Darwin Joston
Actor

Darwin Joston Net Worth

Darwin Joston was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1937 and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He moved to New York and began acting in stage plays and summer stock productions before moving to Los Angeles to continue his acting career. He is best known for his role as Napoleon Wilson in John Carpenter's classic film Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). He also had small roles in other films such as Rattlers (1976), Eraserhead (1977), Coast to Coast (1980), The Fog (1980), and Time Walker (1982). He also had guest spots on various TV shows. In addition to his acting credits, Joston worked behind-the-scenes as either a driver or a transportation captain on various films. He passed away in 1998 due to leukemia, but his iconic role as Napoleon Wilson will live on in our memories.
Darwin Joston is a member of Actor

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Actor, Transportation Department, Sound Department
Birth Day December 09, 1937
Birth Place  Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States
Age 83 YEARS OLD
Died On June 1, 1998(1998-06-01) (aged 60)\nWinston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Birth Sign Capricorn
Other names Darwin Jostin
Years active 1960–1986
Spouse(s) Josephine Cook, Janie Posey Swaim

💰 Net worth: $100K - $1M

Biography/Timeline

1960

After college, Joston moved to New York City and began his professional career as a stage actor in various theater and summer stock productions. He lived and worked in New York for five years and then moved to Los Angeles, California, where, from the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s, Joston acted primarily in television. He appeared in a number of popular series including Lassie (in which he had a recurring role), The Virginian, The Rat Patrol, Ironside, The Rookies, and McCloud. He also had guest roles in episodes of the short-lived series Longstreet and Ghost Story/Circle of Fear.

1971

Joston also acted in genre films during this phase of his acting career. Of the two films that were released theatrically, the first was the 1971 western-themed, grindhouse exploitation film, Cain's Cutthroats, in which he played Billy-Joe, a psychopathic, mother-obsessed, sexually-warped Confederate soldier. The second film was the low-budget 1976 horror movie, Rattlers, in which he played a soldier who is killed by a horde of rattlesnakes.

1976

Joston is known for his iconic portrayal of Napoleon Wilson, the sardonic, shotgun-toting, anti-hero in Assault on Precinct 13, John Carpenter's 1976, Howard Hawks-inspired, action film. Carpenter has said that he wrote the Napoleon Wilson role with Joston in mind and imbued the character with some of Joston's personality traits. When Carpenter was writing the screenplay for Assault on Precinct 13, he and Joston both lived in the same Hollywood Hills apartment building and became friends. Having gotten to know Joston and his dark sense of humor, Carpenter felt that his neighbor would make an interesting anti-hero.

1977

During the five years following the release of Assault on Precinct 13, Joston appeared in three more independent films. He played Paul, the beleaguered pencil-factory clerk, in David Lynch's classic 1977 cult film, Eraserhead. According to Joston, Lynch wanted to cast him in the part after seeing one of his previous performances (though Joston did not know which one), and he contacted Joston about playing the role through a mutual friend. He worked with Carpenter again in the 1980 horror film, The Fog, playing the coroner, Dr. Phibes. Shortly afterward, Eric Red, then a young film-maker and a fan of Joston's performance in Assault on Precinct 13, cast Joston in the lead role of the world-weary hitman in Red's 1981 short film, Gunmen's Blues.

1978

Joston also worked on the transportation crews of two 1978 movies, The Buddy Holly Story and Ruby and Oswald.

1980

In the 1980s, Joston's acting career became more sporadic, and he made a gradual transition from acting to working full-time as a teamster on film and television transportation crews. He had begun working as a teamster when he was between acting jobs, which, according to Joston, was much of the time; eventually, he became so busy working on film crews that he rarely had time to look for roles. After 1986, he worked primarily in transportation until his retirement in 1994.

1982

Joston's last film role was in the 1982 B-movie (and Mystery Science Theater 3000 favorite) Time Walker (also known as Being from Another Planet), in which he appeared with his Assault on Precinct 13 co-star, Austin Stoker; and the last two years of his acting career were spent playing guest roles in television series such as Hill Street Blues, Spenser: For Hire, Knight Rider, and Remington Steele. He also performed as a voice actor in Showtime's short-lived, 1985 animated series Washingtoon. His final television role was in a 1986 episode of the comedy series ALF.

1986

From 1986 until 1994, he worked as a driver, driver captain, or transportation captain (sometimes with his son, Shawn Solomon) on various television productions and on films such as Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), La Bamba (1987), Lynch's 1990 film Wild at Heart, and The American President (1995).

1998

After Joston retired, he moved from Los Angeles back to Winston-Salem. Several years later, on June 1, 1998, he died of leukemia at Forsyth Medical Center. His funeral was held on June 4, 1998 at the Oaklawn Baptist Church in Winston-Salem; the services were conducted by his brother, Talmadge, and by Rev. Paul Riggs.

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About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.