Henry Darrow

Henry Darrow
Born Enrique Tomás Delgado Jiménez
(1933-09-15) September 15, 1933
New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1959–present
Spouse(s) Lauren Levian
Lucy Darrow

Henry Darrow (born September 15, 1933) is a Puerto Rican character actor of stage and film known for his role as Manolito "Mano" Montoya on the 1960s television series The High Chaparral. On film, Darrow played the corrupt and vengeful Trooper Hancock in The Hitcher. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was seen in numerous guest starring television roles. Darrow replaced Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Don Alejandro de la Vega in the 1990s television series Zorro.

Early years

Darrow (birth name: Enrique Tomás Delgado Jiménez [note 1]) was born in New York City, the first son of Gloria and Enrique Pío Delgado, who worked in the restaurant and clothing businesses.[1] Darrow's parents had moved from Puerto Rico to New York in the early 1930s. At the age of eight, he played a woodcutter in a school play, an 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]

Acting career

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

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 television 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 became household names as the breakout stars of the show.

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 1990–1994, 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 Carmen Zapata.[5]

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

Television appearances

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

Soap opera performances include:

TV and filmography

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] In 1988, Darrow guest starred in a Season 4 episode of The Golden Girls ("Yes, We Have No Havanas").

Awards

  • A Bambi Award, Germany's equivalent of the Emmys, for The High Chaparral.
  • An Emmy for his role in the soap opera Santa Barbara.
  • The Ricardo Montalban/Nosotros Award. Darrow was the inaugural winner of the award for his contributions in improving Latinos image.
  • The ALMA Awards Ricardo Montalban Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.[6]
  • The Miller Brewing Company honored Darrow by portraying him in its 2000 Hispanic-American Calendar.

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] In recent years, Darrow has cut back on his public appearances. However, he is slated to appear at the Memphis Film Festival June 12–14, 2014.[7]

Note

  1. ↑ This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Delgado and the second or maternal family name is Jiménez.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Henry Darrow Biography (1933-)".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "The Official Henry Darrow Web Site".
  3. ↑ Zorro (Character) at IMDb.com
  4. 1 2 Henry Darrow on IMDb
  5. ↑ "Actress Edith Diaz dies at 70; Credits include 'Sister Act' films and CBS' 'Popi' sitcom". The Hollywood Reporter. 2010-02-08. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2010-03-18.
  6. ↑ "Veteran Actor Henry Darrow Honored at ALMA Awards and Gene Autry Museum This Weekend". latinheat.com. 2012-09-14. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-08-28. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
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