Darryl Hickman
Encyclopedia
Darryl Gerard Hickman is an American
film
and television
actor, former television executive, and child star
of the 1930s and 1940s.
, Men of Boys Town, The Human Comedy
and Leave Her to Heaven
, among many others. He also made a featured appearance in the 1942 Our Gang
comedy Going to Press. In 1944, he played the antagonist
to Jimmy Lydon
's Henry Aldrich character in the film Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout. In 1946 he played the young Sam Masterson in the Barbara Stanwyck
vehicle The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
. By the time he was 21, Hickman had appeared in over 100 motion pictures.
in 1951, only to return to Hollywood just over a year later. He continued acting, but received fewer roles than he had in the peak of his career. In 1954, he appeared as Chet Sterling in the "Annie Gets Her Man" episode of syndicated
western
television series Annie Oakley
, with Gail Davis
. In 1957, he appeared in the episode "Copper Wire" of the syndicated western-themed crime drama Sheriff of Cochise
. Hickman appeared four times in the 1957-1958 syndicated drama series, Men of Annapolis
, about cadets at the United States Naval Academy
in Annapolis, Maryland
. In 1959, Hickman appeared with his younger brother, Dwayne Hickman
, on the latter's CBS-TV sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
, playing his older brother, Davey. In 1959, Darryl Hickman also appeared in an episode of Wanted: Dead or Alive with Steve McQueen
, titled "Rope Law."
In 1960, he guest starred as Donald in the 1960 episode "Moment of Fear" of CBS's The DuPont Show with June Allyson
, also featuring Edgar Bergen
. He also guest starred on NBC
's science fiction
series, The Man and the Challenge
. During the Civil War
Centennial, Hickman played a young Union soldier in the short-lived series, The Americans
(1961), and as an officer in Disney's Johnny Shiloh (1963).
He had a key role in the 1981 film Sharky's Machine
, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds
, as a corrupt cop. Hickman eventually became a television executive and an acting coach, as well as a voice actor for Hanna-Barbera Productions towards the end of a five-decade career in the entertainment industry. His book, The Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, In Full Command, was published in April 2007.
d. They had met on the set of the film The Tingler
in which they both appear. Darryl and Pamela had two sons. Their youngest son, Justin Hickman, was 19 years old when he committed suicide in 1985.
Hickman's younger brother Dwayne Hickman
is best known for his role in The Bob Cummings Show
(a.k.a. Love That Bob), as the title character of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
, and from the film Cat Ballou
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actor, former television executive, and child star
Child actor
The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting in motion pictures or television, but also to an adult who began his or her acting career as a child; to avoid confusion, the latter is also called a former child actor...
of the 1930s and 1940s.
Early life
Hickman first gained fame as a child actor during the late 1930s and 1940s, appearing in The Grapes of WrathThe Grapes of Wrath (film)
The Grapes of Wrath is a 1940 drama film directed by John Ford. It was based on John Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson and the executive producer was Darryl F...
, Men of Boys Town, The Human Comedy
The Human Comedy (film)
The Human Comedy is a 1943 drama film directed by Clarence Brown and adapted by Howard Estabrook. It is often thought to be based on the William Saroyan novel of the same name, but actually Saroyan wrote the screenplay first, was fired from the movie project, and quickly wrote the novel and...
and Leave Her to Heaven
Leave Her to Heaven
Leave Her to Heaven is a 1945 American 20th Century Fox Technicolor film noir motion picture starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, with Vincent Price, Darryl Hickman, and Chill Wills...
, among many others. He also made a featured appearance in the 1942 Our Gang
Our Gang
Our Gang, also known as The Little Rascals or Hal Roach's Rascals, was a series of American comedy short films about a group of poor neighborhood children and the adventures they had together. Created by comedy producer Hal Roach, the series is noted for showing children behaving in a relatively...
comedy Going to Press. In 1944, he played the antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
to Jimmy Lydon
Jimmy Lydon
Jimmy Lydon is an American movie actor and television producer, whose career in the entertainment industry began as a teenage actor in the 1930s....
's Henry Aldrich character in the film Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout. In 1946 he played the young Sam Masterson in the Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck
Barbara Stanwyck was an American actress. She was a film and television star, known during her 60-year career as a consummate and versatile professional with a strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra...
vehicle The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers is a black-and-white film noir released in the United States in 1946, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott and Kirk Douglas in his film debut. The movie is based on the short story "Love Lies Bleeding" by playwright John Patrick, using the...
. By the time he was 21, Hickman had appeared in over 100 motion pictures.
Career
After spending his entire childhood as an actor, Hickman retired from entertainment to enter a monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in 1951, only to return to Hollywood just over a year later. He continued acting, but received fewer roles than he had in the peak of his career. In 1954, he appeared as Chet Sterling in the "Annie Gets Her Man" episode of syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series Annie Oakley
Annie Oakley (TV series)
Annie Oakley is an American Western television series which fictionalized the life of famous sharpshooter Annie Oakley. It ran from January 1954 to February 1957 in syndication. ABC showed reruns on Saturday and Sunday daytime from 1959–1960 and from 1964-1965...
