The child of professional dancers, Kim Darby began her career studying
dance with her father, as well as
Nico Charisse. At fourteen, she was
granted special admission to Tony Barr's
acting workshop at Desilu Studios on the Paramount Pictures lot. He
wrote later that it was her remarkable openness, honesty, emotional
readiness and focus that convinced him to bring her into his adult
class. These traits have become the signature of her work in a career
that has now spanned a period of more than forty years.
As a teenager, she earned her first acting roles in episodes of
television shows, including
Mr. Novak (1963),
Stationsarzt Dr. Kildare (1961),
The Eleventh Hour (1962),
Raumschiff Enterprise (1966) and
Auf der Flucht (1963). Her
reputation continued to grow with more work in film and television.
She was twenty-one when producer
Hal B. Wallis saw her in an episode of
Wettlauf mit dem Tod (1965)
and decided to offer her the coveted role of "Mattie Ross", opposite
John Wayne's "Rooster Cogburn", in
Der Marshal (1969). The classic western
earned Wayne his only Oscar and made Kim Darby a film star.
Ms. Darby went on to star in a variety of productions, receiving a
Golden Globe nomination for her work in
Generation (1969), and an Emmy
Nomination for her role in
Reich & arm (1976).
Her feature films include
Blutige Erdbeeren (1970),
Die Grissom Bande (1971),
Lanny dreht auf (1985) and
Mockingbird Don't Sing (2001);
television movies include
The Story of Pretty Boy Floyd (1974),
Gate of Darkness (1973)
and
Enola Gay - Bomber des Todes (1980).
Still acting, since 1990, she has also been teaching her craft and is
asked to give seminars at universities and film schools throughout the
country. Her own training and lifelong experience over the last four
decades has provided her with a rich perspective as well as a diverse
collection of skills which she enjoys sharing with enthusiastic
students.
