Darren Jack Dalton (born February 9, 1965) is an American actor, screenwriter, and film producer. He is best known for playing Randy the Soc in '' The Outsiders'' (1983) and Daryl in ''

Red Dawn ''Red Dawn'' is a 1984 American action drama film directed by John Milius with a screenplay by Milius and Kevin Reynolds. The film depicts a fictional World War III centering on a land invasion of the continental United States by an alliance o ...

'' (1984),

Life and career

Dalton was born in

Powell, Wyoming Powell is a city in Park County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 6,314 at the 2010 census. Powell is an All-America City and home to Northwest College. History Powell was incorporated in 1909. Powell was named for John Wesley Powell ...

. Dalton's career began in 1982 when cast as Randy Anderson by

Francis Ford Coppola Francis Ford Coppola (; ; born April 7, 1939) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the major figures of the New Hollywood filmmaking movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Coppola is the recipient of five A ...

during a nationwide talent search for the teen ensemble '' The Outsiders''. After ''The Outsiders'', Dalton appeared with

C. Thomas Howell Christopher Thomas Howell (born December 7, 1966) is an American actor. He has starred in the films '' Soul Man'', '' The Hitcher'', '' Grandview U.S.A.'', ''Red Dawn'', ''Secret Admirer'' and '' The Outsiders''. He has also appeared in '' Gett ...

and

Patrick Swayze Patrick Wayne Swayze (; August 18, 1952 – September 14, 2009) was an American actor, dancer, and singer known for playing distinctive lead roles, particularly romantic, tough, and comedic characters. He was also known for his media image and ...

in ''

'' (1984), a story of a group of teenagers fighting

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

troops who had invaded the United States. Dalton portrayed Daryl Bates, the son of the mayor. After ''Red Dawn'', Dalton's first made-for-television movie was ''

Brotherhood of Justice ''The Brotherhood of Justice'' is a 1986 Canadian-American television action film starring Keanu Reeves, Billy Zane, Kiefer Sutherland, and Lori Loughlin. Overview The movie is based on actual events that occurred at Paschal High School in D ...

'' (1986) as a rebellious teenager, and he appeared in the short-lived TV ensemble drama '' The Best Times'' (1985). He also had TV guest appearances in the late 1980s on ''

Highway to Heaven ''Highway to Heaven'' is an American fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series that ran on NBC from September 19, 1984, to August 4, 1989. The series starred Michael Landon as Jonathan Smith, an angel sent to Earth in order t ...

'', ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a physi ...

'', ''

Alien Nation ''Alien Nation'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Rockne S. O'Bannon (later known for ''Farscape''), comprising film, television, and other media productions about alien refugees living on Earth. The series began with the ...

'' and as

General Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

on '' Doctor Quinn, Medicine Woman''. Shortly after, he returned to film, including in ''Dancing in the Forest'' (1989) and ''The Wolves'' (1996). Turning to screenwriting full-time, Dalton did not appear in other TV shows or movies until 2007's ''The Stolen Moments of September''. He then returned to acting in ''War of the Worlds 2'', ''Children of the Hunt'', ''Darkroom'' (which he also executive produced and provided music for), the 3-D zombie thriller ''Day of the Living'' and ''The Day the Earth Stopped'' which Dalton also wrote and produced, and '' The Land That Time Forgot'', which Dalton adapted from the

Edgar Rice Burroughs Edgar Rice Burroughs (September 1, 1875 – March 19, 1950) was an American author, best known for his prolific output in the adventure, science fiction, and fantasy genres. Best-known for creating the characters Tarzan and John Carter, he ...

novel.

Filmography

References

External links

* * http://darrenjdalton.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Dalton, Darren 1965 births Living people American male film actors American male screenwriters American film producers Male actors from Wyoming 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors Screenwriters from Wyoming People from Powell, Wyoming