Theatre King began her career as a stage actress in the early 1950s and later became a playwright and director. She performed in a variety of roles, including productions of
Victoria Regina,
The Miser,
Summer of the Seventeenth Doll,
Richard II,
Blithe Spirit,
Absurd Person Singular,
Half a Sixpence,
A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur,
Love for Love and
Love Letters. Her performances earned her several awards, including the
Erik Award and the Melbourne Critics Award for her role in
The Fourposter.
Television In the early 1960s, King began her television career with teleplays on the
ABC, followed by a variety of serials and guest roles in several
Crawford Productions series, including
Hunter,
The Sullivans and
The Box. She also appeared in
police procedural dramas such as
Matlock Police,
Division 4,
Bluey,
Cop Shop and
Homicide. Her other television credits include
Power Without Glory,
Chopper Squad,
Out of Love and
Good Morning Mr Doubleday. King became a regular cast member on the series
Bellbird as Kate Andrews and as Governor Erica Davidson in
Prisoner (also known as
Prisoner: Cell Block H outside of Australia). In
Prisoner she portrayed the first on-screen governor of the fictional Wentworth Detention Centre, appearing in 351 episodes. Following the conclusion of the series, King toured the United Kingdom in a stage play based on the program. King was also a notable children's television presenter, being an early host of
Play School on the ABC. She additionally appeared in
The Magic Circle Club and
Adventure Island. ==Personal life and death==