Michael Preston (born Jack Davies; 14 May 1938) is an English international film and television actor, and singer, sometimes credited as Mike Preston.

Life and career

Preston was born in Hackney, London, England. He was a

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

and then became a singer. He appeared on '' Oh Boy!'' and his third record, "

Dirty Old Town "Dirty Old Town" is a song written by Ewan MacColl in 1949 that was made popular by the Dubliners and the Pogues. History The song was written about Salford, then in Lancashire, England, the area where MacColl was born and brought up. It was ...

" (1959) was produced by

Joe Meek Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer and songwriter considered one of the most influential sound engineers of all time, being one of the first to develop ideas such as the recording studio a ...

. He had three

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

in the UK Singles Chart, including reaching No. 12 with his cover version of "

Mr. Blue "Mr. Blue" is a popular song written by DeWayne Blackwell that was a hit for the Fleetwoods, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in November 1959, giving the group its second chart-topping hit of the year. Roy Lanh ...

" in November 1959, before emigrating to Australia where he worked as a

nightclub singer A nightclub act is a production, usually of nightclub music or comedy, designed for performance at a nightclub, a type of drinking establishment, by a nightclub performer such as a nightclub singer or nightclub dancer, whose performance may ...

. He then became a host on television, and also an actor. He was a regular host on ''

In Melbourne Tonight ''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety show, variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970. Overview Graham Kennedy was the show's mai ...

'' in 1968, and in 1969 was a guest celebrity on the game show '' The Celebrity Game'' and went on to host the revival in 1976–1977. His first ongoing starring role on television was in the long-running police drama series ''

Homicide Homicide is an act in which a person causes the death of another person. A homicide requires only a Volition (psychology), volitional act, or an omission, that causes the death of another, and thus a homicide may result from Accident, accidenta ...

'' as Sen. Det. Bob Delaney from 1972 to 1973. He then had a recurring role in the soap opera '' Bellbird'' as Fr. John Kramer between 1974 and 1976. He later took a lead role in the prison-based soap opera ''

Punishment Punishment, commonly, is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon an individual or group, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a deterrent to a particular action or beh ...

'' (1981) but this series was short-lived. In 1984, he had an ongoing role in ''

Hot Pursuit Hot pursuit (also known as fresh or immediate pursuit) is the urgent and direct pursuit of a criminal suspect by peace officer, law enforcement officers, or by belligerents under international rules of engagement for military forces. Such a situa ...

'', as the character Alec Shaw. Preston has made numerous guest appearances in television series, including ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American Action television, action television series that ran on NBC from January 23, 1983, to March 8, 1987, about a fictional team of former United States Army Special Forces who work as mercenaries while on the run from ...

'', ''

Max Headroom Max Headroom is a fictional character played by actor Matt Frewer. Advertised as "the first computer-generated TV presenter", Max was known for his biting commentary on a variety of topical issues, arrogant wit, stuttering, and pitch-shifting ...

'', ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series. It centers on a high-technology attack helicopter, code-named '' Airwolf'', and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War the ...

'', ''

Scarecrow and Mrs. King ''Scarecrow and Mrs. King'' is an American television series that aired from October 3, 1983, to May 28, 1987, on CBS. The music underscore was composed by Arthur B. Rubinstein. The show starred Kate Jackson and Bruce Boxleitner, as divorced ...

'', ''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with ...

'', ''

Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth (given name), Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena, and Helen (given name), Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: * Elle ...

'', and '' Highlander''. He also made an appearance in the series ''

Baywatch Nights ''Baywatch Nights'' is an American science-fiction mystery drama television series that aired in syndication from 1995 to 1997. Created by Douglas Schwartz, David Hasselhoff, and Gregory J. Bonann, the series is a spin-off from the telev ...

''. Preston has also acted in films. His first feature film was ''Surabaya Conspiracy'' (1969); other film roles included playing Pappagallo in ''

Mad Max 2 ''Mad Max 2'' (released as ''The Road Warrior'' in the United States) is a 1981 Australian Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic Utopian and dystopian fiction, dystopian action film directed by George Miller (filmmaker), G ...

