Darren McGavin, the husky, tough-talking actor who starred in the TV series Mike Hammer, played a grouchy dad in the holiday classic A Christmas Story and had other strong roles in such films as The Man with the Golden Arm and The Natural, has died. He was 83.
McGavin died of natural causes at a Los Angeles-area hospital with his family at his side, said his son Bogart McGavin.
McGavin made his film debut in 1945 when he switched from painter of movie sets to bit actor in A Song to Remember. After a decade of learning his craft in New York, he returned to Hollywood and became one of the busiest actors in television and films.
He starred in five series and became a prolific actor in TV movies. Among his memorable portrayals was General George Patton in the 1979 TV biography Ike.
Despite his busy career in television, McGavin was awarded only one Emmy: in 1990 for an appearance as Candice Bergen’s opinionated father in an episode of Murphy Brown. — Sapa-AP