Darren McGavin was about 61 years old when he filmed and appeared in A Christmas Story.

Quick age breakdown

  • Darren McGavin was born on May 7, 1922.
  • A Christmas Story was released on November 18, 1983.
  • That means during the film’s release year of 1983, McGavin was 61 years old, so he was around 60–61 while filming, depending on the exact production dates.

Mini context

  • McGavin plays the grumpy but lovable “Old Man Parker,” Ralphie’s father, in the 1983 holiday classic.
  • The movie itself is set around Christmas 1940, which adds to why his character feels like an older, Depression-era dad even though the actor was in his early sixties at the time.

TL;DR: Darren McGavin was roughly 61 years old in A Christmas Story.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.