Dick york gay
Dick York: The Authentic Reason He Suddenly Left 'Bewitched'
On the hit 1960s sitcom Bewitched, Dick York played Darrin Stephens, the long-suffering mortal married to witch-turned-housewife, Samantha. Yet in season six of the show’s eight-season run, York was replaced in the role by thespian Dick Sargent. For audiences used to seeing York, no onscreen explanation was given, or even alluded to.
Public speculation regarding the abrupt recasting included a dispute with the network, clashes with fellow cast members or disagreements with showrunners. The truth, unknown to audiences for years after York left the sitcom, is far less salacious, yet just as mortal as the character Darrin was envisaged for television: injury and addiction were the catalysts that prompted York’s departure from Bewitched.
York badly injured his back while shooting the movie 'Condura'
Born September 4, 1928, in Fort Wayne, Indiana to a salesman father and seamstress mother, it was a parochial school nun who first spotted his talent for acting and encouraged York to seek coaching. At 15 he had a regular role on the radio show That Brewster Boy. Within a decade he had moved to New York Capital, was working
Actor Dick Sargent appeared on the 1970s game show “Tattle Tales” with comedian Fanny Flagg as his partner. The show quizzed famous person couples about secrets in their affair . But both Sargent and Flagg had secrets they wouldn’t have never revealed on the program - they were both gay.
Sargent is best acknowledged as “The Second Darrin” in the sitcom “Bewitched”, replacing Dick York at the start of the 6th season (1969). York needed to leave the show due to severe back problems.
Personally I preferred Sargent over York as Darrin. York was too crabby. While I believe Sargent and co-Star Elizabeth Montgomery showed more affection to each other.
Oddly enough “Bewitched” echoed the plight of gays and lesbians who had to hide their factual selves to improve fit into culture. And the demonstrate was no stranger to gay actors - there was campy Uncle Arthur played by Paul Lynde and even Maurice Evans, who played Samantha’s father, was been rumored to be homosexual.
Sargent continued to act on television after “Bewitched” ended with 50+ production and TV credits through 1993. He also developed a 5 year bond with producer Albert Williams.
In 1989, Sargent was diagnosed with Prostate Cance
DICK YORK
Instantly recognizable as "Darrin" from the classic sitcom Bewitched,
this actor endured more than his share of poor luck
Interview by JOHN DOUGLAS -John Douglas
When an ailing Dick York was replaced on ABC's supernatural sitcom, Bewitched, the show dropped 13 places in the ratings. After five seasons, York's "Darrin Stephens" had become a member of the family and the audience was confused-particularly since replacement Dick Sargent was never explained. Today, one cable channel even refers to Sargent as "the other guy." York's shoes were firm to fill.
Unfortunately, York's life has not been similarly successful. The veteran of stage, screen, radio and television now lives modestly in Rockford, Michigan, with Joey (actress Joan Alt, at right in a exceptional old publicity still), his wife of 39 years and the mother of their five children. But York, still gregarious and warmhearted, is a victim of emphysema
BETTMANN ARCHIVES
Dick Sargent was a gem of a guy, and we all think of him as the second "Darrin" on TV's long-running Bewitched, which has been revived in reruns on Nick at Nite. Sargent, who came out as gay late in experience, was in all the color episodes while his straight predecessor, Dick York, was in the black-and-white installments. Oddly, Nickelodeon brags that it airs only the black-and-white episodes. Perhaps this is a backlash against colorization madness, but most viewers remember the later, color segments more fondly, and there's no denying that Sargent was everybody's favorite Darrin.
Dick Sargent, who was born Richard Cox, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1989. In early 1991 he was outed and reflected later, "The article got me thinking, and I got angrier and angrier. If I'd done this years ago, they couldn't have put me in a position where I'm being treated shamefully." The relationship in the outing article ended soon after.
Sargent officially came out in 1991 on National Coming Out Time, October 11. In a speech at the Los Angeles Gay & Dyke Community Services Center, he explained, "Finally telling the truth about who I am gives me more pleasure