The King is the story of Graham Kennedy, Australia's first and greatest home grown TV superstar. It traces his rise from working class Balaclava kid, through radio, TV, film, and back to TV again. It also tracks Kennedy's personal tragedies - the loneliness, the unrealised ambitions and the terrible pressures of being Australia's first homegrown superstar in the 1950s and 60s.
Acting
Stephen Curry disappears completely into Kennedy's fractured psyche.
Production
Meticulous recreation of 1950s-60s Australian television.
Direction
Saville balances showbiz sparkle with crushing private despair.
Director
Matthew Saville
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Stephen Curry spent months studying Kennedy's voice and mannerisms, including his famous 'faark' catchphrase that got him fired from live TV.
Kennedy's 1975 dismissal for saying 'fuck' on air— depicted in the film—was a watershed moment that exposed the gap between Australian audiences and conservative broadcast standards.
US
AU
