Richard Allen York (September 4, 1928 – February 20, 1992) was an American actor. He was the first actor to play Darrin Stephens on the ABC fantasy sitcom Bewitched. He played teacher Bertram Cates in the film Inherit the Wind (1960).
York's career was hampered by a serious back injury he sustained while working on the film They Came to Cordura in 1959. Although his role in Bewitched was a success, he left the series in 1969 after a further decline in his physical health, and rarely acted thereafter. He eventually retired from acting in the mid-1980s.
Early life
He was born on September 4, 1928, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Bernard York, a salesman, and Betty, a seamstress. He grew up in Chicago, where a Catholic nun first recognized his vocal promise. He began his career at the age of 15 as the star of the CBS radio program That Brewster Boy. He also appeared in hundreds of other radio shows and instructional films before heading to New York City, where he acted on Broadway in Tea and Sympathy and Bus Stop. He performed with stars including Paul Muni and Joanne Woodward in live television broadcasts and with Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, and Glenn Ford in movies, including My Sister Eileen and Cowboy.
While filming the movie They Came to Cordura (1959) with Gary Cooper and Rita Hayworth, he suffered a permanent, disabling back injury. In York's own words, "Gary Cooper and I were propelling a handcar carrying several 'wounded' men down [the] railroad track. I was on the bottom stroke of this sort of teeter-totter mechanism that made the handcar run. I was just lifting the handle up as the director yelled 'cut!' and one of the 'wounded' cast members reached up and grabbed the handle. Now, instead of lifting the expected weight, I was suddenly, jarringly, lifting his entire weight off the flatbed180 pounds or so. The muscles along the right side of my back tore. They just snapped and let loose. And that was the start of it all." This left him in debilitating pain, which would, years later, result in his being unable to continue working on Bewitched.
York went on to star with Gene Kelly and Leo G. Carroll in the ABC comedy-drama Going My Way (1962). He was cast in the series, which lasted one season, as Tom Colwell, who operates a secular youth center.
York appeared in dozens of episodes of now-classic television series, including Justice, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Untouchables, Rawhide, The Americans, Wagon Train, Father Knows Best, and CBS's The Twilight Zone, The Virginian, and Route 66.
Bewitched (1964–1969)
thumb|right|York with [[Bewitched co-stars Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha Stephens (front) and Agnes Moorehead as Endora (back)]]
In 1964, York began playing Darrin Stephens in the sitcom Bewitched as Samantha's (Elizabeth Montgomery) mortal husband. The show was a huge success and York was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1968.
From York's hospital bed, he and director William Asher discussed York's future. "Do you want to quit?" Asher asked. "If it's all right with you, Billy", York replied. With that, York left the sitcom to devote himself to recovery, never to return. Dick Sargent replaced York in the role of Darrin Stephens, taking over the role at the start of the series's sixth season (1969–1970) and continuing in the part until the series ended after its eighth season (1971–1972). Sargent was originally offered the role of Darrin in 1964, but declined in favor of a part in the short-lived sitcom Broadside.
Despite the scripted antagonism between characters Darrin and his mother-in-law Endora, in reality Dick York and Agnes Moorehead enjoyed a very close friendship off screen. Moorehead was very upset when it was confirmed that York would be leaving the show and replaced by Dick Sargent.
Later years (1969–1992)
For the next 18 months, York was largely bed-ridden in a haze of prescription painkillers.
Filmography
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! colspan="4" style="background: Cyan;"| Film
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1945
| Insomnia<br />(Combat Fatigue: Insomnia)
| Lucky
| Uncredited, Short film for U.S. Navy
|-
| 1947
| Shy Guy
| Philip Norton
| Short
|-
| 1949
| Rest and Health
| George
| Short
|-
| 1950
| Last Date
| Nick
| Short, driver's education film. Credited as Richard York
|-
| 1951
| How Friendly Are You?
