Diana King (actress)
British actress (1918–1986)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diana King (2 August 1918 – 31 July 1986),[1] also known as Diane King, was an English actress who had a career on British television from 1939 to 1986. Born in Buckinghamshire, in August 1918, she attended the Fay Compton School of Drama, and was a prolific theatre performer during and after World War Two.[2]
2 August 1918
Diana King | |
|---|---|
 in Fawlty Towers (1975) | |
| Born | Diana Jane King 2 August 1918 Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 31 July 1986 (aged 67) Nettlebed, Oxfordshire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1939–1986 |
| Spouse | John Harvey (m. 1940–1982, his death) |
Television roles
King's first television appearance was as a pupil of Tadworth House School in Little Ladyship in 1939.[3][4] She continued to appear on television and in films throughout the 1940s and 1950s.[5] In 1961, she appeared in The Avengers.[6]
From the 1960s to the early 1980s, she appeared in The Benny Hill Show, Crossroads, Dixon of Dock Green, Pride and Prejudice, You're Only Young Twice and Z-Cars.[5][7]
King was perhaps best known for her many appearances in situation comedies from the 1960s onwards. She had roles in Dad's Army, Father, Dear Father, The Liver Birds, Fawlty Towers (in the episode "The Wedding Party"), George and Mildred, Bless This House, Rising Damp, Come Back Mrs. Noah and Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em.[7] She also had semi-regular roles in Are You Being Served? as Mrs Peacock, in Terry and June replacing the late Joan Benham in the role of Melinda Spry, as Norah in Bachelor Father and as George's mother in Marriage Lines.[8][9][10] She appeared in Follow Me from 1978 to 1981, with Francis Matthews as moderator.
Her final television appearance was in Inside Story, which was shown in 1986, the year she died of cancer in Nettlebed, Oxfordshire, two days before her 68th birthday.[11]
Partial filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Spellbound | Amy Nugent | Also known as Passing Clouds and The Spell of Amy Nugent |
| 1957 | A Farewell to Arms | Hospital Receptionist | Uncredited |
| 1958 | A Night to Remember | First Class passenger | Uncredited |
| 1965 | Die! Die! My Darling! | Woman Shopper | |
| 1967 | They Came from Beyond Space | Mrs Trethowan | |
| 1970 | Some Will, Some Won't | Mrs Craik | |
| 1980 | The Shillingbury Blowers | Mrs Simpkins | |
| The Wildcats of St Trinian's | Miss Mactavish | ||
| 1982 | Pink Floyd - The Wall | Wedding Witness |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | Time Out for Peggy | Norma Burke | 5 episodes |
| 1959 | The Scarf | Marian Hastings | 5 episodes |
| 1961 | Hancock's Half Hour | Mrs Humphries | Episode: "The Lift" |
| 1964–1966 | The Marriage Lines | Mrs Starling | 11 episodes |
| 1966 | A Game of Murder | Iris Bannister | 4 episodes |
| 1967 | Pride and Prejudice | Lady Lucas | 5 episodes |
| 1967–1968 | The Very Merry Widow | Mavis Anstruther | 8 episodes |
| 1968 | Point Counter Point | Janet Bidlake | 3 episodes |
| 1970–1971 | Bachelor Father | Norah | 5 episodes |
| 1972 | My Wife Next Door | Suzy's mother | 3 episodes |
| 1975 | Fawlty Towers | Rachel Lloyd | Episode: "The Wedding Party" |
| 1976; 1981; 1983 | Are You Being Served? | Mrs Peacock | 3 episodes |
| 1977 | Rising Damp | Mrs Armitage | Episode: "The Cocktail Hour" |
| 1977–1981 | You're Only Young Twice | Mildred Fanshaw | 31 episodes |
| 1980–1981 | Shillingbury Tales | Mrs Simpkins | 3 episodes |
| 1982–1983 | Terry and June | Melinda Spry | 3 episodes |
| 1983 | Cuffy | Mrs Simpkins | 5 episodes |
