Dennis King (born Dennis Pratt, 2 November 1897 – 21 May 1971) was an English actor and singer.

Early years

Born on 2 November 1897 in

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, or

Birmingham, England Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, King was the son of John and Elizabeth King Pratt. He chose to use his mother's maiden name for his career. He had one sister and three brothers. King described his father as "a man of tremendous vision but little initiative", resulting in the family's being "very poor". His first involvement with the stage was working as a call boy at the Birmingham Repertory Theater when he was 14 years old. He first performed on stage at age 16. He served in the Oxford Bucks Infantry during World War I. Injured in battle, he spent a night in a "muddy shell hole" before stretcher-bearers took him to a first-aid station for initial treatment. Two days later he was moved to a field hospital, where plastic surgeons repaired the damage that shrapnel had done to his face. He was discharged, and he returned to London.

Career

King had a stage career in both drama (including

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

) and

musicals Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movement ...

. He immigrated to the US in 1921 and went on to a successful career on the Broadway stage. Among his most notable performances was his role in the original production of

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

's ''

Rose-Marie ''Rose-Marie'' is an operetta-style musical with music by Rudolf Friml and Herbert Stothart, and book and lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The story is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains and concerns Rose-Marie La Flemme, a Fren ...

'', in which he introduced the songs "Rose-Marie" and "Indian Love Call", and the role of Captain Fairfax in the

Donaldson Award The Donaldson Awards were a set of theatre awards established in 1944 by the drama critic Robert Francis in honor of W. H. Donaldson (1864–1925), the founder of ''The Billboard'' (now ''Billboard'') magazine. Categories included "best new pla ...

and

Outer Critics Circle Award The Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on Broadway and Off-Broadway. They are presented by the Outer Critics Circle (OCC), the official organization of New York theater writers for out-of-town newspa ...

winning play ''

Billy Budd ''Billy Budd, Sailor (An Inside Narrative)'' is a novella by American writer Herman Melville, left unfinished at his death in 1891. Acclaimed by critics as a masterpiece when a hastily transcribed version was finally published in 1924, it quick ...

'' (1951) by

Louis O. Coxe Louis Osborne Coxe (April 15, 1918 – May 25, 1993) was an American poet, playwright, essayist, and professor who was recognized by the Academy of American Poets for his "long, powerful, quiet accomplishment, largely unrecognized, in lyric ...

and Robert H. Chapman. King debuted in London in 1919 and on Broadway in 1921. His career turned from drama to music after Oscar Hammerstein heard him singing in his dressing room. Persuaded by Hammerstein, King tried out for the male lead in ''Rose Marie''. His success in that production led to his performing in other musical comedy shows. He appeared in two musical films, including ''The Vagabond King'', and played non-singing roles in two other films. King was "one of the first actors of major status to devote himself almost exclusively to television". He appeared in six full-length dramas on TV from the fall of 1948 to February 1949. He also was featured in TV musical productions, including ''Knickerbocker Holiday'' (1950), ''Babes in Toyland'' (1950), ''Jack and the Beanstalk'' (1956), ''Aladdin'' (1958), and ''The Mikado'' (1960).

Personal life and death

King became a citizen of the United States in 1953. He was made president of The Players in June 1965. King was married to actress Edith Wright,. They had two sons, Dennis King Jr. and musical theatre actor

John Michael King John Michael King (May 13, 1926 – August 17, 2008) was an American actor most often associated with his roles in musical theatre. Biography The son of actor Dennis King, John Michael King was born in New York City. He made his Broadway ...

who originated the role of Freddy Eynsford Hill in ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

''. Dennis King pursued his hobby of painting later in life. King died of a heart disease in University Hospital in New York City on 21 May 1971, aged 73.

Musical theatre credits

*1919: '' Monsieur Beaucaire'' (

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

production) *1923: '' Hamlet researching'' (

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

production with John Barrymore) *1925: ''

'' ''as Jim Kenyon'' (

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production) *1925: ''

The Vagabond King ''The Vagabond King'' is a 1925 operetta by Rudolf Friml in four acts, with a book and lyrics by Brian Hooker and William H. Post, based upon Justin Huntly McCarthy's 1901 romantic novel and play ''If I Were King''. The story is a fictionaliz ...

'' ''as François Villon'' (

production) *1928: ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' (french: Les Trois Mousquetaires, links=no, ) is a French historical adventure novel written in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is in the swashbuckler genre, which has heroic, chivalrous swordsmen who fight f ...

'' ''as d'Artagnan'' (

production) *1930: ''The Three Musketeers'' ''as d'Artagnan'' (

production) *1932: ''

Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the performers, stagehands and dock worke ...

