Zalman King

Zalman King (born Zalman King Lefkowitz; May 23, 1942 – February 3, 2012) was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His films are known for incorporating sexuality, and are often categorized as erotica.

In 1964, King played a gang member in "Memo from Purgatory", an episode of the television series The Alfred Hitchcock Hour written by Harlan Ellison and featuring actors James Caan and Walter Koenig. Between 1965 and 1967 King appeared in 5 episodes of the TV show Gunsmoke. In a 1967 episode he played the title character, the outlaw "Muley". His character shoots Marshal Matt Dillon as part of a plan to rob the Dodge City Bank, but as he and his gang are waiting for Dillon to recover (so they can try again to kill him), Muley falls in love with one of the girls at the Long Branch Saloon, which thwarts the plan.

King played "The Man" in the 3rd episode of the first season of Adam-12. His character was an apparent drug addict who kidnaps an infant at gunpoint and Officer Malloy disarms him by some reverse psychology. From September 1970 until May 1971, King played attorney Aaron Silverman on the drama The Young Lawyers, broadcast on the ABC television network. King later contributed a unique delivery to Trip with the Teacher (1975), portraying the psychopathic Al, a murderous motorbiker. His film credits included roles in Stranger on the Run (1967), You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat (1971), The Ski Bum (1971), Neither by Day nor by Night (1972), Some Call It Loving (1973), Trip with the Teacher (1975), The Passover Plot (1976), Blue Sunshine (1978), and Lee Grant's directorial debut feature film Tell Me a Riddle (1980). In 1981 he was featured as Baelon, a rescue team leader in Roger Corman's cult SF horror film, Galaxy of Terror.

His last appearance is an audio commentary/interview on the biker film TRIP WITH THE TEACHER for Code Red DVD.

King directed several films, including Two Moon Junction (1988), Wild Orchid (1990), Wild Orchid II: Two Shades of Blue (1991) and Red Shoe Diaries (1992), which became a long-running television series for Showtime network. It spawned many sequels.He directed and co-wrote the movie In God's Hands (1998).

He collaborated with director Adrian Lyne on the film 9½ Weeks which starred Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke. He produced (and usually directed) the television series and film ChromiumBlue.com and Showtime series Body Language. He directed the 1995 film Delta of Venus based on the book by Anaïs Nin. His last film before his death was Pleasure or Pain which starred Malena Morgan and had Asun Ortega in a bit part.

King was married to writer/producer Patricia Louisiana Knop, with whom he collaborated on many projects, such as writing Wild Orchid, Delta of Venus and 9½ Weeks as well as many episodes of Red Shoe Diaries. The couple had two daughters.

Zalman King died on February 3, 2012, aged 69, from cancer.