King Donovan was born on January 25th, 1918, in New York City, NY.
By the time he was in his teens, he’d landed a part at the Butler Davenport Theater on 63rd Street in New York City. Benjamin Butler Davenport, the founder, had turned to the theater with socialist ideas, and he’d made his theater a "free" theater – always free of charge - and attracted the interests of some of the greats from uptown Broadway, such as, George M. Cohan and Katharine Cornell.
Donovan studied and learned there before moving on. During the 1940s, he toured in repertory with the Jitney Players, founded by Richard Aldrich as a summer stock group. Donovan also appeared with the U.S.O. in 'The Male Animal' and trod the boards for two years with the Hendrickson Shakespearean Company.
Obviously not a leading man type, nevertheless with an engaging if mild mannered tenor voice, he appeared on Broadway for the first time in May of 1948 in "The Vigil". That year of 1948 brought two entry film roles as well: Open Secret (1948) and a western, Man from Texas (1948).
The next year he was busy with five roles, including the classic All the King's Men (1949).
1951 “The Enforcer”
left to right: Roy Roberts, Humphrey Bogart, King Donovan
And from there Donovan was in demand for a variety of modest featured roles from playing conventional characters to shifty look-heavies.
1951, King plays a press agent in Singin' in the Rain.
In 1953, Donovan had small parts in two classic sci-fi romps: “Magnetic Monster” and “The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms.”
In 1955, King took on a recurring role as Harvey Helm on “The Bob Cummings Show.”
1956 “Invasion of The Body Snatchers”
He was back on Broadway in 1958 with the great comic part of the befuddled professor of journalism in the hit "The Girls in 509". Donovan remained a bachelor until he married Broadway and TV comedy entertainer and actress Imogene Coca in 1960, having met in "509". Imogene was 10 years his senior. Their roots were similar, with vaudevillian parents, and they performed in more than 30 shows together. The two remained happily married for 27 years, until King’s death in 1987.
1960 was also a good year because it was King’s only appearance on Bonanza in the episode titled “The Gunman.” King played Twirly Boggs, and if you haven’t seen this one, you’re missing some real comedic performances from the entire cast.
1963 King took on a recurring role as Jake Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies.
Also in 1963, King and Imogene appeared in Imogene’s short-lived sitcom, “Grindl.”
1971 In one of their last public performances, Imogene and King appeared in “Night Gallery’s - The Merciful”, a twist on Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado.”
King Donovan died on June 30, 1987, at the age of 69, after a battle with cancer.
