(RepublicanDaily.org) – Darryl Hickman, who starred in the 1940’s cult classic The Grapes of Wrath and later became a network executive for CBS, has passed away at the age of 92.
His death was confirmed by his family.
Hickman started in showbusiness at an early age, landing various bit roles in the late 1930s as a child actor. His breakout role was the character of Winfield Joad in the film adaptation of the classic American novelist John Steinbeck’s Pulitzer Prize-winning literary masterpiece, “The Grapes of Wrath”, which was released in the 1940s. There, he played the youngest brother of Henry Fonda, who in turn played the main character, Tom Joad.
His performance as a polio victim in another 1940’s cult classic “Leave Her to Heaven” also received acclaim. Hickman went on to play various other roles in films in the 1950’s, but took a brief hiatus in between after deciding that he wanted to try being a monk, entering a Passionist monastery in 1951. He lasted only a few weeks.
In the 1960s to 1970s, however, he left the studio lights to pursue working in the background, serving as a scriptwriter for the “The Loretta Young Show”, and a producer in “Love of Life” and “A Year at the Top.” Hickman also worked as an acting coach and published a book on acting entitled, “The Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, In Full Command.”
He returned to the big screen in the latter half of the 1970’s playing roles in the films “Network,” “Sharkey’s Machine,” and “Looker.” He also did voice-over work in for the 1980’s robot cartoon film “GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords.” His last role in a film was in 1986. He also served as a CBS executive in charge of the network’s daytime content in the 1970s, a position he held for five years.
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