Patsy King facts for kids

Patsy King (born 16 September 1930) is an Australian retired actress known for work in both theatre and television. She has been a children's television presenter, theatre director, playwright and worked in commercials, and in radio and voice over work, particularly in her early career in the United Kingdom.

King started her career exclusively as a radio and classical stage actress, with roles in everything from Shakespeare to Peter Pan starting from 1951 until 1990. with a brief return to the stage post-retirement in 2009. Her career in television and children's entertainment started in the early 1960s and extended until 1984.She is known best internationally as an original cast member of the TV series Prisoner, internationally known as Prisoner: Cell Block H, appearing for 351 episodes as well-coiffured Governor/Warden Erica Davidson.

Biography

Early life

King was born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 16 September 1930. She aspired to become a dress designer and spent her early years in the United Kingdom. Returning to Australia and opting to work in the theatre, she trained as a Shakespearean actress with Melbourne's National Theatre. In 1959, she married English-born theatre impresario John Sumner. They divorced in 1967.

Career

Theatre

King started her career exclusively in theatre starting in the early 1950s, appearing in dramatic and period pieces and had numerous stage credits including 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

King earned awards including the Erik Award and the Melbourne Critics Awards for Agnes in Four Poster before retiring the stage in 1984, however she turned her hand to writing and directing her own plays in the late 1980s.

Television

After appearing in a few made-for-TV movies in the early 1960s she appeared in a variety of television serials from the late-1960s, including a prominent role in the rural series Bellbird and guest roles in the Crawford Productions series Hunter, The Box, and in their police procedurals Matlock Police, Division 4 and playing 14 different character parts in Homicide. She also acted in Power Without Glory, The Sullivans, Chopper Squad, Bluey, Cop Shop, Out of Love and the comedy series Good Morning, Mr. Doubleday. She was an early presenter on the ABC TV show Play School, and also appeared on The Magic Circle Club and Adventure Island.

She portrayed Erica Davidson, the first governor of the fictional Wentworth Detention Centre, on the cult soap opera Prisoner, as well as appearing in a spin-off stage play in the UK . King left Prisoner in 1983, but returned for guest appearances in 1984, after which she retired from television.

Selected roles

Theatre

Source = AusStage

Filmography

FILM

TELEVISION