Television and film star Alison King is best known for her roles as Lynda Block in the British series Dream Team and  Carla Connor in the long-running soap opera Coronation Street. She has also had international exposure, appearing in the U.S. film Shanghai Nights. King is regarded a British sex symbol as well as an accomplished television actress in her own right.

Born March 3, 1973 in Leicester, England, King had early aspirations; she played young Millie Webster on Coronation Street at the tender age of just nine. King's career halted briefly, and as an adult she worked in a dental office, but it wasn't long before the young beauty returned to acting. King's television career revived with several appearances in Brookside, a soap opera that took place in Liverpool, England. Her stint with Brookside was followed by another English soap, Emmerdale; she made appearances in the well-known series in 1993-1994 and again in 1997.

Over the next several years, King continued to obtain acting work in small but frequent parts. During this period King made a guest appearance in the drama Mile High, playing Nigel Croker's wife, and in Coupling (Series II--"The Man with Two Legs"), a sitcom. In 1998, Alison achieved her greatest success to date and the one that would raise her to sex-kitten status: the role of Lynda Block in the television series Dream Team, which aired on Sky One. The character cast King in a beguiling light as the sexy chief executive of the fictional Harchester United football (soccer) team. Alison's character of Lynda Block is noted as being one of the longest-running roles on the show, with an impressive 230 episodes.

Alison's Dream Team exposure brought her wider recognition. She appeared in the U.S. film Shanghai Nights alongside actors Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson in 2003. Though she was cast only as an extra, this international exposure helped garner respect for the actress and broadened her portfolio. She kept busy with recurring Daz soap television ads, supporting roles in the comedy-drama Help and in the films Submerged and Final Contract: Death on Delivery. The work continued to roll in, and in 2006 King appeared in two independent films, Save Angel Hope and Back in Business. Then, in December of of the same year, Alison returned to Coronation Street, this time in a much more prominent role. King's character, Carla Connor, was popular among viewers and spotlighted King's talents as a dramatic actress. Her involvement in the respected series, which has been on the air since 1960 and is considered the gold standard of British soaps, coupled with her earlier work on Dream Team, has made King a household name.

Currently unmarried, Ms. King was briefly engaged to fellow Dream Team actor Jim Alexander; however, the couple announced their split in 2007. King is modest about her public popularity and her sex-symbol status. "I was a very ugly child," she is quoted as having insisted. "I looked like a monkey."