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Wright King
Wright King
Born	Wright Thornburgh King; January 11, 1923; Okmulgee, Oklahoma, U.S.
Died	November 25, 2018 (aged 95); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1946–1987
Spouse	June Ellen Roth King (m. 1948; died 2008)
Children	3

Wright Thornburgh King (January 11, 1923 – November 25, 2018) was an American actor whose career lasted for over forty years.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] He is best known for playing Jason Nichols in the television series Wanted Dead or Alive (1958–1961).

Early life and career

King studied acting at the St Louis School of Theater, from which he graduated in 1941, before enlisting in the United States Navy during World War II, in which he served in the South Pacific campaign from 1943 to 1945.^[5]

King made his small screen debut in 1949 as Midshipman Bascomb in the television series Captain Video and His Video Rangers.

Throughout his career, he worked in both the United States and in the United Kingdom.^[6]

King was cast in numerous Westerns and is particularly known for his role in the 1951 film adaptation of Tennessee Williams's A Streetcar Named Desire, starring Vivien Leigh (whom his character kisses). Prior to that, he had appeared in the original stage production, a performance which was lauded by drama critic Harold Hobson.^[7] In 1958 King appeared as the Kiowa Kid/Nevada Jones on the TV Western Cheyenne in the episode "Ghost of the Cimarron."^[8]^: 83 In 1957 King starred as Joe Digger, a falsely accused horse thief who was hanged but saved, then hanged again after he killed one of his original executioners in the Gunsmoke episode "Born to Hang". King also appeared in eleven episodes of the television series Wanted Dead or Alive starring Steve McQueen, often playing a young sidekick named Jason Nichols. He also appeared in S2 E13 "No Trail Back" as Joe Hooker, the brother of a wanted man, who was bitten by a rabid dog. It aired 11/26/1959.

Other noteworthy film credits included roles in Cast a Long Shadow (1959), King Rat (1965), Planet of the Apes (1968), Finian's Rainbow (1968) and Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973).

In 1974, he played U.S. Senator Richard B. Russell Jr. of Georgia in the TV movie The Missiles of October, a dramatization of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.^[9]

He appeared in the television series Johnny Jupiter, was in two episodes of the TV series The Silent Service (S01 E10 "The Pampanito" and S01 E20 "The Squailfish"). He appeared with Richard Boone in Have Gun – Will Travel in the episodes "Helen of Abajinan" and "A Knight to Remember". He also appeared with James Arness in Gunsmoke in the 1959 episode “False Witness” (S5Ep14), the 1961 episode "Colorado Sheriff" (S6E38), the 1964 episode “No Hands” (S9E19) and the 1965 episode "The Bounty Hunter" (S11E7).

Personal life

King married June Ellen Roth in 1948. The couple had three sons, Wright Jr., Michael, and actor Meegan King.^[10]

He died in Motion Picture Home in Woodland Hill, California on November 25, 2018, at the age of 95.^[11]^[12]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1951	A Streetcar Named Desire	Newspaper Collector
1956	The Bold and the Brave	Technician Fifth Grade
1956	The Young Guns	Jonesy
1956	Friendly Persuasion	Forager	Uncredited
1956	Stagecoach to Fury	Ralph Slader
1957	Hot Rod Rumble	Ray Johnson - Arnie's sidekick
1959	The Gunfight at Dodge City	Billy Townsend
1959	Cast a Long Shadow	Noah Pringle
1962	Dangerous Charter	Joe	Shot in 1958
1965	King Rat	Brough
1968	Planet of the Apes	Dr. Galen
1968	Finian's Rainbow	District Attorney
1972	Journey Through Rosebud	Indian Agent
1973	Invasion of the Bee Girls	Dr. Murger
1987	House Made of Dawn	Father Olguin	(final film role)

Selected television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1949	Captain Video and His Video Rangers	Midshipman Bascomb
1956	Cheyenne (TV series)	Frank Endicott	Season 1/Episode 11 - "Quicksand"
1957	Cheyenne (TV series)	Blaney Wilcox / Pocatello Kid	Season 2/Episode 15 - "Born Bad"
1957	Have Gun – Will Travel	Jimmy O'Riley	Season 1/Episode 16 - "Helen of Abajinian"
1958	Cheyenne (TV series)	The Kiowa Kid / Nevada Jones	Season 3/Episode 14 - "Ghost of the Cimarron"
1959	Gunsmoke	Crep	Season 5/Episode 14 - "False Witness"
1959	Wanted Dead or Alive	Seth Blake	Season 1/Episode 36 - "Amos Carter"
1959-1960	Wanted Dead or Alive	Jason Nichols	Season 2 - 10 episodes
1962	Gunsmoke	Gant	S8:E11 “Abe Blocker”
1963	The Twilight Zone	Mr. Hecate	Episode: Of Late I Think of Cliffordville

References

^ 1930 US Federal Census for Wright T. King, retrieved from Ancestry.com
^ 1940 US Federal Census for Wright T. King, retrieved from Ancestry.com
^ U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 for Wright Thornburgh King, retrieved from Ancestry.com
^ "Wright King, Actor in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'The Twilight Zone,' Dies at 95". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
^ "Ex-Mt. Vernonite Wright King in "Streetcar" Cast". Mt. Vernon Register News. March 27, 1952. p. 6. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ "Wright King In Grenada Movie". Mt. Vernon Register News. December 7, 1956. p. 8. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ "Mt. Vernon Actor Is Praised by London Critic". Mt. Vernon Register News. December 15, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ Lentz, Harris M. (1997). Television Westerns Episode Guide: All United States Series, 1949-1996. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-7386-1.
^ "King of the 'Streetcar'". The Times-Picayune. March 22, 2008. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
^ "Births". Mt. Vernon Register News. November 22, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
^ "Find Local Obituaries Online". Dignity Memorial. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
^ "Wright King, Actor in 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and 'The Twilight Zone,' Dies at 95". The Hollywood Reporter. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2019.