Born May 7, 1922 - Darren McGavin - American actor

[John1956PA]

1. Mr. McGavin's performance as the drill instructor in "Tribes" (1970) is nuanced.

When he started acting, he picked the name "McGavin" out of a telephone directory, I think.

When they worked on the TV show "Riverboat" in the late 1950s, he and co-star Burt Reynolds did not get along. At that time, Mr. Gavin also starred in the syndicated TV show "Mike Hammer."

Mr. McGavin was very physically fit. The TV movie "The Challenge" from the early 1970s demonstrates that he had a muscular body.

I like his line spoken to the Las Vegas police captain in "The Night Stalker" (1972) after a hail of police gunfire failed to phase the vampire: "Either you're dealing with something which is not of this world, or your entire police force is blind."