Photo: ABC Television / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Kim Darby is one of those actresses who delivered a genuinely iconic performance and then somehow slipped just outside the spotlight — which honestly makes her all the more interesting to me. Her turn as Mattie Ross in the 1969 True Grit is remarkable: she held her own alongside John Wayne at the absolute peak of his legend, playing a steely, no-nonsense teenager with total conviction. That BAFTA nomination for Most Promising Newcomer was well earned. Born in LA and trained in the Hollywood system, she had this naturalistic quality that felt fresh against the big studio polish of the era. She kept working steadily in television and film for decades after, which in the brutal churn of Hollywood is its own kind of quiet achievement. I think she deserves more retrospective love than she gets.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Kim Darby
- Name (Japanese)
- キム・ダービー
- Reading
- きむ・だーびー
- Born
- July 8, 1947 (age 79)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Boar
- Origin
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Occupation
- television actor / film actor / actor
2. Background
- High school
- Van Nuys High School
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Kim Darby born?
Born July 8, 1947 (age 79).
Where is Kim Darby from?
Kim Darby is from Los Angeles, California, United States.
What does Kim Darby do?
Kim Darby works as television actor, film actor, actor.
Television actor — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.