Actor Dick Sargent, TV’s “Second Darrin” on ‘Bewitched,’ was a Trailblazer for the LGBTQ Community
[Note: This article is a work of nonfiction based on the author’s interview with actors Dick Sargent and Elizabeth Montgomery.]
Bewitched remains one of the most popular television shows in the history of the medium. Originally broadcast on ABC from 1964 to 1972, the show remains popular in syndication, on streaming platforms, and on home media.
The supernatural half-hour sitcom features Elizabeth Montgomery as Samantha, the witch-with-a-twitch, Stephens, married to a mortal named Darrin, played first by Dick York and then by Dick Sargent.
In real life, Sargent (who along with all the other stars of the show, has passed away) was gay. But at the time of the show’s initial airing, he was in the closet.
In 1991, Sargent decided to reveal his true identity in a big way. He served as a Co-Grand Marshall, alongside Montgomery, at the Los Angeles Gay Pride Parade.
Sargent did so, he said, “Because of the high suicide rate of young homosexuals.”
“I want to help save lives,” he added.
Interestingly, a core theme of Bewitched was prejudice. As Montgomery once noted, “Yeah…that’s what I want this show to be all about.”
