King Donovan

Francis King Donovan was born on January 25, 1918, in Manhattan, New York, to parents who worked as vaudevillians and traveled throughout the United States. At just three weeks old, Donovan began accompanying them on the road. He completed his schooling through eighth grade at Mt. Joseph School in Buffalo, New York, then entered the workforce. His first experience in acting came during his teenage years at the Butler Davenport Theater.

Before his military service, Donovan worked in radio. He then served three years in the U.S. Army Air Forces, after which he returned to radio and pursued stage work on the West Coast. During the 1940s, he was a member of the Jitney Players traveling troupe and spent two years performing with the Hendrickson Shakespearean Company. He also appeared in The Male Animal for the USO.

Donovan's Broadway career spanned from 1948 to 1986. His stage credits include The Vigil, which marked his Broadway debut in 1948, as well as the comedy The Girls in 509 in 1958, Morning's at Seven in 1980, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, the musical Once Upon a Mattress, and On the Twentieth Century. In 1968, he toured with his wife, actress and comedian Imogene Coca, in productions of You Know I Can't Hear You When the Water's Running and Once Upon a Mattress.

Donovan made his film debut in The Man from Texas in 1947. Among his most recognized screen roles was Jack in the original Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a part later taken by Jeff Goldblum in the 1978 remake. Additional film credits include Solly in The Defiant Ones, Joe Capper in Cowboy, Mack McGee in the original Angels in the Outfield, Major Collins in The Perfect Furlough, and an uncredited role as Rod, head of the Publicity Department, in Singin' in the Rain. He also filmed scenes for the 1949 production I Was a Male War Bride, though his footage was ultimately cut. By the late 1950s, Donovan had stepped away from film work, citing dissatisfaction with approximately ninety percent of the projects he had been involved in.

His television work was extensive. He appeared in eight episodes of The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show as Roger Baker, the brother of Blanche Morton as played by Bea Benaderet, and held a 17-episode recurring role as Harvey Helm on NBC's The Bob Cummings Show. He appeared in six episodes of It's a Great Life as Chris Norman and had a recurring role between 1965 and 1967 on Please Don't Eat the Daisies as neighbor Herb. He also guest starred on Where's Raymond?, The People's Choice, Richard Diamond Private Detective, Cheyenne, Shotgun Slade, Bonanza, Maverick, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Riverboat, Rawhide, and two episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies as Jake Clampett.

In addition to his acting career, Donovan worked as a director. In 1963 he directed the film Promises! Promises!, which drew attention as the first Hollywood sound film to feature a mainstream film star, Jayne Mansfield, in the nude. That same year he directed two episodes of the television series Grindl, which starred Imogene Coca, and directed two additional episodes the following year.

Donovan had been previously married and was the father of three children before wedding Coca on October 17, 1960. The two remained together until his death. Donovan died of cancer on June 30, 1987, at the Connecticut Hospice in Branford, Connecticut, at the age of 69.