Severn Darden profile
Actor profile

Severn Darden

9th November 1929 Acting

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.

59 Movies 31 TV Shows 90 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Playmates poster
Playmates 3rd October 1972 as Roger, Man in Gallery
P.J. poster
P.J. 27th March 1968 as Shelton Quell
Luv poster
Luv 26th July 1967 as Vandergist
Cheers poster
Cheers 30th September 1982 as Professor DeWitt
Lincoln poster
Lincoln 6th September 1974 as Gideon Welles
The Monkees poster
The Monkees 12th September 1966 as Mental Problem Specialist (uncredited)