FAMILY Always Came First

The Daniel Boone alum shares memories, musings and an update on his life today

- Lindsay Hoffman

As a child, Darby Hinton got to live every little boy’s dream on the NBC series Daniel Boone playing Israel, the legendary American frontiersman’s son. The popular series, which was filmed on location in California and Kanab, Utah, allowed Darby to ride horses, get dirty and occasionally save his fictional family from hostile forces. “They wrote a scene for me when I shot a flaming arrow when the Indians were attacking,” he recalls to Closer. “It all was a wonderful experience.”

Darby, 66, continues to act today. “I’m very blessed to be busy,” he says. “I just completed three different movies.” He is also the author of a memoir, Growing Up Israel, and connects with his fans on his website darbyhinton.com.

How did you get the role on Daniel Boone?
I was 5. My mom came into the room and said, “Come on, they need you for an interview down at 20th Century Fox.” She was holding up lederhosen and said, “Quick, get into this and these knee-high socks.” We were going down for the interview for The Sound of Music.

The Sound of Music with Julie Andrews?
Yeah. But, unfortunately, my mom — who was a great mom — was always late to everything. She pulled up to the casting building and said, “Run in there, they’re waiting for you.” I saw a line of kids and got on line.

Uh-oh. Were you on the wrong line?
Yes. Later I saw my mom running up and down the hall. She was like, “Where have you been?” I told her, “I don’t know, but whatever is in there, I just got it.”