At the time of her death in 2015, Darling was, along with Baby Peggy, one of the last surviving actors who worked in the silent film era.

She got her break in 1926 when she passed a screen test and was accepted for a part in Hal Roach's Our Gang series.

[citation needed] Darling began to study singing, and in 1940 she was given a scholarship by the New York Municipal Opera Association.

She turned down an offer to appear alongside Mickey Rooney in one of the MGM Andy Hardy movies, and went on Broadway, making her debut in the musical Count Me In in 1942.

Darling's stage career hit a real high when she landed the role of Carrie Pipperidge in the original Broadway production of Carousel in 1945.

Written and directed by her good friend René Riva, a Dutch actor and singer, it was styled after the ones Darling starred in as a child.