Mike King

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This article is about Mike King, New Zealand comedian and television personality. For the radio announcer named Mike King, see Mike King (radio announcer).

Mike King is a comedian and television personality famous in New Zealand for selling pork. Initially making his name as a stand up comedian, playing heavily on his Maori origins, he made the move to a more luractive mainstream audience, appearing in the New Zealand TV shows Comedy Central, Game of Two Halves, Strassman, TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes, Pulp Comedy and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. In 1997 he was nominated for the prestigious Billy T Award.

In 2003 Mike starred in his own talk show, Mike King Tonight which was produced by Greenstone Pictures. It was based heavily on The Late Show with David Letterman, and ran for only one season.

In 2004 he appeared in a second talk show, simply called Mike King. Although similar in concept to Mike King Tonight, the show was instead produced by Touchdown Television. It was shot on a smaller stage and no longer included the live band present in Mike King Tonight. It ran also for only one season.

While a happy-go-lucky person, who is very approachable personally, he revealed in 2006 that he had depression^{[citation needed]}. He has patron status in 'Phobic Trust'.

He is now the spokesman for "New Zealand Pork". He presents 30-second TV commercials showcasing quick-fix meals using pork known as Mike's Meals.

On Jan 14, 2007, Mike King collapsed in a Melbourne hotel and left him momentarily unconscious and partially paralyzed from blood clot in his blood vessel, and currently recovering in Melbourne's Alfred Hospital while attending for a poker championship in Melbourne (a prize he claimed after winning a poker tournament in Auckland, New Zealand) after a blood vessel caused burst on the back of his neck (in a very rare case). It is yet unknown whether he had a heart attack or stroke

His condition is stable and still in good spirits despite his father-in-law passed away last Monday.

His life was saved by his good friend and poker player Richard Lancaster. Richard found him in a state of paralysis and got Mike to the hospital very quickly. It is rumored that Richard's words of inspiration while Mike was in and out of stroke relapses is what saved Mikes life. Mike's rapid recovery from this very serious stroke is attributable to both the speed at which Mike was received at the hospital and the work of the team at Alfred Hospital. [1] [2]