Perry King Movies and TV Shows: The 12 Best Ones Ranked

Perry King, a versatile actor with a career spanning five decades, has left his mark on both the big and small screens. From gripping dramas to heartwarming comedies, King’s talent comes through in a variety of roles.

When asked if he had a favorite, King referenced The Divide, which he both starred and directed. He says, “I’ve never done anything else in 50 years that was nearly as satisfying as this.”

In addition to being in so many films and shows, King has worked with a plethora of stars. When asked if there are any actors that he especially liked to be partnered with, he has said, “Susan Blakely is still one of my best friends and one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever known in my life. She and I did four movies together.”

Here, we look back at the best Perry King movies and TV shows.

Did you know? Perry King auditioned for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars. Said King, “I watched that footage recently and thought ‘Good God, no wonder I didn’t get the part!’ I was so bad. Awful. But nobody could’ve ever played that part better than Harrison Ford.”

12. Bad (1977): Perry King movies and TV shows

Bad, also known as Andy Warhol’s Bad, is a 1977 comedy that starred Carroll Baker, Perry King, and Susan Tyrrell. It was one of the last films produced by Andy Warhol before his death. When asked about what it was like working with Warhol, King said, “He was fascinating. I loved hanging out with him.” When asked about his co-star Susan Tyrrell, King said, “She was crazy, but also a magnificent actress.”

11. The Lords of Flatbush (1974)

Set in the 1950s, this coming-of-age drama follows a group of young friends growing up in Brooklyn, struggling with identity, loyalty, and the challenges of adolescence. King’s performance as the charismatic and confident young man stands out among a talented cast of young, great actors.

The movie also stars Sylvester Stallone and Henry Winkler. Says King of landing the role, “When you’re unknown, you can audition in character. I went to Brooklyn, I got the leather jacket, and I talked in character. When I showed up to the audition, I brought as much to the character as I could bring to it.”

10. Mandingo (1975): Perry King movies and TV shows

Set on a Southern plantation in the 1830s, this film tells the story of a young slave named Mede who is forced into a brutal fight-to-the-death against a rival slave, and the tragic consequences that follow. The movie is hard to watch, but tells a powerful and intense story that explores the dark themes of slavery and the brutal treatment of enslaved people.

King’s performance as the ruthless and cunning plantation owner adds to the film’s emotional impact. The film also stars James Mason and Susan George. When asked about what it was like working with James Mason, King says, “Of all the wonderful people I’ve gotten to work with, James Mason was the finest. He was the most wonderful, generous, and kind person.”

9. Class of 1984 (1982)

This action drama follows a teacher who takes a job at a troubled high school and becomes embroiled in a violent struggle between the school’s students and a group of gangsters. King plays a teacher who becomes a symbol of both hope and resistance. The move also stars Tim Van Patten and Stefan Gierasch. This film had a strong cult following but when asked about it, King said, “I can’t say I ever liked that movie much, but I did like Mark Lester (the director) a lot.”

8. The Perfect Wife (2001): Perry King movies and TV shows

This TV movie tells the story of a woman who discovers that her husband is hiding a dark secret, leading her to question everything she thought she knew about their marriage. King stars as Dr. Robert Steward and appears alongside Jennifer Finnigan and Rob Estes.

7. The Signal (2023)

This podcast series has Perry King playing the role of colonel Sobek. This cold war drama has a little bit of everything: there are Russian double agents, spies, extraterrestrial aliens, UFOs and government-sanctioned conspiracies.

6. Melrose Place (1995): Perry King movies and TV shows

King played the role of Hayley Armstrong in Melrose Place for 14 episodes in 1995. Melrose Place was the hit show created by Darren Star and executive produced by Aaron Spelling that followed the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in West Hollywood, California.

5. Almost Home (1993)

King played the role of Brian Morgan in the TV series Almost Home. The show only lasted on season, but King’s performance was memorable. The show followed a newly-divorced mother of three who moves to Seattle to become a nanny to the spoiled Morgan children.

4. The Day After Tomorrow (2004): Perry King movies and TV shows

King’s performance as President Blake in The Day After Tomorrow was a fan favorite. The movie also stars Dennis Quaid and Jake Gyllenhaal. The movie is a disaster film, focusing on climate change that brings about a new ice age around the world.

3. The Divide (2018)

Playing the role of Sam Kincaid in The Divide, was also Perry King’s directorial debut. “I got lucky with The Divide in a lot of ways, but one of the ways was that we spent almost two years preparing the film. It was a personal project and all of that time I was working on this character of Sam. More than any other part that I’ve had in my entire life, for the first time I was able to prepare a character and really understand him.”

Perry notes that for 50 years he’s been a professional actor and all that time he wanted to make his own movie and he was really grateful to be able to do so with a project like The Divide. The movie is a western and focuses on a rancher who is suffering from dementia.

2. Riptide (1984-1986): Perry King movies and TV shows

King played the role of Cody Allen in Riptide, a TV series than ran from 1984-1986. He was a regular on the show and appeared in 56 episodes. The action-packed series follows the adventures of three Vietnam War veterans who run a private detective agency in Los Angeles. Using their military skills and ingenuity, they take on a variety of cases, ranging from missing persons to corporate espionage. In addition to acting in Riptide, King was also given the chance to direct a few episodes.

1. Choirboys (1977)

Starring Lou Gossett, Perry King, Clyde Kusatsu, Stephen Macht, Tim McIntire and Randy Quaid, The Choirboys was a tough movie for King to make. He said, “I accepted that part without considering certain things about the script, and it was surprising for me. That part changed the way that I chose parts, and said ‘yes or no’ to scripts.”

He explained that at that point in his career, he didn’t have the skills to walk away from a set and come back to it the next morning. “Playing a part, as I’ve often said, is not like playing a person, but being a roommate with that person. And would you want to room with somebody that was suicidal? But that’s what I did. For three months I lived with my character Baxter Slade, and at the end of making that movie, it near killed me.” He said after making that film, he was much more careful about saying yes to a roll. “If I had known what I was going to go through with Baxter, I may not have done it.”