Christopher Dark

Christopher Dark (born Alfred Francis DeLeo; April 21, 1920 – October 10, 1971) was an American actor. He graduated from Cornell University and did post graduate work at Columbia University. He served as an army medic in the Philippines during WWII, and received honors. He began his career in theater in NY, and then moved to Hollywood in 1952. He was a member of the Foreign Film Committee for SAG for most of his career. In addition to acting, he also wrote many scripts, including collaborations with Ida Lupino and Christopher Cary.

Biography

Dark was born in New York.

In 1954, Dark played in an episode of the TV series, The Lone Ranger, entitled "Texas Draw". In 1955, Dark was cast in an episode of the NBC Western anthology series, Frontier, hosted by Walter Coy. Dark guest starred on two episodes of the ABC religion anthology series, Crossroads, as Irving Green in "The Unholy Trio (1955) and as Frank Corletto in "Circus Priest" (1956).

In 1957 and 1958, Dark guest starred in two episodes of David Janssen's crime drama, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, as the lead in "The Mickey Farmer Case" and then as Rudi Trekhala in "Widow's Walk". About this time, he also guest starred on John Bromfield's crime drama, U.S. Marshal. In 1957, he played Sgt. Al Zavala in four episodes of the syndicated crime drama, Code 3, with Richard Travis in the lead role of assistant Sheriff Rodger Barnett. He also guest-starred a number of times on the CBS situation comedy Mr. Adams and Eve during its two-season run in 1957–1958.

In 1958, Dark appeared as Don Ramon in "Decoy" on the ABC/Warner Brothers Western series, Colt .45, starring Wayde Preston. That same year, Dark played the main villain, William Swanson, in the episode "The Young Gun" in Robert Culp's Western series, Trackdown.

In 1959, Dark guest starred in the first episode of NBC's Bonanza in "A Rose for Lotta". Besides the pilot, he would also guest star in other three episodes of the Western series: "The Fear Merchants" (1960), "Calamity Over the Comstock" (1963) and "Showdown at Tahoe" (1967). He played Ben in a 1959 episode of The Rifleman (S2 E2) "Bloodlines".

Dark appeared in 1959 as Juan Carlos Morita in the episode "Death of a Gunfighter" on CBS' "Have Gun Will Travel" and as Trevor Jackson in the episode "Reunion" of CBS's The Texan, starring Rory Calhoun; his fellow co-stars were Bethel Leslie and Robert F. Simon. That same year, he was cast as Henri Gaspard in "Double Fee" of Steve McQueen's CBS Western series, Wanted: Dead or Alive. and in 1963 as Benny Caboose in the episode entitled "Brother Thaddeus".

Dark also appeared in 1965 on the fourth season of Combat! as a German agent in the episode "9 Place Vendee".

In 1965 he appeared as Quadero in season 8, episode 5, "Escort to Doom" of the television show Rawhide.

In 1970 Dark appeared as Mort in the TV Western "The Men From Shiloh" (the rebranded name of The Virginian) in the episode titled "Jenny."

Personal life Dark died from a heart attack on October 10, 1971 and was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.

Filmography