Don Roy King

Last updated
Don Roy King
Born
Donald Roy King

(1947-10-09) October 9, 1947 (age 76)
Pitcairn, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education Gateway High School
Alma mater Pennsylvania State University
OccupationTelevision director
Spouse
Kate Snyder
​
(m. 1995)​

Donald Roy King (born October 9, 1947) [1] is an American television director, producer, writer, and actor. [2] He served as the director for Saturday Night Live from 2006 until 2021. [3] He has "directed more hours of live network television than anyone else in the history of television," [4] [2] according to Michael Chein. [4]

Contents

He has won a number of Emmys, among other awards. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Early life

King is a native of Pitcairn, Pennsylvania. [1] [10] He grew up in both Monroeville and Pitcairn, and initially wanted to go into acting. [11] His father worked as a mailman, with both his parents supporting his interests in sports and the arts. King was active as an athlete as a young student, and also directed classmates in small plays. He initially planned on attending West Point, with a medical exam later finding something wrong with his back and preventing him from applying. In eighth grade, he traveled with classmates to New York to see several Broadway musicals, with King developing a "crush" on New York City, aiming to eventually have a career there. [12]

He attended Gateway High School, graduating in 1965, and Pennsylvania State University, graduating in 1969 [1] [10] [13] with a degree in broadcasting. [12] He graduated Penn State's Bellisario College of Communications. [2] He initially studied for a degree in broadcast journalism, and also was involved with the school's theater department. He first directed a project during the last class of a broadcasting course, comparing it to playing quarterback on a football team. [7] He also had an amateur boxing career. [9]

Career

Early career

Early in his career, King wanted to be an actor, and also became a director at a local station in Pittsburgh. He then became a director at several bigger stations in Pennsylvania. [12] Aiming to eventually work in New York, he moved to a station in San Jose, then to a larger station in Pittsburgh, then moving on to direct at Channel 5 in New York. [12] King directed morning news television for around two decades, first at ABC's Good Morning America and later CBS This Morning . [2] His other directing work includes Survivor (including the live Survivor finales on CBS), The Early Show , and The Mike Douglas Show . [14] King went on to be nominated for five Daytime Emmys for Outstanding Individual Direction For A Variety Show. He won in 1977 for The Mike Douglas Show, [15] [ better source needed ] for the episode with Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire appearing together for the first time. At the age of 27 or 28, after already earning an Emmy for directing, he enrolled again in acting classes. [12]

In 1991, he won an Emmy for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Graphic Design for his work on CBS Evening News with Dan Rather. [16] At one point in his career, he was asked to be on a Blue Ribbon Panel for the Emmys, which he recollects gave him an understanding of how subjective it is to discern good directing. His assignments for various networks also took him to "20 countries and 38 states," with King working on productions and directing shows for "morning shows, documentaries, telethons, sporting events, concerts, and musicals." [12] He also had experienced directing a number of sports broadcasts.' [6]

King directed morning television for over twenty years, working on The Early Show , CBS This Morning , and Good Morning America , but by his late fifties, he desired a career change from the genre. [7] [5] Around that time, he was offered the chance to direct Saturday Night Live , which he said he did not expect, as he had no formal experience in directing sketch comedy. [12]

Saturday Night Live

In 2006, the age of 58, [12] King was hired as the director of Saturday Night Live , [5] becoming the third person to serve as the show's director. [2] [6] He did not play a part in the creation or selection of sketches, but described his job as helping "bring them to life" instead. [4] In 2016, he was the subject of an AARP video profile. [5] [17]

As of 2017, he was in his 11th season with SNL, and had won "six primetime Emmy awards, a daytime Emmy and three awards from the Directors Guild of America." [10] That year, he won best directing for a variety series for an episode hosted by Jimmy Fallon. [18]

He has been nominated for thirteen Directors Guild of America awards, [19] which he won in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. [20]

In 2010, he consulted on the film Morning Glory , where "he ensured that the TV scene was depicted accurately," and also played Merv the Director. [12] Between 2008 and 2018, he won an Emmy every year. [7] By 2018, he had received nine Emmy Awards, [4] eight Primetime and one Daytime, and five Directors Guild of America awards. [6] In 2015 and 2016, he lost out to the Daily Show and Inside Amy Schumer. [21] In 2018, he was nominated for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series, again for SNL, winning. [7] The next year, he won Outstanding Directing for a Variety Series again at the Primetime Emmy Awards. [8] At that point he had 28 Emmy nominations. In 2018, he played himself in A Star Is Born. [12]

He is the recipient of 10 Emmy awards and 19 nominations. His work on Saturday Night Live has earned him nine Primetime Emmys [22] and 13 nominations. [15] In January 2020, King won the Directors Guild of America Award for Variety/Talk/News/Sports - Regularly Scheduled Programming for Saturday Night Live.[ citation needed ] He retired from the show in 2021, during its 47th season. [23]

