David King-Wood

David King-Wood (12 September 1913 – 3 September 2003) was a British actor born in Tehran, Iran, then known as Persia. He was the youngest of four children. His father, William King Wood (CIE, CBE), served as director of the Indo-European Telegraph Department, and his mother, Daisy Adcock, was the daughter of Sir Hugh Adcock, who had served as physician to the Shah of Persia.

King-Wood pursued his education at Oxford University, where he became president of the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS). In April 1936, he appeared in the Radio Times in connection with his performance as Richard II for the society. His professional career began the following year with a touring production of Murder in the Cathedral, after which he performed in the 1937 season at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. He also appeared in Measure for Measure and Richard III at the Old Vic, and completed repertory seasons in Birmingham, Oxford, and Worthing.

During the Second World War, King-Wood served in the Royal Air Force. His fluency in five languages, including Japanese, was utilized during his service. Following the war, he returned to the stage in April 1946, playing Iachimo in Cymbeline at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. His British film work included The Blakes Slept Here (1953), The Men of Sherwood Forest (1954), The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), and Jamboree (1957). His final stage appearance in the United Kingdom was opposite Patrick Troughton in The Marvellous Story of Puss in Boots at the Fortune Theatre during the 1955–56 season.

King-Wood subsequently relocated to New York, where he performed on Broadway between 1957 and 1961. His credits included the drama The Hidden River, in which he played Adam Hartley; the comedy The Beaux' Stratagem; Much Ado About Nothing, in which he portrayed Friar Francis; and Ross, in which he played Ronald Storrs. Following his Broadway career, King-Wood taught English and French at St. Bernard's School in New York and directed the school's annual Shakespeare production.

King-Wood died on 3 September 2003. More than 150 of his friends contributed to the David King-Wood Tree Fund, endowing two European linden trees in his name near the East Meadow in Central Park. A commemorative paving stone was also placed by the Olmsted Flowerbed at Literary Walk, mid-park at Sixty-Seventh Street.