Actor Darren McGavin, beloved for his role as 'Carl Kolchak', aka "The Night Stalker" passed away Saturday night in Los Angeles:
McGavin made his start in films by painting a movie set in 1945 on "A Song To Remember" when he learned of an opening in the film, climbed off his ladder and returned through the front gates of the studio to land the part.
The actor went on to star in five TV series, including 1950's private eye show "Mike Hammer" and feature films "Dead Heat" and "A Christmas Story".
McGavin also had leading roles in TV's "Riverboat", but was best remembered for his starring role as TV's "Kolchak: The Night Stalker".
McGavin won an Emmy in 1990 for a TV episode of Candice Bergen's "Murphy Brown".
Other featured roles included director David Lean's "Summertime", with Frank Sinatra in "The Man with the Golden Arm", Jerry Lewis' parole officer in "The Delicate Delinquent" and the gambler in 1984's "The Natural".
About his stint as 'Mike Hammer', McGavin once told a reporter, "Hammer was a dummy. I made 72 of those shows, and I thought it was a comedy."
