Lorren Daro (born Loren Darro Schwartz, 1937–2017) was an American talent agent known for his involvement in the Los Angeles music scene in the 1960s. His contacts included Beach Boys member Brian Wilson, session musician Van Dyke Parks, jingle writer Tony Asher, and Byrds members David Crosby, Chris Hillman, and Roger McGuinn.

Daro helped connect Wilson to Asher for the writing of the Beach Boys' album Pet Sounds (1966). He is also infamous for having introduced Wilson to marijuana and LSD; the latter drug is sometimes cited as the cause of Wilson's subsequent mental health struggles. Later in his life, Daro was a tour manager, concert promoter, and author of two self-published books.

Loren Darro Schwartz was born in 1937 and grew up in Beverly Hills, California. As a child, he took on professional acting roles. Early in his life, he formed friendships with David Anderle, a grammar school acquaintance, and Tony Asher, described by Schwartz as "my best pal in college". The latter met Schwartz while they were attending Santa Monica High School. Afterward, Schwartz attended Santa Monica City College and graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he majored in theatre.

During the 1960s, Schwartz was employed with the William Morris Agency – who were also representing the Beach Boys – and resided in an apartment on Harper Avenue in West Hollywood. There, he regularly hosted listening and smoking parties; frequent attendees included Asher, members of the Byrds, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, and session musician Van Dyke Parks. Schwartz called his apartment a "Gertrude Stein-styled salon. I had the best pot and happening musicians."

In the 1986 biography Heroes and Villains, author Steven Gaines quotes anonymous sources who described Schwartz as "something of a social manipulator" and a "new-wave Jewish intellectual". Another described the scene of his apartment as "a little like Paris in the days when the impressionist painters met at coffeehouses." The same comparison was made in a later blog post by Schwartz. Academic Dave Carter writes that the gatherings of artists at Schwartz's apartment were not particularly unique for the time and setting.

In the mid-1960s, Schwartz met Brian Wilson at a Hollywood studio and subsequently became one of his closest friends. Schwartz claimed to have been first acquainted with Wilson in 1961. In another account, he stated that he was introduced to Wilson by Asher in January 1963, but Wilson said that he was already acquainted with Schwartz prior to meeting Asher. Asher recalled that he would occasionally "see Brian [at Loren's house]—but he never stayed long." He characterized Schwartz and Schwartz's wife, Judy, as having "a great influence on Brian."

I became the villain in this drama. I was the 'Hollywood hipster' who had ruined Brian's life. [...] All I can say in my defense is that it is universally understood that Brian's best work followed in the next two years: Pet Sounds, "Good Vibrations", [...] and Smile, among others.

Through Schwartz, Wilson was exposed to a wealth of literature and mystical topics – largely of philosophy and world religions – that Wilson formed a deep fascination with. Schwartz also introduced Wilson to marijuana and hashish in late 1964. Along with Wilson's habitual use of marijuana, the constant fraternizing between Wilson and Schwartz ignited tensions between Wilson and his first wife Marilyn, especially after Schwartz introduced Wilson to LSD.