Severn Darden

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

87

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

  • Starsky & Hutch

    Starsky & Hutch

  • I Dream of Jeannie

    I Dream of Jeannie

  • Daniel Boone

    Daniel Boone

  • Barney Miller

    Barney Miller

  • The Six Million Dollar Man

    The Six Million Dollar Man

  • The Name of the Game

    The Name of the Game

  • Baretta

    Baretta

  • The Fall Guy

    The Fall Guy

  • Laverne & Shirley

    Laverne & Shirley

  • Harry O

    Harry O

  • The Bionic Woman

    The Bionic Woman

  • Faerie Tale Theatre

    Faerie Tale Theatre

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Monkees

    The Monkees

  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker

    Kolchak: The Night Stalker

  • Alias Smith and Jones

    Alias Smith and Jones

  • Honey West

    Honey West

  • Once Upon a Midnight Scary

    Once Upon a Midnight Scary

  • Saturday the 14th

    Saturday the 14th

  • Occasional Wife

    Occasional Wife

  • Real Genius

    Real Genius

  • Jackson County Jail

    Jackson County Jail

  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes

    Battle for the Planet of the Apes

  • City of Angels

    City of Angels

  • Quarterback Princess

    Quarterback Princess

  • Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

    Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

  • Back to School

    Back to School

  • The Double-Barrelled Detective Story

    The Double-Barrelled Detective Story

  • The President's Analyst

    The President's Analyst

  • Fearless Frank

    Fearless Frank

  • Vanishing Point

    Vanishing Point

  • The Movie Murderer

    The Movie Murderer

  • Flying High

    Flying High

  • Skyway to Death

    Skyway to Death

  • Mother, Jugs & Speed

    Mother, Jugs & Speed

  • Barbary Coast

    Barbary Coast

  • Play It as It Lays

    Play It as It Lays

  • Why Would I Lie?

    Why Would I Lie?

  • Never Con a Killer

    Never Con a Killer

  • The War Between Men and Women

    The War Between Men and Women

  • Rooster

    Rooster

  • The Day of the Dolphin

    The Day of the Dolphin

  • The Hired Hand

    The Hired Hand

  • Orphan Train

    Orphan Train

  • Victory at Entebbe

    Victory at Entebbe

  • The Practice

    The Practice

  • Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

    Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

  • Outside Chance

    Outside Chance

  • They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

    They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

  • Hopscotch

    Hopscotch

  • Goldstein

    Goldstein

  • Beyond Westworld

    Beyond Westworld

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • A Cry for Love

    A Cry for Love

  • The Man Who Died Twice

    The Man Who Died Twice

  • Evita Peron

    Evita Peron

  • To See or Not to See

    To See or Not to See

  • Half Nelson

    Half Nelson

  • Wanda Nevada

    Wanda Nevada

  • Luv

    Luv

  • The Last Movie

    The Last Movie

  • Getting Together

    Getting Together

  • Lincoln

    Lincoln

  • The Man and the City

    The Man and the City

  • Barefoot in the Park

    Barefoot in the Park

  • The Disappearance of Aimee

    The Disappearance of Aimee

  • A Small Circle of Friends

    A Small Circle of Friends

  • Cisco Pike

    Cisco Pike

  • Take Five

    Take Five

  • The Virgin President

    The Virgin President

  • Justine

    Justine

  • Werewolves on Wheels

    Werewolves on Wheels

  • Dirty Little Billy

    Dirty Little Billy

  • In God We Tru$t

    In God We Tru$t

  • The Telephone

    The Telephone

  • Bongo Wolf’s Revenge

    Bongo Wolf’s Revenge

  • The Legend of Hillbilly John

    The Legend of Hillbilly John

  • Playmates

    Playmates

  • The Mad Room

    The Mad Room

  • Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You

    Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You

  • Love for Rent

    Love for Rent

  • P.J.

    P.J.

  • I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?

    I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?

  • Beauty and the Beast

    Beauty and the Beast

  • Model Shop

    Model Shop

  • Rendezvous Hotel

    Rendezvous Hotel