Actor Dick York’s career was plunged into chaos after an on-set injury, prompting him to become “financially and physically destitute,” an author has said.
York, who was propelled to global stardom after landing the role of Darrin Stephens in “Bewitched,” struggled in his final days before his death in 1992 at age 63.
For the hit show’s 60th anniversary, a new documentary takes a look at York’s life and legacy, as well as the reason he gave up his beloved role.
In the doc, “The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery” and “Twitch Upon a Star” author Herbie J Pilato detailed the “very difficult” days York endured toward the end of his life.
“Yes, Dick York was financially and physically destitute,” Pilato told Fox News. “He just did not have the money anymore. His career had dried up. He was in very poor health. There were no more calls for acting. It was tough to watch.”
“Now here I am, just a fan, and then later a friend.. to see him in such a horrible situation,” he said. “He forced himself to be positive, but he also knew he had to still make money. So, he would end up cleaning apartments to make money.”
“He became a cleaning man. He went from being a star of one of the biggest TV shows in the history of television to cleaning toilets. It was humbling for him, and he never complained about it, but . . . it should not have happened,” Pilato added.
York’s life began to unravel in 1959 when he was on the set of the Western film “They Came to Cordura.”
The actor, along with some of his co-stars, were shooting a scene on the second to last day of production that saw them lift a railroad handcar, according to the Los Angeles Times.
When the director yelled “cut,” York was the only one not to let go, prompting the vehicle to fall on him.
The horror accident resulted in his spine twisting, and a tear in the surrounding muscles, the outlet notes, adding that the actor did not seek medical attention and instead worked through the pain for years to come.
Eventually, his spine discs failed — leaving him hunched for life.
“He never really recovered from the pain,” Pilato said. “He missed 14 episodes. What’s ‘Bewitched’ without Darren, without the main conflict of, ‘No honey, don’t do the magic?’”
The actor was addicted to painkillers in the years that followed, and was fully reliant on them by the time “Bewitched” premiered in 1964.
Five years later, his career was over.
While filming an episode of “Bewitched,” York collapsed and passed out from the pain he was experiencing, prompting him to suffer an epileptic seizure while he was unconscious.
He never returned to the show, and his character was soon portrayed by Dick Sargent.
“They had to replace him — they didn’t have a choice,” Pilato said. “He felt horrible about it. He did not want to damage the opportunity for all those people who were [working on the series].”
“He didn’t want them to lose their jobs. He didn’t want the show to end, so he just gave in and left. However, he did tell me that if he had that summer of 1969 . . . to fully recover, he [felt] that he would have been able to finish the show.”
Before his death, York admitted that it was “the worst day of my life.”
