Darren McGavin

Darren McGavin (born William Lyle Richardson; May 7, 1922 – February 25, 2006) was an American actor.

McGavin began his career working as a set painter for Columbia Pictures. In 1954, he originated roles in Broadway productions of ''My Three Angels'' and ''The Rainmaker'', followed by film roles in David Lean's ''Summertime'' and Otto Preminger's ''The Man with the Golden Arm'' (both 1955).

On television, McGavin portrayed the title character in ''Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer'' (1958–1959), and starred in ''Riverboat'' (1959–1961) and ''Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' (1974–1975). For his recurring role on the sitcom ''Murphy Brown'', he received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

His film credits include ''No Deposit, No Return'' (1976), ''Airport '77'' (1977), ''Hot Lead and Cold Feet'' (1978), ''A Christmas Story'' (1983), ''Happy Hell Night'' (1992), and ''Billy Madison'' (1995). Despite playing a significant role in the baseball film ''The Natural'' (1984), due to a contract dispute, McGavin was uncredited for his portrayal of a shady bookie, Gus Sands. Provided by Wikipedia