The story of the man.
This is a movie about the life of Israel's king David.
King David (1985) is a action, adventure, history and drama film directed by Bruce Beresford, released on March 29, 1985 with a runtime of 1h 54m. It stars Richard Gere, Edward Woodward, Denis Quilley and Alice Krige. Viewers rate it 5.7 out of 10 across 67 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for King David before you stream it.
Richard Gere
as King David
Edward Woodward
as King Saul
Denis Quilley
as Prophet Samuel
Alice Krige
as Bathsheba
Cherie Lunghi
as Michal
John Castle
as Abner
George Eastman
as Goliath
Tomas Milian
as Akiss (uncredited)
Niall Buggy
as Nathan
Hurd Hatfield
as Ahimelech
Jack Klaff
as Jonathan
Tim Woodward
as Joab
Directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Andrew Birkin, James Costigan and James Costigan, produced by Martin Elfand.
Average viewer score of 5.7/10 from 67 ratings.
***Good but lacks the detail to make it great*** David is my favorite biblical character aside from JC himself. I never tire of reading the events of his life: the trials & perseverance, the agonies & ecstasies, the successes and failures. "King David" (1985) stars Richard Gere in the titular role and covers the bulk of the events. You’ll see all the following happenings in the picture: Samuel's choosing of David…
Reviewed on April 22, 2019
I never quite understood why Richard Gere became the Hollywood superstar he did, and films like this don't really help. It's a standard production depicting the rise to the throne of Israel of David. We start just as God is getting a bit irked with the behaviour of King Saul (Edward Woodward) and the prophet Samuel (Denis Quilley) decides that the young David is to succeed. The King isn't so impressed with this and…
Reviewed on November 14, 2024
King David (1985) can feel silly and surreal in retrospect and perhaps even did a little at the time. A future Buddhist plays a legendary Jewish king, and the little cymbal boy that precedes the prophet Samuel (Denis Quilley) anywhere he goes reminded me of Patsy “riding” in front of King Arthur while banging a pair of coconuts together — a reference that would have been only 10 years old when King David was…
Reviewed on June 27, 2026
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King David (1985) is currently available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube and Fandango At Home. No subscription streaming option is listed right now, so availability may change.
The main cast of King David (1985) includes Richard Gere, Edward Woodward, Denis Quilley, Alice Krige and Cherie Lunghi. The film was directed by Bruce Beresford. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
King David was released on March 29, 1985 and runs for 1h 54m.
King David (1985) holds an average rating of 5.7 out of 10 from 67 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy action, adventure and history films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official King David trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
