Posted on 02/25/2006 2:50:35 PM PST by lunarbicep
It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Darren McGavin at approximately 7:10 A.M. Pacific time today, Saturday 25, 2006. Darren was just three months short of his 84th birthday. While we suspect none of us can imagine a world without the beloved, feisty little red-head, it is time to reflect, give thanks for his life and hold in reverence his memory. Darren is gone, but in many respects he will always be with us: as Carl Kolchak, fighting authority and battling monsters; the grumpy Old Man sending curses over Lake Michigan; as David Ross, the outsider, Grey Holden, captain of the Enterprise, the irascible detective Mike Hammer or any number of memorable guest star appearances, most notably as Joe Bascome on GUNSMOKE and as the washed-up old actor from "Distant Signals."
Please take a moment in your sadness to reflect upon all the ways Darren touched your lives, say a prayer and raise a glass to toast a career which spanned over fifty years and affected us all in ways too numerous to count.
Night Stalker used to scare the crap out of me as a kid.
Naw, the Millennium I'm talking about was a TV in the late 90s. He played the estranged father of Lance Henrikson's character.
I think he actually died on the 24th but released the information today.
Don Knotts that is.
>>>When did Don Knotts die? I missed that news.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1585554/posts
Night Stalker was one of the best shows in the 70's. A group of us kids would have sleep overs and stay up watching scary movies and Night Stalker was the initial show every Friday before the Acre Creature Feature came on.
Back then, we would go to the store during the day, each of us with a dollar and buy a bag of candy. Then, hopped on sugar, we would stay up half the night, but never moving around as we were too scared to move.
Dariin will be sorely missed.
ping
Requiescat in pace.
"for the trekkies, Darren was married to the lady from episode "Wink of an Eye"
Yes, that was Kathie Browne. She died a few years ago in her mid 60s.
"I Loved him in the RIVERBOAT TV Series"
Wow, I'm thrilled to see that someone else remembers that show. It was great. I can still see him on the top level of the boat with his dark cap and white shirt. He was just a wonderful actor who was much underrated. You could put him into any role and he could pull it off.
I also loved him in The Night Stalker. Also you could count Al Lewis as the 3rd actor to die.
"Grey Holden, captain of the Enterprise"
Huh?
I have loved Darren McGavin since I was a wee lass--I probably was the only five year old girl who watched The Night Stalker religiously. It was, and still is, my 'special favorite' from childhood.
If you haven't seen "Zathura," you get a brief glimpse of the infamous leg lamp in the corner in one scene. Peter Billingsley (Ralphie) was the producer of the film!
Watching "A Christmas Story" this year is going to be very bitersweet, indeed.
Godspeed, Old Man. You will be missed.
I never saw him as Mike Hammer. I only remember the 80's Mike Hammer, I think played by Stacy Keech.
It seems that this is used quite often to get really great emotions out of even excellent actors. I remember reading that in the "chest bursting" scene in Alien, only the crew and John Hurt knew exactly what was going to happen. The rest of the actors knew that there was going to be something happening with Hurt's chest, but they didn't expect to be doused in blood, or see his chest explode. I read that the other actress (not Weaver) really freaked out, and they had to halt filming for a while.
Mark
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