Severn Darden
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div class="center-justified"> Born Name: Severn Teakle Darden Jr.
Born Date: November 9, 1929
Born Place: New Orleans, Louisiana
Died Date: May 27, 1995
Died Place: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Occupations: Actor, comedian, improv pioneer
Brief Biography: Severn Teakle Darden Jr. known as a founding member of the Chicago-based Compass Players and The Second City. Renowned for his intellectual, offbeat humor and improvisational skill, he frequently portrayed eccentric, authoritarian, or slightly mad characters in film and television during the 1960s through the 1980s.
Early Life and Career:
Education: He attended the University of Chicago, where he became a "campus legend" for his wit.
Improv Roots: He was a core member of Paul Sills' Compass Players in the mid-1950s, the first professional improvisational theater in the US.
Second City: In 1959, he helped found The Second City in Chicago, where his improvisational monologues—specifically as the character "Walther von der Vogelweide"—influenced generations of comedians.
Film and Television Roles:
Darden moved to Hollywood, where he became a prolific character actor, often playing villains, doctors, or eccentric officials.
Planet of the Apes: He is well-known for playing the human leader Kolp in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).
The President's Analyst (1967): Played the memorable Soviet agent Kropotkin.
Real Genius (1985): Portrayed the befuddled college dean.
Other Film Credits: Included Luv (1967), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), The Hired Hand (1971), Vanishing Point (1971), and Back to School (1986).
Television: Appeared on Car 54, Where Are You?, The Monkees, Columbo, Cheers, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
div class="center-justified"> Born Name: Severn Teakle Darden Jr.
Born Date: November 9, 1929
Born Place: New Orleans, Louisiana
Died Date: May 27, 1995
Died Place: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Occupations: Actor, comedian, improv pioneer
Brief Biography: Severn Teakle Darden Jr. known as a founding member of the Chicago-based Compass Players and The Second City. Renowned for his intellectual, offbeat humor and improvisational skill, he frequently portrayed eccentric, authoritarian, or slightly mad characters in film and television during the 1960s through the 1980s.
Early Life and Career:
Education: He attended the University of Chicago, where he became a "campus legend" for his wit.
Improv Roots: He was a core member of Paul Sills' Compass Players in the mid-1950s, the first professional improvisational theater in the US.
Second City: In 1959, he helped found The Second City in Chicago, where his improvisational monologues—specifically as the character "Walther von der Vogelweide"—influenced generations of comedians.
Film and Television Roles:
Darden moved to Hollywood, where he became a prolific character actor, often playing villains, doctors, or eccentric officials.
Planet of the Apes: He is well-known for playing the human leader Kolp in Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) and Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973).
The President's Analyst (1967): Played the memorable Soviet agent Kropotkin.
Real Genius (1985): Portrayed the befuddled college dean.
Other Film Credits: Included Luv (1967), They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969), The Hired Hand (1971), Vanishing Point (1971), and Back to School (1986).
Television: Appeared on Car 54, Where Are You?, The Monkees, Columbo, Cheers, and Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.