Henry Darrow

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Henry Darrow
Born Enrique T. Delgado
September 15, 1933 (1933-09-15) (age 78)
New York City, New York USA
Years active 1959–present
Spouse Lauren Levian (1981-present)
Lucy Darrow (? - ?) 2 children

Henry Darrow (born September 15, 1933) is a prolific Puerto Rican-American character actor of stage and film. Darrow is probably best remembered for his role as Big John Cannon's (played by Leif Erickson) teasing brother-in-law, and Buck Cannon's (played by Cameron Mitchell) favorite ranch hand, and best friend, Manolito Montoya, in the 1960s television series The High Chaparral while Darrow is also remembered amongst horror fans for his role as the corrupt, renegade and vengeful Trooper Hancock in The Hitcher. He later replaced Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Zorro's (played by Duncan Regehr) father, Don Alejandro de la Vega, on the popular 1990s TV series, Zorro.

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[edit] Early years

Darrow was born Enrique Tomas Delgado, Jr. in New York City, the first son of Gloria and Enrique Delgado Sr., who worked in the restaurant and clothing businesses.[1] Darrow's parents emigrated from Puerto Rico to New York in the early 1930s. At the age of eight, he played a woodcutter in a school play, experience which convinced him that his destiny was as an actor.[2]

In 1946, when Darrow was 13, his family returned to Puerto Rico, where he discovered his roots and grew to love a country he had not known. He graduated from Academia del Perpetuo Socorro high school in Miramar, Puerto Rico, as class president before enrolling in the University of Puerto Rico. There he studied political science and acting, and worked as a part-time English-language interpreter. During his third year at the University, he was awarded a Scholarship (the first of its kind) to attend acting school. Thereupon Darrow moved to Los Angeles, where he enrolled in the "Pasadena Playhouse". He met and married his first wife, Lucy and they went on to have two children, Denise and Tom. Darrow graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theater arts.[2]

[edit] Acting career

External audio
You may watch "Henry Darrow" perform in a clip from the final episode of "High Chaparral" here

Darrow had already landed small parts in 12 movies and 75 television series when he won the role in a play titled The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. This brought him to the attention of television producer David Dortort, who immediately recruited him for his TV western series The High Chaparral, casting him as Manolito Montoya. Making its debut on American television in September 1967 NBC, it went on to last four seasons and was screened around the world. While on the show, both he and series' lead Cameron Mitchell had become the breakout stars of the show, becoming household names. The on- and off-screen chemistry with Mitchell was truly remarkable, as they each made practical jokes, while sharing their traditional, brother-in-law values, despite being 15 years of each other. When the series was canceled, the two continued to stay friends until Mitchell's death on July 6, 1994.[citation needed]

Darrow is the first Latino actor to portray Zorro on television. (José Suárez played Zorro in a 1953 Spanish film.)[3] He starred in the series Zorro and Son and also has provided the voice for the animated series of The New Adventures of Zorro.[4] He replaced Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Zorro's father from 1990–94, in the Family Channel's successful, The New Zorro.

In 1972, Darrow co-founded the Screen Actors Guild Ethnic Minority Committee with actors Ricardo Montalban, Edith Diaz and Carman Zapata.[5]

In 1986, he made a cameo role in the horror film The Hitcher as Trooper Hancock, a ruthless and vengeful policeman who would go above the law to the kill the main protagonist (who was framed for the crimes by the main antagonist).

[edit] Television appearances

Darrow has also appeared in hundreds of episodes of soap operas, miniseries, sitcom, and dramas, along with numerous stage plays. TV shows in which he has appeared include:[4]

Soap opera performances include:

[edit] Filmography

[4]

[edit] Guest appearances

Darrow also made a guest appearance in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation as a Vulcan Starfleet Admiral named Savar in the season 1 episode "Conspiracy" and two guest appearances in episodes of Star Trek: Voyager as Kolopak, the father of Chakotay in the season 2 episodes "Tattoo" and in "Basics: Part 1". In 1986, he made a cameo appearance in the horror film The Hitcher[2]

[edit] Awards

Darrow's awards include:

[edit] Later years

Darrow was a member of the board of directors of the "Screen Actors Guild" (SAG) and a member of "SAG's" "Ethnic Minorities Committee. He was also a founder of "Nosotros", an organization helping Latino actors land non-stereotyped parts. Darrow has served on the "Advisory Committee of Bilingual Children's Television".[2] Darrow is married to Lauren Levian. They live in North Carolina, where they are keenly involved with their community.

[edit] See also

Portal icon Puerto Rico portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ Henry Darrow Film Reference biography
  2. ^ a b c d Herry Darrow official website
  3. ^ Zorro (Character) at IMDb.com
  4. ^ a b c Henry Darrow at the Internet Movie Database
  5. ^ "Actress Edith Diaz dies at 70; Credits include 'Sister Act' films and CBS' 'Popi' sitcom". Hollywood Reporter. 2010-02-08. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ib96053a9e47796d757c159ec4834e12a. Retrieved 2010-03-18. [dead link]

[edit] External links
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Darrow&oldid=470566297"
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