Michael Preston

Michael Preston
Born	Jack Davies 14 May 1938 (1938-05-14) (age 73) Hackney, London, England
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	1959-present

Michael Preston (born Jack Davies 14 May 1938,^[1] Hackney, London, England^[2]) is an international film and television actor, sometimes credited as Mike Preston.

Career

Preston was a boxer and then became a singer. Preston appeared on Oh Boy! and his first gramophone record, "Dirty Old Town" was produced by Joe Meek.^[3] He had three Top 40 hits in the UK Singles Chart, before emigrating to Australia where he worked as a nightclub singer. He then became a host on television, and then an actor. He was a guest host on In Melbourne Tonight in 1968. His first ongoing starring role on television in was in the long-running police drama series Homicide as Sen. Det. Bob Delaney from 1972-1973. He later had a recurring role in the soap opera Bellbird as Fr. John Kramer between 1974-1976. He later took a lead role in prison-based soap opera Punishment (1981) but this series was short-lived.

Preston also acted in films. His first feature film was Surabaya Conspiracy (1969); other film roles included playing Pappagallo in the 1981 hit Mad Max 2, his best-known role, and Jared-Syn in the 1983 science fiction B movie, Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn.

Later he had an ongoing role in Hot Pursuit as Alec Shaw in 1984. He has also starred in many television movies and made guest appearances on television series including The A-Team, Airwolf, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, Alien Nation, Ellen, and Highlander: The Series.

Selected filmography

• Surabaya Conspiracy (1969)
• Barney (1976)
• The Last of the Knucklemen (1979)
• ...Maybe This Time (1980)
• Mad Max 2 (1981)
• Duet for Four (1982)
• Fame (1982) (TV)
• Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn (1983)
• A Caribbean Mystery (1983) (TV)
• Blade in Hong Kong (1985) (TV)
• J.O.E. and the Colonel (1985) (TV)
• The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (1986) (TV)
• Harry's Hong Kong (1987) (TV)
• The Long Journey Home (1987) (TV)
• AIRWOLF episode Blackjack (1987) (TV)
• Perry Mason: The Case of the Lady in the Lake (1988) (TV)
• Exile (1990) (TV)
• Steel (1997)
• The Getaway (2002)

Discography

• "A House, A Car and A Wedding Ring" (1958) - (US Singles Chart) #93
• "Mr. Blue" (1959) - UK #12
• "I'd Do Anything" (1960) - UK #23
• "Togetherness" (1960) - UK #41
• "Marry Me" (1961) - UK #14

^[4]

See also

• List of artists under the Decca Records label
• List of Perry Mason cast members

References

1. ^ Bittersuiteband.com - accessed March 2009
2. ^ IMDb.com
3. ^ Fortunecity. com - accessed March 2009
4. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 437. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

External links

• Michael Preston at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Preston, Michael
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	14 May 1938
Place of birth	Hackney, London, England
Date of death
Place of death