Perry King (1948)

 life and career

 Early life

King was born in Alliance, Ohio to a physician father. His maternal grandfather was Maxwell Perkins, a well-known editor for the publishing house Charles Scribner's Sons. Through Perkins, King is the great-great-grandson of U.S. Senator William M. Evarts and the great-great-great-great-grandson of Roger Sherman, one of the signers of the Declaration of independence. King received a degree in drama at Yale University and also studied at Juilliard.

 Career

King made his film debut in the 1972 film Slaughterhouse-Five. Since the 1970s, he has appeared in dozens of feature films, television series and television movies. He auditioned for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars, but the role ultimately went to Harrison Ford. However, he played the character in the radio adaptations of Star Wars and both its sequels. In 1984, King was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his role in the TV movie The Hasty Heart. That same year, he landed the role of Cody Allen on the series Riptide. In 1995, he portrayed the role of Hayley Armstrong on Melrose Place. He also appeared as Richard Williams in the NBC TV series Titans with Yasmine Bleeth in 2000 and as the President of the United States in the 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow.

King has made guest appearances on TV shows including Spin City, Will & Grace, Eve, and Cold Case. He has also worked as a voice actor, voice-acting for Samson in the 1985 animated feature Samson & Delilah and the character of Randall in an episode of SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron.

 Personal life

Married and divorced twice, King has two daughters, Louise and Hannah, and one granddaughter.

An avid motorcyclist, King was featured on Huell Howser's California's Gold where he spoke about his collection of motorcycles and sidecars. On December 1, 2008, the AMA issued a press release stating that, effective immediately, King had been appointed to its Board of Directors.