Severn Teakle Darden Jr. (November 9, 1929 â€" May 27, 1995) was an
American comedian and actor, and an original member of The Second City
Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass
Players. He is perhaps best known from his film appearances for
playing the human leader Kolp in the fourth and fifth Planet of the
Apes films.Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he attended the University
of Chicago. Darden’s offbeat and intellectual sense of humor,
appropriate for someone who attended the University of Chicago and in
fact a major element in the style of The Second City at that time, is
evident throughout his work. One 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.He was present at
the February 12, 1964 Acid Test organized by the Merry Pranksters in
Compton, California.Darden appeared in various movies and television
series. His best performance is probably in the comedy The President's
Analyst; there he plays a major role as Kropotkin, a Soviet agent with
a laid-back persona, much like Darden's own. He played a junk dealer
in another early film, "LUV" (1967), based on the play of the same
title by Murray Schisgal), which also starred Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk,
Elaine May, and Nina Wayne.
American comedian and actor, and an original member of The Second City
Chicago-based comedy troupe as well as its predecessor, the Compass
Players. He is perhaps best known from his film appearances for
playing the human leader Kolp in the fourth and fifth Planet of the
Apes films.Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, he attended the University
of Chicago. Darden’s offbeat and intellectual sense of humor,
appropriate for someone who attended the University of Chicago and in
fact a major element in the style of The Second City at that time, is
evident throughout his work. One 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.He was present at
the February 12, 1964 Acid Test organized by the Merry Pranksters in
Compton, California.Darden appeared in various movies and television
series. His best performance is probably in the comedy The President's
Analyst; there he plays a major role as Kropotkin, a Soviet agent with
a laid-back persona, much like Darden's own. He played a junk dealer
in another early film, "LUV" (1967), based on the play of the same
title by Murray Schisgal), which also starred Jack Lemmon, Peter Falk,
Elaine May, and Nina Wayne.
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