William Lyle Richardson (May 7, 1922 – February 25, 2006), better known by the stage name Darren McGavin, was an American actor.
McGavin was best known for his roles as Carl Kolchak in the television films The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler and in the subsequent series Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and the 'Old Man' in A Christmas Story. Typecast as gruff and worldly figures, McGavin often played Hardboiled Detectives and Intrepid Reporters. His characters were a rare and seemingly impossible blend of the Large Ham and the Deadpan Snarker.
Fimography on TV Tropes:
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Film roles
- Summertime (1955): Eddie Yaeger
- The Man with the Golden Arm (1955): Louie Fomorowski
- The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955): Capt. Russ Peters
- No Deposit, No Return (1976): Duke
- Airport '77 (1977): Stan Buchek
- Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978): Mayor Ragsdale
- Firebird 2015 A.D. (1981): Red
- A Christmas Story (1983): The Old Man
- The Natural (1984): Gus Sands
- Turk 182 (1984): Det. Kowalski
- Raw Deal (1986): Harry Shannon
- Dead Heat (1988): Dr. Ernest McNab
- Happy Hell Night (1992): Henry Collins
- Billy Madison (1995): Brian Madison
Television roles
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents (2 episodes, 1955): Red Hillman/Lyle Endicott
- Mike Hammer (78 episodes, 1958–59): Mike Hammer
- Route 66 (1 episode, 1961): Johnny Copa
- Rawhide (1 episode, 1961): Jed Hadley
- The Defenders (2 episodes, 1963–64): Howard Potter/Marty Wisnovsky
- The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1 episode, 1964): Sheridan Westcott
- The Virginian (2 episodes, 1964–67): Mark Troxel/Sam Evans
- Dr. Kildare (4 episodes, 1965): Professor Felix Holman
- Gunsmoke (3 episodes, 1965–66): Joe Bascome/Lon Gorman/Will Helmick
- The Felony Squad (1 episode, 1966): Leslie Gorman
- Cimarron Strip (1 episode, 1967): Jud Starr
- The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1 episode, 1967): Viktor Karmak
- Mission: Impossible (1 episode, 1967): J. Richard Taggart
- The Wonderful World of Disney (7 episodes, 1968–79): Barney B. Duncan/John Jay Forrest/Timothy Donovan
- Love, American Style (1 episode, 1970): Corbett
- Mannix (1 episode, 1970): Mark
- Cade's County (1 episode, 1971): Courtney Vernon
- The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1 episode, 1971): Kevin Ireland
- The Rookies (1 episode, 1972): Sgt. Eddie Ryker
- The Night Stalker (TV movie, 1972): Carl Kolchak
- The Night Strangler (TV movie, 1973): Carl Kolchak
- Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974–75): Carl Kolchak
- The Six Million Dollar Man (TV movie, 1973): Oliver Spencer
- Police Story (1 episode, 1974): Matt Hallett
- Fantasy Island (1 episode, 1978): Victor Duncan
- The Martian Chronicles (3 episodes, 1980): Sam Parkhill
- The Love Boat (2 episodes, 1980): Lawrence Evans
- Nero Wolfe (1 episode, 1981): John Alan Bredeman
- Magnum, P.I. (1 episode, 1981): Buck Gibson
- Tales of the Unexpected (1 episode, 1983): Sheriff Milt Singleton
- The Hitchhiker (1 episode, 1985): Old Man
- Tales from the Darkside (1 episode, 1985): Van Conway
- Highway to Heaven (1 episode, 1988): Hale Stoddard
- Inherit the Wind (TV movie, 1988): E.K. Hornbeck
- Around the World in Eighty Days (3 episodes, 1989): Benjamin Mudge
- Murphy Brown (4 episodes, 1989–92): Bill Brown
- Murder, She Wrote (1 episode, 1992): Martin Tremaine
- Fudge (1 episode, 1995): Buster
- Sisters (1 episode, 1995): Judge Harrison Bradford
- Burke's Law (1 episode, 1995): Conrad Hill
- The Commish (2 episodes, 1995): Terry Boyle
- Grace Under Fire (1 episode, 1996): Grace's Dad
- Touched by an Angel (1 episode, 1997): George Zarko
- Millennium (1 episode, 1997): Henry Black
- The X-Files (2 episodes, 1998–99): Agent Arthur Dales
- Gargoyles (1 episode, 1995): G.F. Benton/Dominic Dracon (voice)
Tropes Applying to the actor and his roles:
- Deadpan Snarker/Large Ham: His characters were always a mix of these, either alternating between the two or being both at the same time.
