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IMDbPro

King Donovan(1918-1987)

  • Actor
  • Director
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King Donovan
Nominated for nine Academy Awards including Best Picture, Stanley Kramer's THE DEFIANT ONES broke new ground by delivering its message of racial tolerance through a fast-moving blend of action and suspense. It remains a raw, powerful film that is as exciting as it is moving, real and literate. 

John "Joker" Jackson (Tony Curtis; The Vikings, Some Like It Hot) and Noah Cullen (Sidney Poitier; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, In the Heat of the Night) are two convicts on the run. Escaping from a Southern work gang, the two men are bound together by an unbreakable iron chain and separated by an unbridled hatred towards each other. Relentlessly pursued by a bloodthirsty posse, they must put aside their differences if they are going to survive.

Highly acclaimed upon release for its directing, writing, cinematography and acting, (Sidney Poitier won numerous awards for his role, including the coveted Silver Bear for Best Actor) THE DEFIANT ONES remains one of the most influential films of its era, and Eureka Classics is proud to present the film on Blu-ray for the first time in the UK in a special Dual Format edition.
Play trailer1:28
The Defiant Ones (1958)
4 Videos
17 Photos
King Donovan was born on 25 January 1918 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and director, known for Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Promises..... Promises! (1963) and Playhouse 90 (1956). He was previously married to Imogene Coca and Anne Catherine Thomas. He died on 30 June 1987 in Hartford, Connecticut, USA.
BornJanuary 25, 1918
DiedJune 30, 1987(69)
BornJanuary 25, 1918
DiedJune 30, 1987(69)
IMDbProStarmeter
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Photos17

Kevin McCarthy, King Donovan, and Carolyn Jones in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Kevin McCarthy, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, and Dana Wynter in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Kevin McCarthy, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, and Dana Wynter in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Theodore Bikel, Whit Bissell, King Donovan, and Charles McGraw in The Defiant Ones (1958)
King Donovan in The Bob Cummings Show (1955)
Ted de Corsia, King Donovan, Ron Hagerthy, Bob LaVarre, and Dale Robertson in Tales of Wells Fargo (1957)
Steve McQueen, Rodney Bell, and King Donovan in Wanted: Dead or Alive (1958)
Ann Blyth, King Donovan, Jack Kelly, and Hugh O'Brian in Sally and Saint Anne (1952)
"INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS" Kevin McCarthy, Larry Gates, King Donovan, Allied Artists, 1956, I.V.
"INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS" Kevin McCarthy, King Donovan, Larry Gates, Allied Artists, 1956, I.V.
"INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS" Kevin McCarthy, King Donovan, Dana Wynter, Carolyn Jones, Allied Artists, 1956, I.V.
"INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS" Kevin McCarthy, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, Dana Wynter, Allied Artists, 1956, I.V.

Known for

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
7.7
  • Jack Belicec
  • 1956
Jayne Mansfield in Promises..... Promises! (1963)
Promises..... Promises!
4.9
  • Director
  • 1963
"Eighty Yard Run, The" (Playhouse 90) Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. 1957 CBS
Playhouse 90
8.5
TV Series
  • The Director
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show (1950)
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
8.6
TV Series
  • Roger Baker
  • The Book Store Clerk

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
    Nothing Lasts Forever
  • Morning's at Seven (1982)
    Morning's at Seven
  • The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies (1981)
    The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies
  • Polly Bergen, Donna Mills, Paul Burke, Judy Carne, and Barbara Feldon in The Wide World of Mystery (1973)
    The Wide World of Mystery
  • Rod Serling in Night Gallery (1969)
    Night Gallery
  • The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)
    The Beverly Hillbillies
  • Pat Crowley, Jeff Fithian, Joe Fithian, and Lord Nelson in Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1965)
    Please Don't Eat the Daisies
  • Yale Summers and Marshall Thompson in Daktari (1966)
    Daktari
  • My Brother the Angel (1965)
    My Brother the Angel
  • Lee Majors, Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans, Peter Breck, and Richard Long in The Big Valley (1965)
    The Big Valley
  • Robert Reed and E.G. Marshall in The Defenders (1961)
    The Defenders
  • Profiles in Courage (1964)
    Profiles in Courage
  • Ben Gazzara and Chuck Connors in Arrest and Trial (1963)
    Arrest and Trial
  • It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
    It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
    • (uncredited)
  • Doris Day and James Garner in The Thrill of It All (1963)
    The Thrill of It All
    • (uncredited)

Director

  • Marlo Thomas in That Girl (1966)
    That Girl
  • Imogene Coca in Grindl (1963)
    Grindl
  • Jayne Mansfield in Promises..... Promises! (1963)
    Promises..... Promises!

Videos4

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:20
Official Trailer
I Was A Male War Bride
Trailer 2:19
I Was A Male War Bride
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Trailer 2:20
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
THE DEFIANT ONES (Eureka Classics) New & Exclusive Trailer
Trailer 1:28
THE DEFIANT ONES (Eureka Classics) New & Exclusive Trailer

Personal details

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    • January 25, 1918
    • New York City, New York, USA
    • June 30, 1987
    • Hartford, Connecticut, USA(cancer)
    • Imogene CocaOctober 17, 1960 - June 30, 1987 (his death)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (as "Carl Bolton"; replacement actor) in "Morning's at Seven" on Broadway. Comedy (revival). Written by Paul Osborn [final credit during lifetime]. Directed by Vivian Matalon. Lyceum Theatre: 10 Apr 1980-16 Aug 1981 (564 performances + 16 previews that began on 27 Mar 1980). Cast: Nancy Marchand (as "Ida Bolton"), Maureen O'Sullivan (as "Esther Crampton"), Elizabeth Wilson (as "Aaronetta Gibbs"), Teresa Wright (as "Cora Swanson"), Maurice Copeland (as "Theodore Swanson"), Lois De Banzie (as "Myrtle Brown"), Richard Hamilton (as "Carl Bolton"), Gary Merrill (as "David Crampton"), David Rounds (as "Homer Bolton"). Replacement actors during run: Nancy Kulp (as "Aaronetta Gibbs"), Carmen Mathews (as "Cora Swanson"), Robert Moberly (as "Homer Bolton"), Charlotte Moore (as "Myrtle Brown"), Russell Nype (as "David Crampton"), Kate Reid (as "Ida Bolton"), Harriet Rogers (as "Ida Bolton"), Shepperd Strudwick (as "David Crampton"). Produced by Elizabeth I. McCann, Nelle Nugent and Ray Larsen.
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Articles

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