McGavin, 'A
Christmas Story' father, dies at 83
Sunday, February 26, 2006; Posted: 9:13 p.m. EST
(02:13 GMT)
LOS ANGELES, California (AP)
-- Darren McGavin was painting a movie set in
1945 when he learned of an opening for a small
role in the show, climbed off his ladder, and
returned through Columbia's front gates to land
the part.
The husky,
tough-talking performer went on to become one of
the busiest actors in television and film,
starring in five TV series, including "Mike
Hammer," and endearing holiday audiences with
his role as the grouchy dad in the 1983 comedy
classic "A Christmas Story." |
 |
| Darren McGavin,
who died Saturday, shown in a 1992 photo. |
McGavin, 83, died
Saturday of natural causes at a Los Angeles-area
hospital with his family at his side, said his son
Bogart McGavin.
McGavin also had leading roles in TV's "Riverboat" and
cult favorite "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." Among his
memorable portrayals was U.S. Army Gen. George Patton in
the 1979 TV biography "Ike." (Watch McGavin talk about
why he loved acting -- 3:24)
Despite his busy career in television, McGavin was
awarded only one Emmy: in 1990 for an appearance as
Candice Bergen's opinionated father in an episode of
"Murphy Brown."
He lacked the prominence in films he enjoyed in
television, but he registered strongly in featured roles
such as the young artist in Venice in "Summertime,"
David Lean's 1955 film with Katharine Hepburn and
Rosanno Brazzi; Frank Sinatra's crafty drug supplier in
"The Man with the Golden Arm" (1955); Jerry Lewis's
parole officer in "The Delicate Delinquent" (1957); and
the gambler Gus Sands in 1984's "The Natural" that
starred Robert Redford.
He also starred alongside Don Knotts, who died Friday
night, in the 1976 family comedy "No Deposit, No
Return."
Throughout his television career, McGavin gained a
reputation as a curmudgeon willing to bad-mouth his
series and combat studio bosses.
McGavin starred in the private eye series "Mike Hammer"
in the 1950s. In 1968 he told a reporter: "Hammer was a
dummy. I made 72 of those shows, and I thought it was a
comedy. In fact, I played it camp. He was the kind of
guy who would've waved the flag for [Alabama Gov.]
George Wallace."
Troubled childhood
Born in Spokane, Washington, McGavin was sketchy in
interviews about his childhood. He told TV Guide in 1973
that he was a constant runaway at 10 and 11, and as a
teen lived in warehouses in Tacoma, Washington, and
dodged the police and welfare workers. His parents
disappeared, he said.
He spent a year at College of the Pacific in Stockton,
California, taking part in dramatics, then landed in Los
Angeles. He washed dishes and was hired to paint sets at
Columbia studio. He was working on "A Song to Remember"
when an agent told him of an opening for a small role.
"I climbed off a painter's ladder and washed up at a
nearby gas station," McGavin said. "I returned through
Columbia's front gate with the agent." The director,
Charles Vidor, hired him. No one recognized him but the
paint foreman, who said, "You're fired."
McGavin studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse and the
Actors Studio and began working in live TV drama and on
Broadway. He appeared with Charlton Heston in "Macbeth"
on TV and played Happy in "Death of a Salesman" in New
York and on the road.
He is survived by his four children -- York, Megan,
Bridget and Bogart -- from a previous marriage to
Melanie York McGavin, Bogart McGavin said. McGavin was
separated from his second wife, Kathy Brown, he said.
Services were set for March 5 at Hollywood Forever
Cemetery.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights
reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast,
rewritten, or redistributed.
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