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IMDbPro

King Donovan(1918-1987)

  • Actor
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
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
13 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 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)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos13

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Known for

Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
7.7
  • Jack Belicec
  • 1956
Jayne Mansfield in Promises..... Promises! (1963)
Promises..... Promises!
5.0
  • Director(directed by)
  • 1963
Playhouse 90 (1956)
Playhouse 90
8.3
TV Series
  • The Director
That Girl (1966)
That Girl
7.3
TV Series
  • Director

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor



  • Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
    Nothing Lasts Forever
    6.2
    • Lunartini Husband
    • 1984
  • Morning's at Seven (1982)
    Morning's at Seven
    8.7
    TV Movie
    • Carl Bolton
    • 1982
  • The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies (1981)
    The Return of the Beverly Hillbillies
    4.7
    TV Movie
    • Andy Miller - Father
    • 1981
  • Polly Bergen, Donna Mills, Paul Burke, Judy Carne, and Barbara Feldon in The Wide World of Mystery (1973)
    The Wide World of Mystery
    6.7
    TV Series
    • Special guest
    • 1975
  • Rod Serling in Night Gallery (1969)
    Night Gallery
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Husband (segment "The Merciful")
    • 1971
  • Buddy Ebsen, Max Baer Jr., Donna Douglas, and Irene Ryan in The Beverly Hillbillies (1962)
    The Beverly Hillbillies
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Psychiatrist
    • Jake 'J.D.' Clampett
    • 1963–1967
  • Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1965)
    Please Don't Eat the Daisies
    6.9
    TV Series
    • Herb
    • Herb Thornton
    • 1966–1967
  • Daktari (1966)
    Daktari
    7.0
    TV Series
    • Bendix
    • 1966
  • My Brother the Angel (1965)
    My Brother the Angel
    7.2
    TV Series
    • 1966
  • Lee Majors, Barbara Stanwyck, Linda Evans, Peter Breck, and Richard Long in The Big Valley (1965)
    The Big Valley
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Ambrose
    • 1966
  • Robert Reed and E.G. Marshall in The Defenders (1961)
    The Defenders
    7.9
    TV Series
    • Lou Desmond
    • 1965
  • Profiles in Courage (1964)
    Profiles in Courage
    8.1
    TV Series
    • Rev. Mr. May
    • 1965
  • Ben Gazzara and Chuck Connors in Arrest and Trial (1963)
    Arrest and Trial
    7.6
    TV Series
    • Fred Stukey
    • 1963
  • Spencer Tracy, Peter Falk, Jim Backus, Milton Berle, Norman Fell, Mickey Rooney, Buddy Hackett, Jonathan Winters, Edie Adams, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Ben Blue, Joe E. Brown, Sid Caesar, Alan Carney, Chick Chandler, Barrie Chase, Lloyd Corrigan, William Demarest, Andy Devine, Selma Diamond, Paul Ford, Stan Freberg, Ethel Merman, Dorothy Provine, Phil Silvers, and Terry-Thomas in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)
    It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World
    7.5
    • Airport Official (uncredited)
    • 1963
  • Doris Day and James Garner in The Thrill of It All (1963)
    The Thrill of It All
    6.9
    • TV Executive (uncredited)
    • 1963

Director



  • That Girl (1966)
    That Girl
    7.3
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1968
  • Imogene Coca in Grindl (1963)
    Grindl
    7.7
    TV Series
    • Director
    • 1963–1964
  • Jayne Mansfield in Promises..... Promises! (1963)
    Promises..... Promises!
    5.0
    • Director (directed by)
    • 1963

Videos4

Official Trailer
Trailer 2:20
Official Trailer
I Was A Male War Bride
Trailer 2:19
I Was A Male War Bride
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

Edit
  • Alternative name
    • King Donavan
  • Height
    • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
  • Born
    • January 25, 1918
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • June 30, 1987
    • Hartford, Connecticut, USA(cancer)
  • Spouses
      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

FAQ10

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