Don Knight (actor)

{{Infobox person

| name = Don Knight

| image = Don_Knight_in_The_Big_Valley_1968.jpg

| caption = Don Knight in The Big Valley 1968

| birth_name = Donald Hartwich Knight

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1933|2|16|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Manchester, Lancashire, England, U.K.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1997|8|18|1933|2|16|df=yes}}

| death_place = Squaw Valley, Fresno County, California, U.S.

| alma_mater = Sir George Williams University
Wesley Theological Seminary

| occupation = Actor, minister

| years_active = 1966–1993

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Mary Patricia Roberts|1959|1974|end=div}}
{{marriage|Karin Edda Joachim|1975}}

}}

| children = 2

}}

Donald Knight (16 February 1933 – 18 August 1997) was an English-born film, television, and stage actor. He worked largely in the United States, and often played tough guys.

Early life

Born in Manchester, Lancashire, he served a short stint in the British Army, and shortly afterward left England for Canada. Knight began acting at the age of seven. He studied at Sir George Williams University in Montreal, Quebec, and later at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C.{{cite news |last=Scott |first=Vernon |date=30 August 1970 |title=Preacher gets star TV role |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/37989235/ |work=The Argus |location=Fremont, California |page=39 |access-date=12 September 2014 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}} He obtained degrees in English, philosophy, theology, and drama.{{cite web |url=https://www.knightrec.net/ |title=Don Knight |website=Knight Time Recreation |access-date=12 September 2014}}

Acting career

In 1965, he moved to California to pursue acting, and was primarily a character actor, making numerous guest appearances in television series such as Combat!, The Time Tunnel, Bewitched, Hogan's Heroes, The Big Valley, Hawaii Five-O, It Takes a Thief, Bonanza, Mannix, Mission: Impossible, Columbo, Banacek, Night Gallery, Cannon, Kojak, Little House on the Prairie, and Barnaby Jones, as well as semi-regular roles in series such as The Immortal.{{cite news |title=Don Knight |url=https://variety.com/1997/scene/people-news/don-knight-111662250/ |work=Variety |date=6 October 1997 |access-date=12 September 2014}}

In 1976, he was in the Disney film Treasure of Matecumbe. His character was Skaggs.{{cite web |url=https://movies.disney.com/treasure-of-matecumbe |title=Treasure of Matecumbe |website=Disney |access-date=12 September 2014}}

He appeared in the PBS telefilm The Canterville Ghost. Its other distributors were WonderWorks and the Disney Channel.

Personal life and death

Educated in theology, Knight became an ordained minister in 1956. During his acting career, he sometimes served as a church pastor. He was a minister at the United Church of Christ in Simi Valley, California.{{cite news |title=Actor Chosen to Fill Shepherd of Valley Post |url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/30469128/ |work=Valley News |location=Van Nuys, California |date=14 March 1974 |page=5 |access-date=12 September 2014 |via=Newspapers.com |url-access=subscription}}

Knight died on 18 August 1997 in Squaw Valley, Fresno County, California, USA, following a stroke earlier that month.

Filmography

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! class="unsortable" \| Notes
1966 \| Munster, Go Home! \| Minor Role \| Uncredited
1967 \| Kill a Dragon \| Ian \|
1968 \| The Hell with Heroes \| Pepper \|
1968 \| The Virginian (TV series) \| Cal Hobson \|saison 7 episode 11 (The mustangers)
1970 \| Too Late the Hero \| Pte Connolly \|
1970 \| The Hawaiians \| Milton Overpeck \|
1971 \| Something Big \| Tommy McBride \|
1973 \| Trader Horn \| Colonel Sinclair \|
1975 \| The Apple Dumpling Gang \| John Wintle \|
1976 \| Treasure of Matecumbe \| Skaggs \|
1982 \| Swamp Thing \| Ritter \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

1966

| Munster, Go Home!

| Minor Role

| Uncredited

1967

| Kill a Dragon

| Ian