‘The Grapes of Wrath’ actor Darryl Hickman dies at 92: report

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Darryl Hickman, who appeared as a young actor in films such as “The Grapes of Wrath” and “Leave Her to Heaven,” has died at 92, the Hollywood Reporter reports.

Hickman lived in Montecito, California, and passed Wednesday, according to the Neptune Society.

Hickman played Winfield, the youngest member of the Joad family, in John Ford’s adaptation of the John Steinbeck novel “The Grapes of Wrath” in 1940.

The Hollywood Reporter said Ford liked Hickman because “he was the only kid that didn’t act like an actor.”

Hickman appeared in films as early as 1937 when he was just six years old. He would go on to appear in more than 40 movies by 1951 when he left the business and entered a monastery, the Hollywood Reporter said.

Hickman would return to the entertainment business in guest-starring roles on TV, including shows such as “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp,” “Perry Mason,” “Climax!,” and “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”

He would also appear on Broadway as J. Pierrepont Finch in the original production of “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” which ran from 1961 to 1965.

Hickman went on to work as a producer for the CBS soap opera “Love of Life” and spent about five years as the network’s head of daytime programming, the Hollywood Reporter noted.

He published a book about acting titled “The Unconscious Actor: Out of Control, In Full Command,” published in 2007.

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