Broadway Worldwide

He has spoken about the television industry at events [12] and schools such as Lawrence Herbert School of Communication [6] and Berkeley Forum. [4] When not working on SNL and live version of Weekend Update in August, King is involved in various stage plays and musicals. Among projects he has worked on are Broadway version of Romeo and Juliet and Memphis. [10] King is the creative director of Broadway Worldwide which brings theatrical events to theaters and television. [12] The company has produced four major productions as of 2019, all of which King directed: [12] Smokey Joe's Cafe , Putting It Together with Carol Burnett, Jekyll & Hyde , and Memphis .[ citation needed ] He also directed a big screen taping of Broadway's Romeo and Juliet with Orlando Bloom in 2013.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

King lives in New York City, and has a daughter named Cameron. [10] He married actress Kate Snyder in 1995 after a prior marriage ended in divorce. [24]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorProducerActorNotes
1977–1980 Kids Are People Too YesNoNoTV series
1978 America Alive! YesNoNoTV series
1977–1978 The Mike Douglas Show YesNoNoTV series
1987 The Howard Stern Show YesNoNoTV series, 5 Episodes
1998 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards NoYesNoTV special
2000 Putting It Together: Direct from Broadway YesNoNoTV movie
2001Jekyll & Hyde: The MusicalYesNoNoTV movie
Blockbuster Entertainment Awards NoYesNoTV special
2002Smokey Joe's Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and StollerYesNoNoTV special
2005 Naomi's New Morning YesNoNoTV series
2006–2021 Saturday Night Live YesNoNoTV series
2008 The Early Show YesNoNoTV series, 1 Episode
Saturday Night Live Presidential Bash '08YesNoNoTV special
Criss Angel Mindfreak YesNoNoTV series, 1 Episode
2009Saturday Night Live Just CommercialsYesNoNoTV movie, Segment Director
SNL Presents: A Very Gilly ChristmasYesNoNoTV movie
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Amy PoehlerYesNoNoTV special
Saturday Night Live Sports Extra '09YesNoNo
2010The Women of SNLYesNoNoTV movie
Saturday Night Live Presents: Sports All-StarsYesNoNoTV special
Morning Glory NoNoYesMerv (Director of Daybreak)
2011SNL ChristmasYesNoNoTV special
SurvivorYesNoNoTV series, 8 Episodes
Memphis: The MusicalYesNoNo
No DirectionNoNoYes"Dad"
2013Saturday Night Live: HalloweenYesNoNoTV special
Saturday Night Live: ThanksgivingYesNoNoTV special
Saturday Night Live: ChristmasYesNoNoTV special
2014Saturday Night Live: Christmas SpecialYesNoNoTV special
Saturday Night Live: Thanksgiving SpecialYesNoNoTV special
Romeo and Juliet YesNoNoBroadway Play
SNL Sports SpectacularYesNoNoTV movie
Saturday Night Live: Best of This SeasonYesNoNoTV special
2015 Hollywood Game Night YesNoNoTV series, 1 Episode
Saturday Night Live: 40th Anniversary Special YesNoNoTV special
An SNL ValentineYesNoNoTV special
SNL's NFL SaturdayYesNoNoTV movie
2016A Saturday Night Live Christmas Special: 2016YesNoNoTV movie
Saturday Night Live: Thanksgiving SpecialYesNoNoTV movie
The 2016 SNL Election SpecialYesNoNoTV movie
Goodnight, Sweet PrinceYesNoNoTV special
2017 Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update Thursday YesNoNoTV series, 11 Episodes
The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special YesNoNoTV Short
SNL Presents: HalloweenYesNoNoTV movie
2018 A Star Is Born NoNoYesHimself(cameo) [25]
2019A Saturday Night Live Christmas SpecialYesNoNoTV Short
2020A Saturday Night Live Mother's DayYesNoNoTV special
Saturday Night Live Election Special 2020YesNoNoTV special

