Perry King Biography

Perry King’s versatile career includes starring roles in film, television and on Broadway. King first became a favorite with American TV audiences as private eye Cody Allen in “Riptide” from 1984 to 1987. In 1995, he starred as Haley Armstrong on “Melrose Place.” Some recent television credits include a recurring role as Heather Locklear’s love interest on ABC’s “Spin City”, a hilarious Guest Star on the NBC hit comedy “Will & Grace”, a starring role in the television movie “The Cowboy and the Movie Star” opposite Sean Young, the Lifetime telefilm “Her Married Lover”, the independent feature film “The Perfect Wife” and the Patriarch of a wealthy Beverly Hills family in the Aaron Spelling produced series “Titans” for NBC.

Most recently, King has Guest Starred on the hit shows COLD CASE, WITHOUT A TRACE, HBO’s BIG LOVE and BROTHERS AND SISTERS, ABC’s newest hit series.

King starred as “President Blake”, the President of the United States, in Roland Emmerich’s action-adventure film THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW from 20th Century Fox Studios. The film was one of the highest grossing films of 2004 and starred Dennis Quaid, Jake Gylenhall and Sela Ward.

     King made his feature film debut in 1970 starring as Shirley MacLaine’s brother in “The Possession of Joel Delaney.” Next he played a street gang leader in “The Lords of Flatbush”. He then co-stared in Andy Warhol’s “Bad.” Other film credits include “Mandingo”, “Lipstick” (with Margaux and Mariel Hemingway) and “Class of 1984.” In 1991, he co-starred in Blake Edward’s feature comedy “Switch”.

     In television, King played the hero in “Danger Adrift” (CBS/RAI). In 1984, he received a Golden Globe nomination for Showtime’s remake of the classic “The Hasty Heart,” then filmed “Helen Keller, The Miracle Continues.” Additional credits include “She Led Two Lives,” “The Good King Wenceslas”, “Hijacked”, “Face of Evil” with Tracey Gold and “Their Second Chance” with Lindsay Wagner.

     After graduating from Yale with a B.A. in Theatre, King headed for New York, with a scholarship from the Julliard School, where he studied with John Houseman. King made his professional debut on Broadway, replacing the lead in “Child’s Play.” He appeared again on Broadway in Aaron Sorkin’s “A Few Good Men.” He performed in the off-Broadway productions “Knuckle,” “The Trouble with Europe,” and the country-western musical “Jesse James.”

     Additional stage work includes roles as Cassio in a Washington D.C. production of “Othello,” and Bassario in the Old Globe production of “The Merchant of Venice” in Los Angeles. He also starred with Sandy Dennis in a L.A. production of Tennessee Williams’ “The Eccentricities of a Nightingale,” and then with Sandy Duncan in “Love Letters” at the Pasadena Playhouse. In 1997 King received a Robbie award for Best Actor for his performance in Doug Heyes, Jr.’s “Seven Out” at the Globe Playhouse in Los Angeles.

     Radio drama is also part of King’s repertory. He starred in all three of the National Public Radio “Star Wars” programs as the voice of Han Solo, and in several “Earplay” dramas for NPR.

     King divides his time between his ranch outside Sacramento and his home in Los Angeles where he spends time with his two daughters. While not working, King enjoys restoring old cars and motorcycles – his personal fleet includes a 1936 BMW motorcycle with sidecar – and raising money and awareness for Olive Crest Homes for Abused Children.

     Perry is a past Director for the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). "Perry King is more than a Hollywood personality, he is a lifelong motorcyclist and one of the most poised and dedicated representatives of the motorcycling community," said AMA President and CEO Rob Dingman in a recent association press release. "Perry is not only passionate about motorcycling but is passionate about the AMA, as well. He recognizes the importance of the AMA in protecting the future of motorcycling."

Most recently, Perry achieved a decades old dream: making his own film. "The Divide" is a lifelong dream come true for Perry -- making a film the way HE wants, not the way Hollywood dictates. It is now making its rounds winning numerous awards at different film festivals across the United States and at Cannes.