Severn Darden

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

89

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

  • The Bionic Woman

    The Bionic Woman

  • Faerie Tale Theatre

    Faerie Tale Theatre

  • Barney Miller

    Barney Miller

  • Starsky & Hutch

    Starsky & Hutch

  • Daniel Boone

    Daniel Boone

  • I Dream of Jeannie

    I Dream of Jeannie

  • The Fall Guy

    The Fall Guy

  • Kolchak: The Night Stalker

    Kolchak: The Night Stalker

  • Wanda Nevada

    Wanda Nevada

  • Baretta

    Baretta

  • Laverne & Shirley

    Laverne & Shirley

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Name of the Game

    The Name of the Game

  • Alias Smith and Jones

    Alias Smith and Jones

  • Justine

    Justine

  • Playmates

    Playmates

  • Goldstein

    Goldstein

  • The Monkees

    The Monkees

  • The Telephone

    The Telephone

  • Harry O

    Harry O

  • Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You

    Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You

  • Luv

    Luv

  • Honey West

    Honey West

  • The Movie Murderer

    The Movie Murderer

  • Quarterback Princess

    Quarterback Princess

  • Dirty Little Billy

    Dirty Little Billy

  • I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?

    I Wonder Who's Killing Her Now?

  • They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

    They Shoot Horses, Don't They?

  • The Disappearance of Aimee

    The Disappearance of Aimee

  • Flying High

    Flying High

  • Battle for the Planet of the Apes

    Battle for the Planet of the Apes

  • The Mad Room

    The Mad Room

  • The Last Movie

    The Last Movie

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

  • A Small Circle of Friends

    A Small Circle of Friends

  • Bongo Wolf’s Revenge

    Bongo Wolf’s Revenge

  • P.J.

    P.J.

  • Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

    Conquest of the Planet of the Apes

  • Beyond Westworld

    Beyond Westworld

  • The Practice

    The Practice

  • City of Angels

    City of Angels

  • Back to School

    Back to School

  • Barbary Coast

    Barbary Coast

  • Occasional Wife

    Occasional Wife

  • Love for Rent

    Love for Rent

  • Vanishing Point

    Vanishing Point

  • Real Genius

    Real Genius

  • Model Shop

    Model Shop

  • Saturday the 14th

    Saturday the 14th

  • Getting Together

    Getting Together

  • To See or Not to See

    To See or Not to See

  • Hopscotch

    Hopscotch

  • Half Nelson

    Half Nelson

  • Cisco Pike

    Cisco Pike

  • Lincoln

    Lincoln

  • The Man and the City

    The Man and the City

  • Play It as It Lays

    Play It as It Lays

  • Barefoot in the Park

    Barefoot in the Park

  • Take Five

    Take Five

  • Jackson County Jail

    Jackson County Jail

  • The President's Analyst

    The President's Analyst

  • Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

    Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round

  • The Day of the Dolphin

    The Day of the Dolphin

  • Victory at Entebbe

    Victory at Entebbe

  • Beauty and the Beast

    Beauty and the Beast

  • The Hired Hand

    The Hired Hand

  • Rooster

    Rooster

  • Skyway to Death

    Skyway to Death

  • Evita Peron

    Evita Peron

  • Mother, Jugs & Speed

    Mother, Jugs & Speed

  • The War Between Men and Women

    The War Between Men and Women

  • In God We Tru$t

    In God We Tru$t

  • The Princess Who Had Never Laughed

    The Princess Who Had Never Laughed

  • Why Would I Lie?

    Why Would I Lie?

  • The Virgin President

    The Virgin President

  • Fearless Frank

    Fearless Frank

  • Orphan Train

    Orphan Train

  • The Legend of Hillbilly John

    The Legend of Hillbilly John

  • A Cry for Love

    A Cry for Love

  • Rendezvous Hotel

    Rendezvous Hotel

  • Outside Chance

    Outside Chance

  • The Double-Barrelled Detective Story

    The Double-Barrelled Detective Story

  • Once Upon a Midnight Scary

    Once Upon a Midnight Scary

  • Werewolves on Wheels

    Werewolves on Wheels

  • Never Con a Killer

    Never Con a Killer

  • The Man Who Died Twice

    The Man Who Died Twice

  • Point of View

    Point of View