| Phil
| Short
|-
| 1955
| My Sister Eileen
| Ted 'Wreck' Loomis
|
|-
| 1955
| Three Stripes in the Sun
| Corporal Neeby Muhlendorf
|
|-
| 1957
| Operation Mad Ball
| Corporal Bohun
|
|-
| 1958
| Cowboy
| Charlie, Trailhand
|
|-
| 1959
| The Last Blitzkrieg
| Sergeant Ludwig
|
|-
| 1959
| They Came to Cordura
| Private Renziehausen
|
|-
| 1960
| Inherit the Wind
| Bertram T. Cates
|
|-
|2005
|Bewitched
|Darrin Stephens
|Uncredited; archive footage
|-
! colspan="4" style="background: LightSteelBlue;"| Television
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1953
| Omnibus
| Nick
| Episode: "The Battler"
|-
| 1955
| Goodyear Television Playhouse
| John Randolph
| Episode: "Visit to a Small Planet"
|-
| 1955
| The Philco Television Playhouse
| Andy
| Episode: "Incident in July"
|-
| 1955
| Justice
|
| Episode: "Fatal Payment"
|-
| 1955–1957
| Kraft Television Theatre
|
| Episode: "Million Dollar Rookie<br>Episode: "Mock Trial"<br>Episode: "Ride into Danger"
|-
| 1956
| Playwrights '56
| Grayson
| Episode: "Honor"
|-
| 1956
| Eye on New York
| Lieutenant Mac Hartman
| Episode: "Night of the Auk"
|-
| 1956–1958
| Studio One
| George Fox<br>George Weston<br>Captain Jay Hellman
| Episode: "A Man's World"<br>Episode: "The Weston Strain"<br>Episode: "The Enemy Within"
|-
| 1958
| Father Knows Best
| Tom Wentworth
| Episode: "Betty, The Pioneer Woman"
|-
| 1957
| The Kaiser Aluminum Hour
| Edward Gillis
| Episode: "A Real Fine Cutting Edge"
|-
| 1957–1963
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents
| (1) Manny Coe<br>(2) Norman Logan<br>(3) J.J. Bunce<br>(4) Ralph Jones<br>(5) Tom Barton<br>(6) Herbert J. Wiggam <br>
| Season 2 Episode 29: "Vicious Circle" (1957) as (1)<br>Season 4 Episode 33: "The Dusty Drawer" (1959) as (2)<br>Season 5 Episode 8: "The Blessington Method" (1959) as (3)<br>Season 6 Episode 2: "The Doubtful Doctor" (1960) as (4)<br>Season 7 Episode 7: "You Can't Be a Little Girl All Your Life" (1961) as (5)<br>Season 7 Episode 34: "The Twelve Hour Caper" (1962) as (6)<br>
|-
| rowspan="2"|1958
| The United States Steel Hour
| Gordon Bates
| Episode: "Beaver Patrol"
|-
| Climax!
| Gordon Bates
| Episode: "Shooting for the Moon"
|-
| 1958–1959
| Playhouse 90
| Scott Arlen<br>Tom<br>Matthew Sherwood
| Episode: "The Last Clear Chance"<br>Episode: "The Time of Your Life"<br>Episode: "Made in Japan"<br>Episode: "Out of Dust"
|-
| 1958, 1960
| The Millionaire
| Ken Leighton <br> Sandy Newell
| Episode: "The Ken Leighton Story"<br> Episode: "Millionaire Sandy Newell"
|-
| rowspan="3"|1960
| The Untouchables
| Ernie Torrance
| Season 1 Episode 22: "The White Slavers"
|-
| Alcoa Theatre
| Corporal James Sloan
| Episode: "The Glorious Fourth"
|-
| Stagecoach West
| Webb Crawford
| Episode: "Three Wise Men"
|-
| 1960–1961
| The Twilight Zone
| Captain Phil Riker<br>Hector Poole
| Episode: "The Purple Testament"<br>Episode: "A Penny for Your Thoughts"
|-
| rowspan="8"|1961
| Naked City
| Charles Colano
| Episode: "Bullets Cost Too Much"
|-
| The DuPont Show with June Allyson
| Lieutenant James Whitney
| Episode: "School of the Soldier"
|-
| The Americans
| Bolick
| Episode: "The War Between the States"
|-
| General Electric Theater
| Ashael Miller
| Episode: "A Musket for Jessica"
|-
| Adventures in Paradise
| Markham Jones
| Episode: "The Reluctant Hero"
|-
| The Outlaws
| Sam Nichols
| Episode: "Night Riders"
|-
| Dr. Kildare
| Harry Benton
| Episode: "The Lonely Ones"
|-
| Frontier Circus
| Jeb Randall
| Episode: "The Shaggy Kings"
|-
| 1961, 1963
| Rawhide
| Frank Price<br>Elwood P. Gilroy
| S3:E11, "Incident of the Broken Word"<br>Episode: "Incident at Confidence Creek"
|-
| 1961–1964
| Wagon Train
| Willie Pettigrew<br>Charley Shutup<br>Ben Mitchell
| Episode: "The Clementine Jones Story"<br>Episode: "The Charley Shutup Story"<br>Episode: "The Michael Malone Story"
|-
| 1962
| Thriller
| Fred Bancroft
| Episode: "The Incredible Doktor Markesan"
|-
| 1962–1963
| Going My Way
| Tom Colwell
|
|-
| rowspan="4"|1963
| Insight
|
| Episode: "Breakthrough"
|-
| Route 66
| Lieutenant School
| Episode: "What a Shining Young Man Was Our Gallant Lieutenant"
|-
| The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
| Sheriff Will Pearce
| Season 2 Episode 3: "Terror at Northfield"
|-
| The Virginian
| Jeff Tolliver
| Episode: "Stopover in a Western Town"
|-
| 1964–1969
| Bewitched
| Darrin Stephens
| Main role; 5 seasons
|-
| 1965
| The Flintstones
| Darrin Stephens (voice)
| Season 6 Episode 6: "Samantha"
|-
| 1983
| Simon & Simon
| Martin Donlevy
| Season 3 Episode 9: "Too Much of a Good Thing"
|-
| 1984
| Fantasy Island
| Mr. Sutton
| Season 7 Episode 11: "Games People Play" / "The Sweet Life"
|}
Book
- York, Dick. The Seesaw Girl and Me (New Path Press, 2004) Published Posthumously.
Awards and nominations
;Emmy Awards
- 1968: Nominated, "Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Comedy Series"- Bewitched
See also
Notes
References
- York, Dick. The Seesaw Girl and Me (New Path Press, 2004) pp. 15–16, 100–105.