Henry Darrow


Henry Darrow is a Nuyorican character actor of stage and film known for his role as Manolito "Mano" Montoya on the 1960s television series The High Chaparral. In film, Darrow played the corrupt and vengeful Trooper Hancock in The Hitcher. During the 1970s and 1980s, he was seen in numerous guest starring television roles. Darrow replaced Efrem Zimbalist Jr. as Zorro's father Don Alejandro de la Vega in the 1990s television series Zorro.

Early years

Darrow was born in New York City, the first son of Gloria and Enrique Pío Delgado, who worked in the restaurant and clothing businesses. Darrow's parents had moved from Puerto Rico to New York in the early 1930s. At the age of eight, he played a woodcutter in a school play, an experience which convinced him that his destiny was as an actor.
In 1946, when Darrow was 13, his family returned to Puerto Rico, where he discovered his roots and grew to love the island he had not known. He graduated from Academia del Perpetuo Socorro high school in Miramar, Puerto Rico, as class president before enrolling in the University of Puerto Rico. There he studied political science and acting, and worked as a part-time English-language interpreter. During his third year at the University, he was awarded a Scholarship to attend acting school. Thereupon Darrow moved to Los Angeles, where he enrolled in the Pasadena Playhouse. He met and married his first wife, Lucy and they went on to have two children, Denise and Tom. Darrow graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in theater arts.

Acting career

Darrow had already landed small parts in 12 movies and 75 television series when he won the role in a play titled The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit. This brought him to the attention of television producer David Dortort, who immediately recruited him for his television western series The High Chaparral, casting him as Manolito Montoya. Making its debut on American television in September 1967, it went on to last four seasons and was screened around the world. While on the show, both he and series' lead Cameron Mitchell became household names as the breakout stars of the show.
Darrow is the first Latino actor to portray Zorro on television. He starred in the series Zorro and Son and also has provided the voice for the animated series of The New Adventures of Zorro. He replaced Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Zorro's father from 1990–1994, in the Family Channel's successful series, The New Zorro.
In 1972, Darrow co-founded the Screen Actors Guild Ethnic Minority Committee with actors Ricardo Montalbán, Edith Diaz and Carmen Zapata.
In 1974-75, Darrow portrayed police detective Manny Quinlan in the first season of Harry O starring David Janssen. The character was killed off at the end of the first season in a re-tooling of the series.
In 1986, he appeared in the horror film The Hitcher as Trooper Hancock, a ruthless and vengeful policeman who would go above the law to kill the main protagonist.

Filmography

Film appearance

Darrow has also appeared in hundreds of episodes of soap operas, miniseries, sitcoms and dramas, along with numerous stage plays. Television series in which he has appeared include:
Soap opera performances include:
In 1982, Darrow appeared as the prize wheel spinner in Santana's music video "Hold On", which was released as the lead single from their album Shangó. It was directed by John Mark Robinson.

Guest appearances

Darrow also made a guest appearance in an episode of ' as a Vulcan Starfleet Admiral named Savar in the season 1 episode "Conspiracy |Conspiracy" and two guest appearances in episodes of ' as Kolopak, the father of Chakotay in the season 2 episodes "Tattoo" and in "". In 1986, he made a cameo appearance in the horror film The Hitcher In 1988, Darrow guest starred in a Season 4 episode of The Golden Girls.

Awards

Darrow was a member of the board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild and a member of SAG's Ethnic Minorities Committee. He was also a founder of Nosotros, an organization helping Latino actors land non-stereotyped parts. Darrow has served on the Advisory Committee of Bilingual Children's Television. In recent years, Darrow has cut back on his public appearances.

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