Wright King
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Wright King | |
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| Born | Thomas Wright Thornburg King January 11, 1923 Okmulgee, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | November 25, 2018 (aged 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1949–1987 |
| Spouse | June Ellen Roth King (1948-2008, her death) |
| Children | Wright King Jr., Michael King, Meegan King (born 1954) |
Thomas Wright Thornburg King (January 11, 1923 – November 25, 2018), better known as Wright King, was an American film and television actor, a native of Okmulgee in east central Oklahoma.[1] His career spanned the years 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 (1943-1945) where he served in the South Pacific campaign.[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 the United States and in the 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 which 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, was in two episodes of the TV series The Silent Service (S01 E10 "The Pampanito" and S01 E20 "The Squailfish") and was the partner of Steve McQueen for a season of Wanted Dead or Alive. He appeared with Richard Boone in Wanted Dead or Alive in Season 1 episode "Helen of Abajinan"
Personal life
King married June Ellen Roth in 1948. The couple had their first child the next year.[6]
He died in Canoga Park, Los Angeles on 25 November 2018 at the age of 95.[7][8]
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 | (final film role) |
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.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Wright King In Grenada Movie". Mt. Vernon Register News. December 7, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Mt. Vernon Actor Is Praised by London Critic". Mt. Vernon Register News. December 15, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "King of the 'Streetcar'". The Times-Picayune. March 22, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Births". Mt. Vernon Register News. November 22, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Wright T. King obituary
- ^ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wright-king-dead-actor-a-streetcar-named-desire-twilight-zone-was-95-1165873
External links
- Wright King at IMDb
- Wright King at the Internet Broadway Database
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1923 births
- 2018 deaths
- 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