993)
- Tales From the CryptTales from the Crypt (TV series)Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
(1 episode, 1993) - Jericho Fever (1993)
- SWAT Kats: The Radical SquadronSWAT Kats: The Radical SquadronSWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron is an animated series for television created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay and produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Program Services. Every episode of the series was directed by Robert Alvarez. The bulk of the series was written by either Glenn Leopold or Lance Falk...
(Voice, 1 episode, 1994) - Good King Wenceslas (1994)
- She Led Two Lives (1994)
- Burke's LawBurke's LawBurke's Law is a detective series that ran on ABC from 1963 to 1965 and was revived on CBS in the 1990s. The show starred Gene Barry as Amos Burke, millionaire captain of Los Angeles police homicide division, who was chauffeured around to solve crimes in his Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud...
(1 episode, 1995) - The Outer LimitsThe Outer Limits (1995 TV series)The Outer Limits is an American television series that originally aired on Showtime,the Sci Fi Channel and in syndication between 1995 and 2002...
(1 episode, 1995) - Melrose Place (14 episodes, 1995)
- Captain Planet and the Planeteers-Ray Who Gives a Hoot (1995)
- Hijacked: Flight 285 (1996)
- Face of EvilFace of EvilFace of Evil is a 1996 TV movie which stars Tracey Gold as Darcy Palmer, Perry King as Russell Polk and Shawnee Smith as his daughter Jeanelle Polk. Darcy Palmer is a promising young artist. On the night before her wedding, she empties her fiancé's bank account and runs to New York...
(1996) - Their Second Chance aka The Keller/Keller Story (1997)
- The SentinelThe Sentinel (TV series)The Sentinel is a Canadian-produced television series that aired on UPN in the United States from 1996 to 1999. It premiered on March 20, 1996, and ran for 65 episodes . The series later reaired on Syfy.-Plot and characters:...
(1 episode, 1998) - The Cowboy and the Movie Star aka Love on the Edge (1998)
- Her Married Lover aka A Clean Kill (1999)
- Will & GraceWill & GraceWill & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
(1 episode, 2000) - TitansTitans (TV series)Titans is a short-lived American prime time soap opera that debuted on October 4, 2000 on NBC. Thirteen episodes were filmed, of which eleven were actually aired. Produced by Aaron Spelling, the series was initially marketed as a "Dynasty for the new millennium," attempting to emulate the style of...
(5 episodes, 2000) - The Perfect Wife (2001)
- Spin CitySpin CitySpin City is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996 until April 30, 2002 on the ABC network. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show was based on a fictional local government running New York City, and originally starred Michael J. Fox as Mike...
(3 episodes, 2002) - Another Pretty Face (2002)
- Stranger at the Door (2004)
- EveEve (TV series)Eve is an American sitcom starring Eve, Jason Winston George, Ali Landry, Natalie Desselle-Reid, Brian Hooks and Sean Maguire. That aired on the UPN network from September 15, 2003 to May 11, 2006, with 66 episodes produced spanning 3 seasons...
(1 episode, 2004) - The Perfect Neighbor (2005)
- Home for the Holidays (2005)
- Without a TraceWithout a TraceWithout a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
(1 episode, 2006) - Cold Case (1 episode, 2007)
- Framed for Murder (2007)
- Brothers & Sisters (1 episode, 2007)
- Experience El Dorado (2009 TV Series)
Award nominations
Golden Apple AwardGolden Apple Award
The Golden Apple Award is an American award presented to entertainers by the Hollywood Women's Press Club, usually in recognition not of performance but of behavior. The award has been presented since 1941 and includes categories recognizing actors for being easy to work with, as well as categories...
- Nominated: Male New Star of the Year (1975)
Golden Globe Awards
- Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV, The Hasty Heart (1984)