Ms. Darling was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and started dancing at the age of the three at the Gene Kelly Dance Studio. By the age of 6, she was performing in shows at the dance studio. At the age of 14, she appeared twice on the Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour (1948), after having started singing at the age of 13. As a teenager, ...
Show more »
Ms. Darling was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and started dancing at the age of the three at the Gene Kelly Dance Studio. By the age of 6, she was performing in shows at the dance studio. At the age of 14, she appeared twice on the Ted Mack & the Original Amateur Hour (1948), after having started singing at the age of 13. As a teenager, Darling attended the Pittsburgh Playhouse School of Acting, then went on to Carnegie Mellon University where she graduated from the drama department. Upon graduation, she was a member of the original company of the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.). She worked for several years with the Pittsburgh Playhouse, before moving on to the Washington Arena Stage in Washington D.C. From there, to the Longwharf Repertory Company in Connecticut, before starring in "Macbird" at the Village Gate in New York City.Darling made her first Broadway appearance in "How Now Dow Jones", then going on to "Maggie Flynn", followed by the drama "Fire". During her time on Broadway, she appeared on The David Frost Show (1969), as well as branching out to comic improvisations touring the East Coast summer tents. Upon returning to New York, Darling performed in Shakespeare in Central Park for Joseph Papp, while also appearing in the soap opera The Secret Storm (1954) - playing the first hooker on daytime television. The character was such a hit among the show's viewers that Troy Donahue was brought in to play her boyfriend. In 1973, she moved to Hollywood and, after only six weeks, landed her first starring role on the television series Temperatures Rising (1972). After joining the cast of The Six Million Dollar Man (1974), which spawned into The Bionic Woman (1976), Darling then went on to star in Eight Is Enough (1977), making her the only actress to star in three Top 10 television series at the same time. During this time, she also appeared at the Improvisation, performing Harry Chapin's music. She also performed with Harry Chapin on The Merv Griffin Show (1962), as well as making some concert appearances. During the 1990s, Darling guest-starred on some of the highest rated television series, including L.A. Law (1986), Bodies of Evidence (1992) and Cheers (1982). She received an Emmy nomination as Best Supporting Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Hooperman (1987). Most Darling has been seen in recurring roles on Dharma & Greg (1997) and Mad About You (1992). 2001 found Ms. Darling juggling many acts. Member of an original musical, "You Haven't Changed A Bit, And Other Lies", which did open mid-June for an unlimited run in Los Angeles, she was also awaiting the release of her third independent film, Ronnie (2002). This, all addition to her being one of the busiest voice-over actresses in Hollywood. Today, she is one of the busiest actresses in the world of animation, lending her voice to characters in more than twenty of the most popular animation series, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987), Tenchi Muyô! (1992) and Astro Boy tetsuwan atomu (2003). Ms. Darling can also be heard via the Internet - in one of the first few successful animation cartoon series - Julius And Friends. Her voice is also recognizable in full length animation features such as Tarzan, Aladdin (1994), Beauty and the Beast (1991), The Little Mermaid (1989), A Bug's Life (1998), Finding Nemo (2003) and many more. In 2005, Ms. Darling finished the independent films Winding Roads (1999), Ronnie (2002) and On Edge (2001). She resides in Los Angeles.
Show less «