Wright King
 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification, as it includes attribution to IMDb. (March 2014) |
Wright King | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Thomas Wright Thornburg King January 11, 1923 |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1947–1987 |
| Spouse | June Ellen Roth King (1948-2008, her death) |
| Children | Wright King Jr., Michael King, Meegan King (born 1954) |
Thomas Wright Thornburg King (born January 11, 1923), credited as Wright King, is a retired American film and television actor, a native of Okmulgee in east central Oklahoma.[1] His career extended from 1949 until his retirement in 1987.
Early life and career
King studied acting at the St Louis School of Theater, where he graduated in 1941, before enlisting in the United States Navy during World War II.[2] King made his small screen debut in 1949 as Midshipman Bascomb in the television series, Captain Video and His Video Rangers. Throughout his career, he worked in both United States and in United Kingdom.[3]
King was cast in numerous westerns and is particularly known for his role in the 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Vivien Leigh (whom his character kisses). Prior to that, he had appeared in the original stage production, a performance that was lauded by drama critic Harold Hobson.[4] Other noteworthy film credits included roles in Cast a Long Shadow (1959), King Rat (1965), Planet of the Apes (1968), Finian's Rainbow (1968) and Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973). In 1974, he played U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell Jr., of Georgia in the ABC television film, The Missiles of October, a dramatization of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.[5] He appeared in the television series Johnny Jupiter, in two episodes of the series The Silent Service (S01 E10 "The Pampanito" and S01 E20 "the Squailfish") and was Steve McQueen's partner for a season of Wanted Dead or Alive.
Personal life
King married June Ellen Roth in 1948. The couple had their first child the next year.[6]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Newspaper Collector | |
| 1956 | The Bold and the Brave | Technician Fifth Grade | |
| 1956 | The Young Guns | Jonesy | |
| 1956 | Friendly Persuasion | Forager | Uncredited |
| 1956 | Stagecoach to Fury | Ralph Slader | |
| 1957 | Hot Rod Rumble | Ray Johnson - Arnie's sidekick | |
| 1959 | The Gunfight at Dodge City | Billy Townsend | |
| 1959 | Cast a Long Shadow | Noah Pringle | |
| 1962 | Dangerous Charter | Joe | |
| 1965 | King Rat | Brough | |
| 1968 | Planet of the Apes | Dr. Galen | |
| 1968 | Finian's Rainbow | District Attorney | |
| 1972 | Journey Through Rosebud | Indian Agent | |
| 1973 | Invasion of the Bee Girls | Dr. Murger | |
| 1987 | House Made of Dawn | Father Olguin |
References
- ^ "Wright King". NNDB. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
- ^ "Ex-Mt. Vernonite Wright King in "Streetcar" Cast". Mt. Vernon Register News. March 27, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ "Wright King In Grenada Movie". Mt. Vernon Register News. December 7, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ "Mt. Vernon Actor Is Praised by London Critic". Mt. Vernon Register News. December 15, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ "King of the 'Streetcar'". The Times-Picayune. March 22, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
- ^ "Births". Mt. Vernon Register News. November 22, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
External links
- Wright King at IMDb
- Wright King at the Internet Broadway Database
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- Articles sourced by IMDb from March 2014
- 1923 births
- Living people
- People from Okmulgee, Oklahoma
- American military personnel of World War II
- Male actors from Oklahoma
- American male film actors
- American male stage actors
- American male television actors
- Male actors from Los Angeles
- Male actors from Portland, Oregon
- 20th-century American male actors
- Male Western (genre) film actors