King Kong

King Kong
King Kong
King Kong film series character
	King Kong as featured in promotional material for the original 1933 film
First appearance	King Kong (1933)
Created by	Merian C. Cooper
Portrayed by	Various Shoichi Hirose (1962); Haruo Nakajima (1967); Rick Baker (1976); Peter Elliott (1986); Andy Serkis (2005); Terry Notary (2017); Toby Kebbell (2017); Eric Petey (2021); Allan Henry (2021/2024);
Voiced by	Various Murray Spivack (1933 vocal effects); Bernard Cowan (The King Kong Show); Peter Cullen (1976 vocal effects); Peter Elliott (1986 vocal effects); Scott McNeil (Kong: The Animated Series, Kong: King of Atlantis, Kong: Return to the Jungle); Andy Serkis (2005 vocal effects); Lee Tockar (Kong: King of the Apes, Tarzan and Jane); Seth Green (The Lego Batman Movie); Dave Fennoy (Skull Island: Rise of Kong); Misty Lee (Skull Island: Rise of Kong);
Binomial nomenclature	Megaprimatus kong (2005); Tagu kong (Kong of Skull Island); Gorilla gigans (Kong Reborn); Titanus kong (Monsterverse);
In-universe information
Species	Giant gorilla-like ape
Family	Little Kong (1933); Lady Kong (1986); Baby Kong (1986); Deceased parents (MonsterVerse); Suko (MonsterVerse);
Home	Skull Island; Faro Island (King Kong vs. Godzilla); Mondo Island (The King Kong Show, King Kong Escapes); Kong Island (Kong: The Animated Series); Hollow Earth (MonsterVerse, Kong: King of the Apes);

King Kong, also referred to simply as Kong, is a fictional monster resembling a giant gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. The character has become an international pop culture icon, appearing in several movies, comics, videogames and television series.

His first appearance was in the novelization of the 1933 film King Kong from RKO Pictures, with the film premiering a little over two months later. A sequel quickly followed that same year with The Son of Kong, featuring Little Kong. The Japanese film company Toho later produced King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), featuring a giant Kong battling Toho's Godzilla, and King Kong Escapes (1967), a film loosely based on Rankin/Bass' The King Kong Show (1966–1969). In 1976, Dino De Laurentiis produced a modern remake of the original film directed by John Guillermin. A sequel, King Kong Lives, followed a decade later featuring a Lady Kong. Another remake of the original, set in 1933, was released in 2005 by filmmaker Peter Jackson.

Kong: Skull Island (2017), set in 1973, is part of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment's Monsterverse, which began with a reboot of Godzilla in 2014. A sequel, Godzilla vs. Kong was released in 2021. It was followed by the film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire in 2024, which featured more of Kong's kind.

King Kong has inspired a number of imitators, parodies, cartoons, books, comics, video games, theme park rides, and a stage play. The character has also crossed over into other franchises such as Godzilla, Planet of the Apes,, Doc Savage, Tarzan, and the Justice League. His role in the different narratives varies, ranging from an egregious monster to a tragic antihero.