A remarkably seasoned actor of stage, screen and television, Darren McGavin has notched in excess of 200 performances; however, he is most fondly remembered by cult TV fans as heroic newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak in the classic but short-lived horror TV series _"Kolchak: The Night Stalker" . He died on 25th February 2006 at the age of 83.
Separated from Melanie York in September, 1966.
Children by Melanie York : Megan, Bridget, York, and Bogart.
He was indeed "curiously" uncredited in The Natural . During the filming of the movie, Robert Redford was so pleased with McGavins portrayal of his character that they began to expand the role. However, after a certain point, union rules dictated that the actors contract needed to be renegotiated for salary and billing. After haggling on salary, and holding up production of the movie because of it, the billing had to be decided. Apparently, McGavin became somewhat fed up with the proceedings and instructed his agent to waive his billing entirely so they could get back to filming.
Studied Martial Arts when he was starting his career as an actor for his acting abilities.
Studied acting at New York Citys prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse under legendary acting coach, Sanford Meisner.
Received a B.F.A. in Theatre / Acting from the prestigious Actors Studio, New School University in New York City.
Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Actors Branch).
Received a special tribute as part of the Annual Memorial tribute at The 79th Annual Academy Awards .
He studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
Was a lifelong staunch liberal Democrat.
Was to assume the Larry Hagman role of "Major Anthony (Tony) Nelson" for the sixth season of "I Dream of Jeannie" , but NBC canceled the series before production began.
As a tribute to the original Night Stalker Darrin McGavin, in a newsroom scene in the pilot, the image of Darren McGavin (the original Kolchak from the 1970s movies and television series) can be seen standing at one of the desks, dressed as the 1970s Kolchak, chatting with one of the reporters. This image was digitally sampled from an episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker , and placed into the scene.
