Veteran actress Patsy King, best known for her role as Governor Erica Davidson in “The Prisoner,” has passed away after a short illness. She was 95 years old.
After training as a Shakespearean actress at the National Theater of Melbourne, King made her television debut in 1961 in the ABC drama The Rivals.
From 1965 to 1975, she became a familiar presence on Homicide, appearing in 14 episodes as various characters including Sarah Adams, Helen Taylor, Torin Turner, and Shirley Wallace. She was also one of the original presenters of Play School, contributing to the ABC children’s program from its debut in 1966.
In 1967, King appeared as Kate Andrews on the ABC country drama Bellbirds and remained with the series until its end in 1977.
Her longest on-screen work was on The Prisoner from 1979 to 1983, appearing in over 350 episodes, with an additional guest appearance in 1984. She then reprized the role in Prisoner Cell Block H: The Stage Play in the late 1980s.
King’s other films include Power Without Glory (1976), in which she played Bella Maguire, and Cop Shop (1978), in which she played two different characters.
Beyond performing, King was a champion of local industry, visiting Canberra in 1970 as part of a delegation of actors lobbying for Australian content quotas. She was also instrumental in establishing the Children’s Theater at Monash University.
King was married to Melbourne Theater Company founder John Sumner from 1959 to 1967. She is survived by her sister, Valerie Rogada;
