:Patsy King
{{short description|Australian actress}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Use Australian English|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Patsy King
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1930|9|16}}
| birth_place = Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| death_date =
| death_place =
| other_names =
| occupation = {{hlist|Actress (stage, radio, television, film)|television presenter|director|commercial voiceover}}
| years_active = TV and Film: 1961–1984
Theatre (acting, directing, and writing) 1951-1990, 2009.{{cite web|url=https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/3366|title=Patsy King |publisher=AusStage}}
| known_for = Prisoner (also known internationally as Prisoner: Cell Block H)
| notable_works ={{bulleted|Homicide|Bellbird| Play School|The Magic Circle Club|Adventure Island}}
| spouse = John Sumner (1959-1967)Bridal Group at University' Melbourne Age, 21 November 1959, page 7
}}
Patsy King (born 16 September 1930){{cite book |last=Lane |first=Richard |title=Prisoner Cell Block H |publisher=Thames Mandarin |year=1991 |isbn=0-7493-0929-6 |location=London}}{{cite web |last=Sinclair |first=Murray |title=Prisoner Cell Block H |url=https://www.bookfinder.com |publisher=Pinnacle Books}}Bennet, Craig (27 December 2021) [https://www.pressreader.com/australia/new-idea/20211227/281930251306407 Patsy King at 91: 'Prisoner Fans Still Stop Me'] New Idea. Retrieved 19 September 2022. is an Australian actress and children's television presenter, recognized for her contributions to theatre, radio, and television. Internationally, she is best known for portraying Governor Erica Davidson in the cult television series Prisoner (known as Prisoner: Cell Block H in the UK and USA, and Caged Women in Canada).
King has also worked as a theatre director, playwright, children's television presenter, and voiceover artist. She began as a radio and classical stage actress, performing in a range of roles including Shakespeare and Peter Pan. King's career spanned from 1951 to 1995, with a brief return to the stage in 2009. Her television career included roles in the series Homicide and Bellbird, where she played Kate Andrews.
Early life
King was born on 16 September 1930 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Initially aspiring to become a dress designer, she spent her early years in the United Kingdom{{cite book |last=Bourke |first=Terry |title=Prisoner Cell Block: Behind the Scenes |publisher=Angus and Robertson (UK) |year=1990 |location=London}} before returning to Australia. She then pursued a career in theatre, training as a classical stage actress with the Melbourne National Theatre, specialising in straight drama and Shakespeare.
Career
= Theatre =
King began her career as a stage actress in the early 1950s and later became a playwright. She performed in a variety of roles, including productions of 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. Her performances earned her several awards, including the Erik Award and the Melbourne Critics Award for her role in Four Poster.
= Television =
In the early 1960s, King began her television career with teleplays on the ABC, followed by a variety of serials and guest roles in several Crawford Productions series, including Hunter, The Sullivans and The Box. She also appeared in police procedural dramas such as Matlock Police, Division 4, Bluey, Cop Shop, and Homicide. Her other television credits include Power Without Glory, Chopper Squad, Out of Love and Good Morning, Mr. Doubleday.
King became a regular cast member on the series Bellbird as Kate Andrews and as Governor Erica Davidson in Prisoner (also known as Prisoner: Cell Block H). She portrayed the first governor of the fictional Wentworth Detention Centre, appearing in 351 episodes. Following the conclusion of the series, King toured the United Kingdom in a stage play based on Prisoner.Bridal Group at University Melbourne Age 21 November 1959 p.7
King was also a notable children's television presenter, serving as an early host on the ABC show Play School. She additionally appeared on The Magic Circle Club and Adventure Island.Bryant, Margot "The illustrated Encyclopedia of Australian Showbiz"{{cite web |title=Patsy King at the IMDB |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0455124/ |access-date=2009-04-25 |website=IMDb}}{{cite web |last=Knox |first=David |title=Governor's play for love |date=16 November 2009 |url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2009/11/governors-play-for-love.html}}
Personal life
In 1959, she married English-born Australian theatre impresario John Sumner, the founder and artistic director of the Melbourne National Theatre. They divorced in 1967.
Filmography
=Film=
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Role !Type | |||
| 1972 | The Journey | Film short |
=Television=
| class="wikitable"
!Year !Title !Role !Type |
| 1961
| Lydia | Teleplay |
| 1962
| Suspect (episode of The General Motors Hour) | Janet | Teleplay |
| 1964
| Ella | Teleplay |
| 1965-1975
| Homicide | 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 (episode of Wednesday Theatre) | Annie | Teleplay |
| 1965
| Photo Finish (episode of Wednesday Theatre) | | Teleplay |
| 1966
| The Decision (episode of Australian Playhouse) | Sally Peters | TV series |
| 1966
| Presenter | TV series, 10 episodes |
| 1967
| Bellbird | Kate Andrews | TV series, recurring role |
| 1967
| Miss Behaviour | TV series, regular role |
| 1968
| Hunter | Jean Gallagher | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1969
| Bridget O'Connor | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1969
| Dynasty | Kathy Mason | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1970-1975
| Mrs. Carr / Susan Hill / Carol Foster / Marion Dalton / Valerie Fisher | TV series, 5 episodes |
| 1970
| Naomi | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1971-1974
| Lily / Joan / Jan Ross | TV series, 3 episodes |
| 1974
| Marion | Mrs. Finnegan | TV miniseries, 3 episodes |
| 1974
| | TV series, episode 2: "Tilting at Windmills" |
| 1974
| The Box | Gloria | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1974
| | TV series, episode 2: "It Will Never Work" |
| 1976
| Vera Maguire | TV miniseries, 4 episodes |
| 1977
| Bluey | Tina Golding | TV series, episode 33: "Final Devotion" |
| 1977
| | TV series, 1 episode |
| 1977
| Beryl Fletcher | TV series, 4 episodes |
| 1978
| Cop Shop | Sara Fitzsimmons / Julie Gibbons | TV series, 2 episodes |
| 1978
| Iris Deacon | TV series, episode 5: "8:52 A.M." |
| 1979
| The Franky Doyle Story | Erica Davidson | TV film |
| 1981
| Prisoner in Concert | Erica Davidson | TV special |
| 1979-1984
| Regular role: Governor Erica Davidson / Erica | TV series, 353 episodes |
Theatre
=As actor=
=As director=
| class="wikitable"
! Year ! Title ! Role ! Venue / Co. | |||
| 1989 | Love with the Lights Out | Director | Carlton Courthouse with Melbourne Writers' Theatre |
| 1990 | A Constant Lover | Director | Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Writers' Theatre |
| 1990 | An Office Romance | Director | Carlton Courthouse, Melbourne with Melbourne Writers' Theatre |
{{cite web|url=https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/contributor/3366 |title=Patsy King |publisher=AusStage}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0455124|name=Patsy King}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Patsy}}
Category:Australian film actresses
Category:Australian soap opera actresses
Category:Australian stage actresses
Category:Actresses from Melbourne
Category:Australian children's television presenters
Category:20th-century Australian actresses