Michael Preston (born Jack Davies; 14 May 1938) is an English international film and television actor, and singer, sometimes credited as Mike Preston.

Life and career

Preston was born in Hackney, London, England. He was a boxer and then became a singer. He appeared on '' Oh Boy!'' and his third record, " Dirty Old Town" (1959) was produced by

Joe Meek Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer, sound engineer and songwriter who pioneered space age and experimental pop music. He also assisted in the development of recording practices like over ...

. He had three

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

hits in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, including reaching No. 12 with his cover version of " Mr. Blue" in November 1959, before emigrating to Australia where he worked as a

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

. He then became a host on television, and also an actor. He was a regular host on ''

In Melbourne Tonight ''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970. Overview Graham Kennedy was the show's main host and ...

'' in 1968, and in 1969 was a guest celebrity on the game show ''

The Celebrity Game ''The Celebrity Game'' is an Australian game show that aired in two different formats. The original series, based on an American game show of the same name, was hosted by Bert Newton on the Nine Network in 1969 as ''Australia's Celebrity Game''. ...

'' and went on to host the revival in 1976–1977. His first ongoing starring role on television was in the long-running police drama series '' Homicide'' as Sen. Det. Bob Delaney from 1972 to 1973. He then had a recurring role in the soap opera '' Bellbird'' as Fr. John Kramer between 1974 and 1976. He later took a lead role in the prison-based soap opera '' Punishment'' (1981) but this series was short-lived. In 1984, he had an ongoing role in ''

Hot Pursuit Hot pursuit Hot pursuit is a legal term. Hot Pursuit may also refer to: Film and television * ''Hot Pursuit'' (1984 TV series), a 1984 NBC television series * ''Hot Pursuit'' (2006 TV series), a 2006 Court TV television series * ''Hot Pursuit ...

'', as the character Alec Shaw. Preston has made numerous guest appearances in television series, including ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court ma ...

'', '' Max Headroom'', ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series that centers on a high-technology military helicopter, code-named ''Airwolf'', and its crew. The show follows them as they undertake various exotic missions, many involving e ...

'', '' Scarecrow and Mrs. King'', '' Alien Nation'', '' Ellen'', and '' Highlander''. He also made an appearance in the series ''

Baywatch Nights ''Baywatch Nights'' is an American police and science-fiction drama series that aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J. Bonann, the series is a spin-off from the television series, '' ...

''. Preston has also acted in films. His first feature film was ''Surabaya Conspiracy'' (1969); other film roles included playing Pappagallo in '' Mad Max 2'' (1981), his best-known role, and Jared-Syn in the science fiction B-movie '' Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn'' (1983). He was nominated for the 1979

AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role The AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achieve ...

for his role in '' The Last of the Knucklemen''.

Selected TV and filmography

*Climb Up the Wall - (1960) - Himself, (singing next to the ''

Albert Memorial The Albert Memorial, directly north of the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington Gardens, London, was commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband Prince Albert, who died in 1861. Designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Gothic R ...

)'' *''Surabaya Conspiracy'' (1969) - Steven Blessing *'' Barney'' (1976) - O'Shaughnessy *'' The Last of the Knucklemen'' (1979) - Pansy *'' Maybe This Time'' (1981) - Paddy *'' Mad Max 2'' (1981) - Pappagallo *'' Duet for Four'' (1982) - Ray Martin *'' Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn'' (1983) - Jared-Syn *''

A Caribbean Mystery ''A Caribbean Mystery'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 16 November 1964 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edi ...

'' (1983, TV movie) - Arthur Jackson *'' Blade in Hong Kong'' (1985, TV movie) - Charters *''J.O.E. and the Colonel'' (1985, TV movie) - Schaefer *''

The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1986, TV movie) - David 'Dak' Anson Kola *'' Hunter'' (1987) - Evans (as Mike Preston) *''

'' (1987, TV series) - Jack Ware *'' Fame'' (1987, TV series) - Jack Ware *''Harry's Hong Kong'' (1987, TV movie) - Max Trumble *'' The Long Journey Home'' (1987, TV movie) - Frank Mota *''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

: The Case of the Lady in the Lake'' (1988, TV movie) - Waiter *''Exile'' (1990, TV Movie) - Rupe Murphy *''

Superboy Superboy is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comicbooks published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series featuring ...

'' (1990) - 2nd Police Officer *'' Alien Nation'' (1990) - Rigac *''

Jake and the Fatman ''Jake and the Fatman'' is an American crime drama television series starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. (Jason Lochinvar) "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. The series ran on CBS for five seasons from Septemb ...

'' (1991) - Vorster *'' Renegade'' (1995, TV series) - Nick Schneider *'' Highlander: The Series'' (1995) - Terrence Kincaid *'' Steel'' (1997) - Mr. Weston (uncredited) *'' The Getaway'' (2002, video game) - Harry 'The Hat' (voice)

Discography

*"A House, A Car And A Wedding Ring" / "My Lucky Love" (1958) – (US No. 93, Aust No. 18) (Decca) *"Why, Why Why" / "

Whispering Grass "Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees)" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. The song was first recorded by Erskine Hawkins & His Orchestra in 1940. The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny also recorded it the sam ...

" (1958) *"In Surabaya" / " Dirty Old Town" (1959) *" Mr. Blue" / " Just Ask Your Heart" (1959) ( UK No. 12) *"Too Old" / "A Girl Like You" (1960) *"I'd Do Anything" / "Where Is Love" (1960) (UK No. 23) *"Togetherness" / "Farewell My Love" (1960) (UK No. 41) *"Marry Me" / "Girl Without a Heart" (1961) (UK No. 14) *" Punish Her" / "From the Very First Rose" (1963) *"Dear Heart" / "Wonderful, Wonderful World" (1968) (Aust No. 20 Kent chart, No. 34 Go-Set chart) (Spin Records) *"Christmas Alphabet" (1968) (Aust No. 71 Kent chart) (Spin Records) *"Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell" (1969) (Aust No. 64 Kent chart) (Spin Records) *"Why" (1972) (Aust No. 70) (Fable Records)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Michael 1938 births Living people English emigrants to Australia English male film actors English male singers English male soap opera actors Decca Records artists People from Hackney Central

Life and career

Selected TV and filmography

Discography

See also

References

External links