16 Facts About Darwin Joston

Darwin Joston was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to US Navy veteran Odell Solomon, owner of the Odell Solomon Lawn and Garden Center, and Elizabeth, daughter of John Smith, of Kernersville, North Carolina.

Darwin Joston had one brother, Talmadge Solomon, who became a Church of Christ minister.

Darwin Joston later studied drama at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated from there in 1960.

Darwin Joston lived and worked in New York for five years and then moved to Los Angeles, California, where, from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, Joston acted primarily in television.

Darwin Joston appeared in a number of popular series including Lassie, The Virginian, The Rat Patrol, Ironside, The Rookies, and McCloud.

Darwin Joston acted in genre films during this phase of his acting career.

Darwin Joston is known for his iconic portrayal of Napoleon Wilson, the sardonic, shotgun-toting, anti-hero in Assault on Precinct 13, John Carpenter's 1976, Howard Hawks-inspired, action film.

When Carpenter was writing the screenplay for Assault on Precinct 13, he and Darwin Joston both lived in the same Hollywood Hills apartment building and became friends.

Darwin Joston played Paul, the beleaguered pencil-factory clerk, in David Lynch's classic 1977 cult film, Eraserhead.

Darwin Joston worked with Carpenter again in the 1980 horror film, The Fog, playing the coroner, Dr Phibes.

Darwin Joston worked on the transportation crews of two 1978 movies, The Buddy Holly Story and Ruby and Oswald.

Darwin Joston had begun working as a teamster when he was between acting jobs, which, according to Joston, was much of the time; eventually, he became so busy working on film crews that he rarely had time to look for roles.

In 1982, when Carpenter was scheduled to direct the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel Firestarter, Joston was considered for the role of John Rainbird, the Native-American assassin; but after Universal Pictures executives fired Carpenter from the project and replaced him with Mark L Lester, the role of Rainbird was given to George C Scott.

Darwin Joston performed as a voice actor in Showtime's short-lived, 1985 animated series Washingtoon.

Darwin Joston's funeral was held on June 4,1998, at the Oaklawn Baptist Church in Winston-Salem; the services were conducted by his brother, Talmadge, and by Rev Paul Riggs.

Some, including director Quentin Tarantino, consider Darwin Joston to have been a vastly underrated actor whose talent was not duly recognized during his lifetime.