'' (1981), his best-known role, and Jared-Syn in the science fiction B-movie '' Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn'' (1983). He was nominated for the 1979

AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role The AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role is an award presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), a non-profit organisation whose aim is to "identify, award, promote and celebrate Australia's greatest achieve ...

for his role in '' The Last of the Knucklemen'' and he won two Logies for most popular male personality in Victoria.

Selected TV and filmography

*Climb Up the Wall - (1960) - Himself, (singing next to the ''

Albert Memorial The Albert Memorial is a Gothic Revival Ciborium (architecture), ciborium in Kensington Gardens, London, designed and dedicated to the memory of Albert, Prince Consort, Prince Albert of Great Britain. Located directly north of the Royal Albert Ha ...

)'' *''Surabaya Conspiracy'' (1969) - Steven Blessing *'' Barney'' (1976) - O'Shaughnessy *'' The Last of the Knucklemen'' (1979) - Pansy *'' Maybe This Time'' (1981) - Paddy *''

'' (1981) - Pappagallo *'' Duet for Four'' (1982) - Ray Martin *'' Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn'' (1983) - Jared-Syn *''

A Caribbean Mystery ''A Caribbean Mystery'' is a work of detective fiction by British writer Agatha Christie, first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on 16 November 1964 and in the United States by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edi ...

'' (1983, TV movie) - Arthur Jackson *'' Blade in Hong Kong'' (1985, TV movie) - Charters *''J.O.E. and the Colonel'' (1985, TV movie) - Schaefer *'' The Return of Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' (1986, TV movie) - David 'Dak' Anson Kola *''

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

'' (1987) - Evans (as Mike Preston) *''

'' (1987, TV series) - Jack Ware *'' Fame'' (1987, TV series) - Jack Ware *''Harry's Hong Kong'' (1987, TV movie) - Max Trumble *'' The Long Journey Home'' (1987, TV movie) - Frank Mota *''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

: The Case of the Lady in the Lake'' (1988, TV movie) - Waiter *''Exile'' (1990, TV Movie) - Rupe Murphy *''

Superboy Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...

'' (1990) - 2nd Police Officer *''

'' (1990) - Rigac *''

Jake and the Fatman ''Jake and the Fatman'' is an American crime drama television series starring William Conrad as prosecutor J. L. (Jason Lochinvar) "Fatman" McCabe and Joe Penny as investigator Jake Styles. Created by Dean Hargrove and Joel Steiger, the ser ...

'' (1991) - Vorster *''

Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *''Command ...

'' (1995, TV series) - Nick Schneider *'' Highlander: The Series'' (1995) - Terrence Kincaid *''

Steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

'' (1997) - Mr. Weston (uncredited) *'' The Getaway'' (2002, video game) - Harry 'The Hat' (voice)

Discography

*"A House, A Car And A Wedding Ring" / "My Lucky Love" (1958) – (US No. 93, Aust No. 18) (Decca) *"Why, Why Why" / "

Whispering Grass "Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees)" is a popular song written by Fred Fisher and his daughter Doris Fisher. The notion of "whispering grass" which reveals a person's secrets extends back to Greek mythology, notably the myth of Midas. The ...

" (1958) *"In Surabaya" / "

" (1959) *"

" / " Just Ask Your Heart" (1959) ( UK No. 12) *"Too Old" / "A Girl Like You" (1960) *"I'd Do Anything" / "Where Is Love" (1960) (UK No. 23) *"Togetherness" / "Farewell My Love" (1960) (UK No. 41) *"Marry Me" / "Girl Without a Heart" (1961) (UK No. 14) *" Punish Her" / "From the Very First Rose" (1963) *"Dear Heart" / "Wonderful, Wonderful World" (1968) (Aust No. 20 Kent chart, No. 34 Go-Set chart) (Spin Records) *"Christmas Alphabet" (1968) (Aust No. 71 Kent chart) (Spin Records) *"Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell" (1969) (Aust No. 64 Kent chart) (Spin Records) *"Why" (1972) (Aust No. 70) (Fable Records)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Preston, Michael 1938 births Living people English emigrants to Australia English male film actors English male singers English male soap opera actors Decca Records artists Actors from the London Borough of Hackney Male actors from London

Life and career

Selected TV and filmography

Discography

See also

References

External links