Henry Darrow

Actor Henry Darrow, like most actors, combined luck, talent and good timing to start his career. Darrow was lucky from the beginning, winning a prestigious scholarship to study drama after graduating from the University of Puerto Rico. He landed his first screen role in 1960, and began to appear in episodes of various Western television series. His breakthrough role came in 1967 as Manolito Montoya in "The High Chaparral." Created by David Dortort, also the creator of "Bonanza," the critically acclaimed western costarred Leif Erickson and Cameron Mitchell. After the end of the series, Darrow had guest performances on several series before being cast in a supporting role in the crime drama "Badge 373," directed by Howard W. Koch. His next major television roles were as Alex Montenez on several episodes of the comedy series "The New Dick Van Dyke Show" and as Lieutenant Manuel Quinlan on the cop drama "Harry O." Darrow was cast in one of his most memorable roles, as Don Diego in the action series "The New Adventures of Zorro" in 1981. Two years later he began playing Don Diego de Vega in the action series "Zorro and Son." Staying within the franchise, he transitioned to the role of Don Alejandro de la Vega in the 1990 series "Zorro." As prolific on and offscreen, Darrow, along with fellow Spanish-speaking actors Ricardo Montalban, Edith Diaz, and Carman Zapata, was a co-founder of the Screen Actors Guild Ethnic Minority Committee. Henry Darrow died March 14, 2021 at the age of 87.