Dick Sargent

Dick Sargent
Born	Richard Stanford Cox April 19, 1930(1930-04-19) Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, U.S.
Died	July 8, 1994 (aged 64) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other name(s)	Richard Sargent
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1954–1993
Domestic partner(s)	Albert Williams (1986–1994)

Dick Sargent (April 19, 1930 – July 8, 1994) was an American actor, notable as the second actor to portray Darrin Stephens on the television series Bewitched. The actor took the name Dick Sargent from a Saturday Evening Post illustrator/artist of the same name.

Biography

Born Richard Stanford Cox in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Sargent had appeared in films since his debut in 1956. When Dick York was forced to leave the Bewitched series owing to health problems in 1969, Sargent stepped into the role. He had first been offered the role in 1964 but was under contract to Universal Studios and unable to accept it.^{[citation needed]} Sargent played Darrin until the show ended in 1972.

When Sargent and comic Stanley Myron Handelman were on Merv Griffin Show in 1975, the comic asked Sargent why he had changed his birth name from Cox. Sargent said wryly, "No one would have taken Dick Cox seriously".^{[citation needed]} Sargent continued to work in film and made numerous guest appearances on various TV shows, including one episode of The Waltons (with the second John-Boy, Robert Wightman), and two early episodes of The Dukes of Hazzard as Sheriff Grady Byrd. He played himself in a 1993 Columbo episode as well as on an episode of Knots Landing. In the mid-eighties, he played the role of Richard Preston, the widowed father, in the syndicated sitcom Down to Earth. In the 1980s, he joined actress Sally Struthers as an advocate of the "Christian Children's Fund", which brought relief to third world children.

Personal life

Later in life, Sargent declared publicly that he was gay and supported gay rights issues. He had long hidden his sexual orientation, appearing with lesbian actress Fannie Flagg on the 1970s game show Tattletales as a couple. Sargent lived with his domestic partner Albert Williams for more than a decade, until his death. In June 1992, Sargent was a Grand Marshal of the Los Angeles Gay Pride parade along with former co-star Elizabeth Montgomery.

Both Sargent and Dick York died in the early 90s. York died in 1992, and Dick Sargeant died in 1994 from prostate cancer in Los Angeles. Dick Sargent was cremated.

References

• Owen Keehnen: Interviews (1992). "Dick Sargent is Out and Proud". the Queer Cultural Center. http://www.queerculturalcenter.org/Pages/Keehnen/Sargent.html. Retrieved 2007-03-09. 
• Linda Rapp. "Sargent, Dick (1930-1994)". glbtq. http://www.glbtq.com/arts/sargent_d.html. Retrieved 2007-03-09. 

External links

• Dick Sargent at Find a Grave
• Dick Sargent at the Internet Movie Database
• Dick Sargent at TV.com
• Dick Sargent at the TCM Movie Database