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 o…
Movies & TV Shows
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Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) — Kolp
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Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) — Kolp
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I Dream of Jeannie (1965) — Milton
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Cheers (1982) — Professor DeWitt
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Vanishing Point (1971) — J. Hovah
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Real Genius (1985) — Dr. Meredith
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Back to School (1986) — Dr. Barazini
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The Six Million Dollar Man (1974) — Apploy
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They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) — Cecil
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Beauty and the Beast (1987) — Waterman
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The Bionic Woman (1976)
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Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) — Franklin
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Starsky & Hutch (1975) — Mr. Wheeler
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Hopscotch (1980) — Maddox
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The Fall Guy (1981)
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Saturday the 14th (1981) — Van Helsing
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Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974) — Dr. Aaron Pollack
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The Hired Hand (1971) — McVey
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Model Shop (1969) — Camera Shop Owner
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Laverne & Shirley (1976)
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The Day of the Dolphin (1973) — Schwinn
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The Last Movie (1971) — Mayor
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Barney Miller (1975) — Randolph Cook
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The President's Analyst (1967) — Kropotkin
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The Monkees (1966) — Guggins
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Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976) — Moran
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Cisco Pike (1972) — Lawyer
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Baretta (1975)
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Jackson County Jail (1976) — Sheriff Dempsey
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In God We Tru$t (1980) — Priest
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Werewolves on Wheels (1971) — One
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Alias Smith and Jones (1971)
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Daniel Boone (1964) — Sir Hubert Spencer
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The Telephone (1988)
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The War Between Men and Women (1972) — Dr. Harris
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Wanda Nevada (1979) — Merlin Bitterstix
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Victory at Entebbe (1976) — Moshe Meyer
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Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You (1970) — Dr. Fahrquardt
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Faerie Tale Theatre (1982) — Farmer Silas
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Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round (1966) — Miles Fisher