A former stand-up comic-turned-television scribe, Michael Patrick King was one of the driving creative forces behind the television series and pop culture juggernaut “Sex and the City” (HBO, 1998-2004). Prior to that series’ inception, King had developed a reputation in Hollywood as a writer and producer with an ear for shows built around strong female characters like “Murphy Brown” (CBS, 1988-1998) and “Will & Grace” (NBC, 1998-2006). “Sex and the City” creator Darren Star recognized these traits and brought him on board as a writer and executive producer, where he helped to develop its four main characters as well as pen numerous scripts. He was richly rewarded for his work on the series, including two Emmys. In 2008, King returned to the “Sex and the City” universe as the producer and director of the hotly anticipated feature film version, which reunited its original cast and – much to the amazement of almost everyone who doubted the power of female moviegoers – opened in first place its opening weekend, besting the second week of “Indian Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008).
A native of Scranton, PA, King was born on Sept. 14, 1954. His initial show business interest was acting, and he moved to New York in the 1980s to try his hand at it. The results were less than satisfying, so he shifted his attention to work behind the scenes as a playwright and spent time moonlighting as a stand-up comic. Among the many talents with whom he crossed paths during this period was comic Mario Cantone, who later played manic event planner Anthony Marentino on “Sex and the City.” Almost out of the gate, King’s writing and comedy efforts were met with praise, and he soon found himself penning television scripts in Los Angeles. Producer Diane English was among the first to recognize his talents, hiring him as a writer and executive producer on her series “Murphy Brown,” which earned King his first Emmy nomination in 1993. Writing and producing duties soon followed on episodes of “Cybill” (CBS, 1995-98) and “Will and Grace.” King also made his first inroads as a director on the short-lived series “Good Advice” (CBS, 1993-94).
When producer Darren Star began developing writer Candace Bushnell’s popular New York Observer column “Sex and the City” as a television series, he tapped King to serve as one of the show’s chief writers and executive producers. King was largely responsible for crafting the identities of the show’s four main characters, played by Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, as strong, independent women who actively sought out and fought for love, respect and intimacy in their relationships. The show was quickly praised for these attributes, as well as for the crispness of the writing and its glamorous costumes and settings. By the time the show had run its course in 2004, “Sex and the City” was a bonafide cultural touchstone for women, gay men and more than a few straight men, earning seven Emmys and eight Golden Globes, as well as countless other accolades. For his work on the show, King netted two Emmys for his direction and three Producers Guild Awards, as well as numerous nominations.
After the media blitz surrounding the finale of “Sex and the City” subsided, King went to work as writer and producer for another HBO program, this time with “Friends” (NBC, 1994-2004) star Lisa Kudrow. “The Comeback” (HBO, 2005) was a biting single camera comedy about a one-time TV star (Kudrow) who struggles to regain her footing in Hollywood by taking a humiliating role in a terrible TV sitcom. The show received mixed ratings from critics, who singled out Kudrow’s performance as its strongest element. Ultimately, it was pulled from the HBO lineup in late 2005.
After “The Comeback,” King worked on an Off-Off Broadway revue titled “At Least It’s Pink” and collaborated with The Other Writers Room Network, an audio series for aspiring comedy scribes, to provide advice and perspective on writing in Hollywood. In 2007, he was tapped to write and direct the big-screen version of “Sex and the City” for New Line Cinema. The film project, which was initially slated for a 2004 release date but was reportedly pushed due to personal conflicts between Parker (who served with King as one of the film’s executive producers) and Cattrall, who wanted a more substantial salary, hit theaters in May 2008 to positive reviews and an impressive box office response by the show’s loyal followers. The film’s debut became, in fact, a reason for girlfriends to gather en masse to watch their Fab Four, proving the studio mentality that women could not open films completely short-sighted.
Though his writing, directing and production duties kept him exceptionally busy, King occasionally found time to return to his acting roots. He played an HBO publicist on a 1999 episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO, 1999- ), and portrayed a mental patient in a 2003 episode of “Sex and the City.” King also paid tribute to the late comic Judy Toll in the 2007 documentary “Judy Toll: The Funniest Woman You’ve Never Heard Of.”