Ross King, real name Derek Ross King (born Glasgow, Feb 1961), is a Scottish television presenter, actor and writer. He formerly presented shows on Radio Clyde from America and various local LA shows.
Currently, Ross can be seen daily on ITVBreakfast shows Daybreak and Lorraine as their Los Angeles/Hollywood Correspondent.
King made his first stage appearance in 1966 at the age of 5. He went on to appear on Radio Clyde aged 17 and made his television debut two years later.
He was chosen to present Young Krypton, a youth version of The Krypton Factor, from over 3,600 applicants. He went on to present numerous other television shows, including The 8:15 from Manchester and Pebble Mill.
From 1993 to 2010, King was the LA correspondent on GMTV. From September 2010 onwards, he is the LA correspondent for GMTV’s replacement shows Daybreak and Lorraine.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2002, King’s search for work was successful; he secured roles in a film with Steven Seagal and in the 2004 release The Day After Tomorrow before entering a reality TV competition run by local television station KTLA to find a new weather presenter. There were 5000 entrants to the competition, but King won and was offered a 5-year contract. However King did not want to commit to being a weather presenter for that length of time and struck a deal to present the weather for a year before becoming KTLA’s entertainment anchor.
Ross has been on national American television hosting The Hollywood Christmas Parade and The Critics Choice Movie Awards Red Carpet for VH1. For five years, Scottish born Ross was the Entertainment Anchor on KTLA/The CW Channel 5’s Prime News, winning 4 Emmys and a Golden Mic award along the way. He is also regularly seen on Australia’s Channel 9. Ross’ film credits include The Day After Tomorrow, Half Past Dead, Cruel Game, Do It For Uncle Manny , Trust Me playing US talk show host Ray Lungo and he played himself in the movies Young Hercules and Who’s Your Caddy. He voiced the role of “Jinkins” in Star Wars, Jedi Fighter 2 for Lucas Arts. He also hosted for British TV, ITV’s This Morning and Living TV specials on Will and Grace, CSI, According to Jim and Charmed. Before leaving London he played one of the leading roles in “Dick Whittington” which was London’s musical for the millennium at Sadlers Wells Theater in London’s West End. This production was directed by Gillian Lynne (Cats & Phantom of the Opera) and was nominated for a prestigious “Laurence Olivier Award”.
Ross played “Frank n Furter” in “The Rocky Horror Show” and starred in and hosted “Night of Stars” at London’s world famous Palladium Theatre. He also created the role of “Wallace” in the musical, “Summer Holiday” from the World Premiere in Blackpool through the National Tour to London’s Apollo Theatre. Other theatre includes lead roles in “Charley’s Aunt”, “Joseph”, “Butterfly Children” and “Guys and Dolls”.
His national TV career started after being chosen from over 3600 hopefuls to host ITV’s Young Krypton and since then he has hosted nearly thirty television series for BBC, ITV and Sky. From game shows to Children’s TV from documentaries to human interest programs. Ross’s shows have included Holiday, The Ross King Show, Hot Chefs, The 8.15 from Manchester, King of the Road, Run the Gauntlet, Quiz Night and for five years he hosted the BBC’s live daily chat and entertainment show Pebble Mill. His years on the programme involved him flying around the world filming in Europe, America, the Caribbean and South Africa, hosting TV specials from the Oscars and Cannes Film Festival. His relaxed and informal style has resulted in some of the best interviews with many of the world’s biggest stars including Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Robin Williams, Catherine Zeta Jones, Michael Douglas, Clint Eastwood, Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, John Travolta, Halle Berry, fellow Scots Sean Connery and Gerard Butler, Take That, Miley Cyrus,Justin Bieber , even Prime Minister Tony Blair . Never one to miss an opportunity he has also “sung and danced” with Diana Ross and Donald O’Connor . His worldwide interviews were recognized with an award from the Variety Club of Great Britain.
On radio Ross became Britain’s youngest daytime host on Scotland’s Radio Clyde winning many awards in the process the highlight being a prestigious Sony Award. He has hosted thousands of radio shows, including London’s Capital Radio, and the Euro Chart for the UK. On BBC’s National Radio 5 he hosted a variety of shows including Fantasy Football and received another Sony Award for coverage of the Olympics. On the UK’s national Talk Radio he hosted OK to Talk and Ross King’s Sports Stars. He also achieved a lifelong ambition co hosting the American Weekly Top 4o countdown alongside the Legendary DJ Rick Dees. His radio show The King in LA is syndicated across the UK. Ross is the voice of American Express in the UK.
Twitter @TheRossKing
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