Donald Chaffin(1924-1999)
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Donald Chaffin's entire life was spent working in motion pictures. He started out as juvenile actor in the 1930s playing kids and newsboys. It was through this he really started to establish a lot of connections with various casting directors at MGM studios.
Like many extras of the day, Chaffin faced a unique problem. His natural appearance wasn't considered dignified enough to appear as a dress extra in socialite scenes but he also didn't really have an appearance that would lend himself to be cast in westerns. Through his connections with MGM, he was able to receive work as a stand-in which meant he was constantly working and he would usually be allowed to appear in the production as an extra or occasionally upgraded to a speaking role.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Chaffin's appearance led him to appear in various bartender type roles but usually he stayed attached to a production where he'd be standing in for a start. By the mid 1960s, he caught a break and became the stand-in for Gary Collins in Iron Horse. Unlike most shows, Iron Horse had a reputation for giving their stand-ins credited roles when they could as long as it wasn't too frequent where they became noticeable. Chaffin would appear in various roles during the show's run.
It wasn't until the 1970s that Chaffin caught a real break. He became the stand-in for Telly Savalas on the hit series Kojak. He also became one of the regular detectives that were usually seen around the squad room and was given the character name Det. Tracy. This not only meant that Chaffin worked steadily but that he actually became an established figure on set so he was occasionally given dialog or at the very least upgraded to a "silent bit" where he interacted with a primary character and got a large increase in pay.
After Kojak ended, Chaffin spent several more years appearing as a stand-in on various shows but he finally called it quits by the late 1980s leaving behind more than 50 years' worth of various roles and occupations throughout most of what are considered by many the golden ages of film and television.
Like many extras of the day, Chaffin faced a unique problem. His natural appearance wasn't considered dignified enough to appear as a dress extra in socialite scenes but he also didn't really have an appearance that would lend himself to be cast in westerns. Through his connections with MGM, he was able to receive work as a stand-in which meant he was constantly working and he would usually be allowed to appear in the production as an extra or occasionally upgraded to a speaking role.
Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, Chaffin's appearance led him to appear in various bartender type roles but usually he stayed attached to a production where he'd be standing in for a start. By the mid 1960s, he caught a break and became the stand-in for Gary Collins in Iron Horse. Unlike most shows, Iron Horse had a reputation for giving their stand-ins credited roles when they could as long as it wasn't too frequent where they became noticeable. Chaffin would appear in various roles during the show's run.
It wasn't until the 1970s that Chaffin caught a real break. He became the stand-in for Telly Savalas on the hit series Kojak. He also became one of the regular detectives that were usually seen around the squad room and was given the character name Det. Tracy. This not only meant that Chaffin worked steadily but that he actually became an established figure on set so he was occasionally given dialog or at the very least upgraded to a "silent bit" where he interacted with a primary character and got a large increase in pay.
After Kojak ended, Chaffin spent several more years appearing as a stand-in on various shows but he finally called it quits by the late 1980s leaving behind more than 50 years' worth of various roles and occupations throughout most of what are considered by many the golden ages of film and television.