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef
1991 News & Documentary Emmy Award Outstanding Individual Achievement in Graphic Design CBS Evening News with Dan Rather Won [16]
2007 Directors Guild of America Award Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical Variety Saturday Night Live ("Host: Alec Baldwin")Nominated [26]
Primetime Emmy Award Outstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesNominated [22]
2008Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Tina Fey")Nominated [22]
2009Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical VarietySaturday Night Live ("Host: Justin Timberlake")Nominated [27]
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesNominated [22]
2010Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical VarietySaturday Night Live ("Host: Betty White")Nominated [28]
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesWon [22]
2011Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical VarietySaturday Night Live ("Host: Justin Timberlake")Nominated [29]
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesWon [22]
2012Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical VarietySaturday Night Live ("Host: Mick Jagger")Nominated [30]
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesWon [22]
2013Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical VarietySaturday Night Live ("Host: Justin Timberlake")Won [31]
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety, Music or Comedy SeriesWon [22]
2014Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Jim Carrey")Nominated [32]
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Jimmy Fallon")Won [22]
2015Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Tracy Morgan")Nominated [33]
Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - Special Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Won [33]
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialWon [22]
2016Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Hosts: Tina Fey & Amy Poehler")Nominated [22]
Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Dave Chappelle")Nominated [34]
2017Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Jimmy Fallon")Won [22]
Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - SeriesWon [35]
2018Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Donald Glover")Won [22]
2019Directors Guild of America AwardOutstanding Directorial Achievement in Variety/Talk/News/Sports - SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Adam Driver")Won [36]
Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Adam Sandler")Won [22]
2020Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Eddie Murphy")Won [22]
2021Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Directing for a Variety SeriesSaturday Night Live ("Host: Dave Chappelle")Won [22]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Live from New York, there's a Western Pennsylvania guy behind the scenes". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . December 9, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Yes, It's Really LIVE!: A Conversation With Director for Saturday Night Live Don Roy King". www.berkeley.edu. Berkeley Calendar Events. September 6, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Saturday Night Live". NBC . Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Sandhu, Mani (September 10, 2018). "'SNL' director Don Roy King talks reality of TV industry at Berkeley Forum event". The Daily Californian .
  5. 1 2 3 4 Blevins, Joe (October 18, 2016). "Get to know Don Roy King, affable director of Saturday Night Live". The A.V. Club . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 "Live from Studio A: 'SNL' director speaks to Herbert School". The Hofstra Chronicle. April 30, 2019. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Perry, Kimberly (September 16, 2018). "'SNL' director Don Roy King compares directing to playing football". www.webn.tv. WebN Boston News. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  8. 1 2 "Don Roy King wins award at Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles". www.upi.com. UPI. 2019.
  9. 1 2 Satalia, Patty (November 7, 2014). "Take Note: Don Roy King and the Serious Art of TV Comedy". WPSU . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Sciullo, Maria (April 5, 2017). "Pittsburgh native Don Roy King sees all the angles for 'Saturday Night Live'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  11. ↑ Corsaro, Louis A. (January 13, 2014). "A ready for prime-time player: Don Roy King". Pittsburgh Business Times . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Fisher, Tania (2019). "Actor/Writer Tania Fisher sits down with Don Roy King". www.stagevoices.com. Stage Voices. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Don Roy King '69 Lib" (PDF). Pennsylvania State University . Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  14. ↑ Carter, Bill (2006-09-21). "Bowing to Budget Cuts at NBC, 'Saturday Night Live' Pares Five Performers". The New York Times . Retrieved 2012-09-30.
  15. 1 2 "Outstanding Individual Direction For A Variety Show - Google Search". g.co. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  16. 1 2 "13TH ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED BY TilE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF TELEVISION ARTS AND SCIENCES" (PDF). emmyonline.com/. July 23, 1991.
  17. ↑ Wright, Megh (October 19, 2016). "Get to Know 'Saturday Night Live's Director Don Roy King". www.vulture.com. Vulture . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  18. ↑ Butler, Bethonie (September 17, 2017). "Don Roy King wins best directing for a variety series for 'Saturday Night Live'". The Washington Post . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  19. ↑ Atkins, Lucas. "Director's Guild Don Roy King". dga.org. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  20. ↑ "69th Annual DGA Awards". www.dga.org. Retrieved 2017-02-05.
  21. ↑ Crist, Allison (September 22, 2019). "Emmys: 'SNL's' Don Roy King Wins Directing for a Variety Series Third Year in a Row". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Don Roy King - Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  23. ↑ Maglio, Tony (September 28, 2021). "'SNL' Director Don Roy King to Retire; 'Ellen' Show's Liz Patrick Will Replace Him". TheWrap . Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  24. ↑ "WEDDINGS; Kate Snyder, Don King". The New York Times . July 30, 1995. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  25. ↑ Sciullo, Maria (October 5, 2018). "Live, from New York: 'Saturday Night Live' director Don Roy King plays himself in 'A Star Is Born'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television: Dramatic Series Night, Comedy Series, Musical Variety, Reality Programs, Daytime Serials and Children's Programs". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  27. ↑ "2009 Nominees and Winners - Directors Guild of America". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  28. ↑ "2010 Nominees and Winners - Directors Guild of America". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  29. ↑ "2011 Nominees and Winners - Directors Guild of America". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  30. ↑ "2012 Nominees and Winners - Directors Guild of America". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  31. ↑ "2013 Nominees and Winners - Directors Guild of America". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  32. ↑ "2014 Nominees and Winners - Directors Guild of America". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  33. 1 2 "2015 Nominees and Winners - Directors Guild of America". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  34. ↑ "2016 Nominees and Winners - Directors Guild of America". Directors Guild of America. January 11, 2007. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
  35. ↑ "DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary for 2017". Directors Guild of America. January 10, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  36. ↑ "DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary for 2018". Directors Guild of America. January 7, 2019. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
Preceded by Saturday Night Live director
2006–2021		Succeeded by
Liz Patrick
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