Severn Darden

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

88

Gender

Male

Birthday

1929-11-09

Day of death

1995-05-27 (65 years old)

Place of Birth

-

Severn Darden

Biography

Severn Teakle Darden Jr. (November 9, 1929 – May 27, 1995) was an American comedian and actor, and a founding member of The Second City Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass Players. He is known from his film appearances for playing the human leader Kolp in the fourth and fifth Planet of the Apes films. His live comedy improv skit under the character of "Walther von der Vogelweide" was influential with two generations of comic performers. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he attended the University of Chicago, where he was a "campus legend" according to poet Paul Carroll. Darden’s offbeat and intellectual sense of humor was a major element in the style of The Second City at that time, and is evident throughout his work. Carroll described him as a combination of surrealistic New Orleans and tough, caustic "Chicago Style" comedy. An example of his offbeat humor is the way he squeezed the phrase "Know thyself" into the seven-character limitation of a New Mexico license plate: NOYOSEF. Darden was a core comedian in Paul Sills' Compass Players, the first improvisation theater in the US; it performed around the Chicago area during the mid-1950s. Sills went on to found The Second City in 1959 and brought in many of the comedians from Compass Players, including Darden.

Known For

  • Cheers

    Cheers

  • The Six Million Dollar Man

    The Six Million Dollar Man

  • I Dream of Jeannie

    I Dream of Jeannie

  • The Fall Guy

    The Fall Guy

  • Faerie Tale Theatre

    Faerie Tale Theatre

  • Barney Miller

    Barney Miller

  • Daniel Boone

    Daniel Boone

  • Starsky & Hutch

    Starsky & Hutch

  • Laverne & Shirley

    Laverne & Shirley

  • The Bionic Woman

    The Bionic Woman

  • The Name of the Game

    The Name of the Game

  • The Monkees

    The Monkees

  • Baretta

    Baretta

  • Harry O

    Harry O

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • Alias Smith and Jones

    Alias Smith and Jones

  • Honey West

    Honey West

  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker

    Kolchak: The Night Stalker

  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes

    Battle for the Planet of the Apes

  • Fearless Frank

    Fearless Frank

  • The Man Who Died Twice

    The Man Who Died Twice

  • Real Genius

    Real Genius

  • Flying High

    Flying High

  • Playmates

    Playmates

  • Cisco Pike

    Cisco Pike

  • Vanishing Point

    Vanishing Point

  • Wanda Nevada

    Wanda Nevada

  • Half Nelson

    Half Nelson

  • Justine

    Justine

  • Quarterback Princess

    Quarterback Princess

  • In God We Tru$t

    In God We Tru$t

  • Hopscotch

    Hopscotch

  • Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

    Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

  • The Telephone

    The Telephone

  • Goldstein

    Goldstein

  • They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

    They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

  • Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

    Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

  • Victory at Entebbe

    Victory at Entebbe

  • City of Angels

    City of Angels

  • The Day of the Dolphin

    The Day of the Dolphin

  • Barbary Coast

    Barbary Coast

  • Jackson County Jail

    Jackson County Jail

  • Outside Chance

    Outside Chance

  • Why Would I Lie?

    Why Would I Lie?

  • The Hired Hand

    The Hired Hand

  • Beyond Westworld

    Beyond Westworld

  • Back to School

    Back to School

  • Saturday the 14th

    Saturday the 14th

  • The War Between Men and Women

    The War Between Men and Women

  • P.J.

    P.J.

  • The Practice

    The Practice

  • Model Shop

    Model Shop

  • Play It as It Lays

    Play It as It Lays

  • Skyway to Death

    Skyway to Death

  • The Last Movie

    The Last Movie

  • Luv

    Luv

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • Occasional Wife

    Occasional Wife

  • The Legend of Hillbilly John

    The Legend of Hillbilly John

  • Dirty Little Billy

    Dirty Little Billy

  • The Movie Murderer

    The Movie Murderer

  • Mother, Jugs & Speed

    Mother, Jugs & Speed

  • To See or Not to See

    To See or Not to See

  • Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You

    Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You

  • The Double-Barrelled Detective Story

    The Double-Barrelled Detective Story

  • A Small Circle of Friends

    A Small Circle of Friends

  • The President's Analyst

    The President's Analyst

  • The Princess Who Had Never Laughed

    The Princess Who Had Never Laughed

  • A Cry for Love

    A Cry for Love

  • Never Con a Killer

    Never Con a Killer

  • The Disappearance of Aimee

    The Disappearance of Aimee

  • Rooster

    Rooster

  • Evita Peron

    Evita Peron

  • The Mad Room

    The Mad Room

  • The Man and the City

    The Man and the City

  • Love for Rent

    Love for Rent

  • Werewolves on Wheels

    Werewolves on Wheels

  • The Virgin President

    The Virgin President

  • Lincoln

    Lincoln

  • Getting Together

    Getting Together

  • Barefoot in the Park

    Barefoot in the Park

  • Bongo Wolf’s Revenge

    Bongo Wolf’s Revenge

  • I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?

    I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?

  • Take Five

    Take Five

  • Orphan Train

    Orphan Train

  • Beauty and the Beast

    Beauty and the Beast

  • Once Upon a Midnight Scary

    Once Upon a Midnight Scary

  • Rendezvous Hotel

    Rendezvous Hotel