, with Gail Davis
Gail Davis
Gail Davis was an American actress, best known for her starring role as Annie Oakley in the 1950s television Western series Annie Oakley.-Life and career:...
. In 1957, he appeared in the episode "Copper Wire" of the syndicated western-themed crime drama Sheriff of Cochise
Sheriff of Cochise
Sheriff of Cochise , renamed U.S. Marshal , is a 58-episode syndicated western-themed crime drama set in Arizona and starring John Bromfield as law enforcement officer Frank Morgan. In the first two seasons, Morgan was sheriff of Cochise County...
. Hickman appeared four times in the 1957-1958 syndicated drama series, Men of Annapolis
Men of Annapolis
Men of Annapolis is a 41-episode half-hour syndicated drama television series in anthology format which aired from 1957–1958 and was hosted by the voice of Art Gilmore. Darryl Hickman appeared four times on the program as Dusty Rhodes, a fictitious midshipman at the United States Naval Academy in...
, about cadets at the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
. In 1959, Hickman appeared with his younger brother, Dwayne Hickman
Dwayne Hickman
Dwayne Bernard Hickman is a former American actor and television executive at CBS.He is known primarily for his "teenage" actor roles on television sitcoms. The naturally brown-headed Hickman is best known for playing Chuck MacDonald, Bob Collins's crazy teenaged nephew, on the popular 1950s...
, on the latter's CBS-TV sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963. The series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis with Debbie...
, playing his older brother, Davey. In 1959, Darryl Hickman also appeared in an episode of Wanted: Dead or Alive with Steve McQueen
Steve McQueen
Terrence Steven "Steve" McQueen was an American movie actor. He was nicknamed "The King of Cool." His "anti-hero" persona, which he developed at the height of the Vietnam counterculture, made him one of the top box-office draws of the 1960s and 1970s. McQueen received an Academy Award nomination...
, titled "Rope Law."
In 1960, he guest starred as Donald in the 1960 episode "Moment of Fear" of CBS's The DuPont Show with June Allyson
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
The DuPont Show with June Allyson is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from September 21, 1959 to April 3, 1961 with rebroadcasts continuing until June 12, 1961...
, also featuring Edgar Bergen
Edgar Bergen
Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...
. He also guest starred on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series, The Man and the Challenge
The Man and the Challenge
The Man and the Challenge is a 36-segment half-hour television adventure/science fiction series which ran new episodes on NBC from September 12, 1959, to June 11, 1960. It starred George Nader as Dr. Glenn Barton, a research scientist for the Institute of Human Factors, an agency that conducted...
. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Centennial, Hickman played a young Union soldier in the short-lived series, The Americans
The Americans (TV series)
The Americans was a television series broadcast in the United States by NBC-TV in 1961, about the American Civil War as seen through the eyes of brothers on opposite sides of the conflict.- Background :...
(1961), and as an officer in Disney's Johnny Shiloh (1963).
He had a key role in the 1981 film Sharky's Machine
Sharky's Machine
Sharky's Machine may refer to:* Sharky's Machine , a 1981 film* Sharky's Machine , a novel by William Diehl...
, directed by and starring Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
, as a corrupt cop. Hickman eventually became a television executive and an acting coach, as well as a voice actor for Hanna-Barbera Productions towards the end of a five-decade career in the entertainment industry. His book, The Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, In Full Command, was published in April 2007.
Personal life
Hickman married actress Pamela Lincoln in 1959; the couple has since divorceDivorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d. They had met on the set of the film The Tingler
The Tingler
The Tingler is a 1959 horror-thriller film by American producer/director William Castle. It is the third of five collaborations with writer Robb White and stars Vincent Price, Darryl Hickman, Patricia Cutts, Pamela Lincoln, Philip Coolidge and Judith Evelyn.The film tells the story of a scientist...
in which they both appear. Darryl and Pamela had two sons. Their youngest son, Justin Hickman, was 19 years old when he committed suicide in 1985.
Hickman's younger brother Dwayne Hickman
Dwayne Hickman
Dwayne Bernard Hickman is a former American actor and television executive at CBS.He is known primarily for his "teenage" actor roles on television sitcoms. The naturally brown-headed Hickman is best known for playing Chuck MacDonald, Bob Collins's crazy teenaged nephew, on the popular 1950s...
is best known for his role in The Bob Cummings Show
The Bob Cummings Show
The Bob Cummings Show is an American sitcom starring Robert "Bob" Cummings which was produced from January 2, 1955 to September 15, 1959, and originally sponsored by R.J. Reynolds' Winston cigarettes...
(a.k.a. Love That Bob), as the title character of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963. The series and some episode scripts were adapted from a 1951 collection of short stories of the same name, written by Max Shulman, that also inspired the 1953 film The Affairs of Dobie Gillis with Debbie...
, and from the film Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou is a 1965 comedy/Western film which tells the story of a woman who hires a famous gunman to protect her father's ranch, and later to avenge his murder, but finds that the man she hires is not what she expected...
.