Severn Darden
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.
Acting
Movie
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
as Kolp
1972
Movie
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
as Kolp
1973
TV
I Dream of Jeannie
as Milton
1965
TV
Cheers
as Professor DeWitt
1982
Movie
Vanishing Point
as J. Hovah
1971
Movie
Real Genius
as Dr. Meredith
1985
Movie
Back to School
as Dr. Barazini
1986
TV
The Six Million Dollar Man
as Apploy
1974
Movie
They Shoot Horses, Don't They?
as Cecil
1969
TV
Beauty and the Beast
as Waterman
1987
TV
Beauty and the Beast
as Mr. Smythe
1987
TV
The Bionic Woman
1976
TV
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
as Franklin
1955
TV
Starsky & Hutch
as Mr. Wheeler
1975
Movie
Hopscotch
as Maddox
1980
TV
The Fall Guy
1981
Movie
Saturday the 14th
as Van Helsing
1981
TV
Kolchak: The Night Stalker
as Dr. Aaron Pollack
1974
Movie
The Hired Hand
as McVey
1971
Movie
Model Shop
as Camera Shop Owner
1969
TV
Laverne & Shirley
1976
Movie
The Day of the Dolphin
as Schwinn
1973
Movie
The Last Movie
as Mayor
1971
TV
Barney Miller
as Randolph Cook
1975