'' ''as Gaylord Ravenal'' (

revival) *1933: ''Command Performance (musical)'' ''as Peter Mali'' (

production) *1937: ''Frederika'' ''as Goethe'' (

production) *1938: ''

I Married an Angel ''I Married An Angel'' is a 1938 musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled ''Angyalt Vettem Felesegul''. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodger ...

'' ''as Count Willi Palaffi'' (

production) *1951: ''

Music in the Air ''Music in the Air'' is a musical written by Oscar Hammerstein II (lyrics and book) and Jerome Kern (music). It introduced songs such as "The Song Is You", "In Egern on the Tegern See" and "I've Told Ev'ry Little Star". The musical premiered on ...

'' ''as Bruno Mahler'' (

revival) *1956: ''

Shangri-La Shangri-La is a fictional place in Asia's Kunlun Mountains (昆仑山), Uses the spelling 'Kuen-Lun'. described in the 1933 novel ''Lost Horizon'' by English author James Hilton. Hilton portrays Shangri-La as a mystical, harmonious valley, ge ...

'' ''as Hugh Conway'' (

production)

Musical film credits

*1930: ''

'' as François Villon *1930: ''

Paramount on Parade ''Paramount on Parade'' is a 1930 all-star American pre-Code revue released by Paramount Pictures, directed by several directors including Edmund Goulding, Dorothy Arzner, Ernst Lubitsch, Rowland V. Lee, A. Edward Sutherland, Lothar Mendes, Ot ...

'' as Man to be Hanged - Episode 'The Gallows Song' *1933: ''

Fra Diavolo Fra Diavolo (lit. Brother Devil; 7 April 1771–11 November 1806), is the popular name given to Michele Pezza, a famous guerrilla leader who resisted the French occupation of Naples, proving an "inspirational practitioner of popular insurrect ...

'' (also known as ''The Devil's Brother'' and Bogus Bandits), a version of

Daniel Auber Daniel-François-Esprit Auber (; 29 January 178212 May 1871) was a French composer and director of the Paris Conservatoire. Born into an artistic family, Auber was at first an amateur composer before he took up writing operas professionally when ...

's ''

'' – although

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

were the stars, King played the title role) as Fra Diavolo / Marquis de San Marco

Other film credits

*1944: '' Between Two Worlds'' (a remake of the 1930 film ''Outward Bound''), as a minister William Duke *1959: '' The Miracle'' as a nobleman who is one of

Carroll Baker Carroll Baker (born May 28, 1931) is an American former actress. After studying under Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, Baker began performing on Broadway in 1954. From there, she was recruited by director Elia Kazan to play the lead in t ...

's admirers *1969: ''

Some Kind of a Nut ''Some Kind of a Nut'' is a 1969 American comedy film written and directed by Garson Kanin and starring Dick Van Dyke, Angie Dickinson and Rosemary Forsyth. This was the final film of Dennis King. Plot Fred Amidon is a New York City bank tell ...

'' as Otis Havemeyer (final film role)

Television credits

*1957: ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' (as

Sir Toby Belch Sir Toby Belch is a character in William Shakespeare’s ''Twelfth Night''. He is Olivia's uncle. Character Sir Toby is an ambiguous mix of high spirits and low cunning. He first appears in the play's third scene, when he storms onto the stage ...

, on the ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

'') as Sir Toby Belch *1958: ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

'' (CBS color television special with songs by

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

) (presented on the ''DuPont Show of the Month'') *1960: ''The Mikado'' (NBC colour television special with

Groucho Marx Julius Henry "Groucho" Marx (; October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977) was an American comedian, actor, writer, stage, film, radio, singer, television star and vaudeville performer. He is generally considered to have been a master of quick wit an ...

Stanley Holloway Stanley Augustus Holloway (1 October 1890 – 30 January 1982) was an English actor, comedian, singer and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles Stanley Holloway on stage and screen, on stage and screen, especially t ...

and

Helen Traubel Helen Francesca Traubel (June 16, 1899July 28, 1972) was an American opera and concert singer. A dramatic soprano, she was best known for her Wagnerian roles, especially those of Brünnhilde and Isolde. Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, s ...

) (presented by the ''Bell Telephone Hour'') *1961: ''Give Us Barabbas!'' (as

Pontius Pilate Pontius Pilate (; grc-gre, Πόντιος Πιλᾶτος, ) was the fifth governor of the Roman province of Judaea, serving under Emperor Tiberius from 26/27 to 36/37 AD. He is best known for being the official who presided over the trial of J ...

) (presented on the ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'')

References

External links

* * * 1897 births 1971 deaths English male stage actors Actors from Coventry Donaldson Award winners English male film actors English male television actors 20th-century English male actors Male actors from the West Midlands (county) English emigrants to the United States {{england-actor-stub