James Darren
Encyclopedia
James William Ercolani known by his stage name James Darren, is an American
television and film actor, television director, and singer.
, on June 8, 1936, Darren began his career as a teen idol
, having been discovered by talent agent
and casting director Joyce Selznick
. This encompassed roles in films, most notably his role as Moondoggie in Gidget
in 1959, as well as a string of pop
hits for Colpix Records
, the biggest of which was "Goodbye Cruel World
" (#3 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1961). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. Another sizeable hit was "Her Royal Majesty" (#6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962). He is also featured in one of the Scopitone
series of pop music video jukebox films ("Because You're Mine").
Darren's role in the 1961 World War II
film The Guns of Navarone
was an attempt to break out of his teen image. He was the singing voice of Yogi Bear
in the 1964 animated film, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!
, on the song "Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a". Prior to that, he was the singing and speaking voice of "Jimmy Darrock" on an episode of The Flintstones
. He then achieved success co-starring as impulsive scientist and adventurer Tony Newman in the science fiction television series, The Time Tunnel
(1966–1967).
In the 1970s Darren appeared as a celebrity panelist on Match Game
.
Later Darren had a regular role as Officer James Corrigan on the television police drama T.J. Hooker from 1983–1986. Subsequently he worked as a director on many action-based television series, including Hunter, The A-Team
, and Nowhere Man
, as well as dramas such as Beverly Hills, 90210
and Melrose Place.
In 1998 he achieved renewed popularity as a singer through his appearances on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
in the role of holographic crooner
and advice-giver Vic Fontaine; many of his performances on the show were re-recorded for the album This One's From the Heart
(1999). The album showed Darren, a close friend of Frank Sinatra
, comfortably singing in the Sinatra style; the 2001 follow-up Because of You
showed similar inspiration from Tony Bennett
.
after she won the "Miss Gidget" contest in 1959. He has been married twice:
Darren and his wife are godparent
s to Nancy Sinatra
's daughter, Angela Jennifer Lambert, (Frank Sinatra
's first grandchild). Darren and Nancy Sinatra also share a birthday, June 8 1936 and 1940, respectively.
Many compilation albums also exist.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television and film actor, television director, and singer.
Career
Born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, on June 8, 1936, Darren began his career as a teen idol
Teen idol
A teen idol is a celebrity who is widely idolized by teenagers; he or she is often young but not necessarily teenaged. Often teen idols are actors or pop singers, but some sports figures have an appeal to teenagers. Some teen idols began their careers as child actors...
, having been discovered by talent agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
and casting director Joyce Selznick
Joyce Selznick
Joyce Selznick was a talent agent and casting director, and the niece to David O. Selznick, who produced Gone with the Wind in 1939 and founded Selznick International Pictures.-Career:...
. This encompassed roles in films, most notably his role as Moondoggie in Gidget
Gidget
Gidget is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner in his 1957 novel, Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friends on the beach at Malibu. The name Gidget is a portmanteau of "girl and midget"...
in 1959, as well as a string of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
hits for Colpix Records
Colpix Records
Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia and Pictures . It was founded by Jonie Taps and Harry Cohn in 1958, and was based in New York City. Paul Wexler headed the label. Stu Phillips was in charge of A&R...
, the biggest of which was "Goodbye Cruel World
Goodbye Cruel World (James Darren song)
"Goodbye Cruel World" is a song written by Gloria Shayne Baker, who also wrote the well-known Christmas carol, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" and several songs for singer Lesley Gore. The most famous recording of this song is by James Darren. Released as a single in 1961, Darren scored his first top...
" (#3 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in 1961). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. Another sizeable hit was "Her Royal Majesty" (#6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962). He is also featured in one of the Scopitone
Scopitone
Scopitone is a type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. Scopitone films were a forerunner of music videos. The Italian Cinebox/Colorama and Color-Sonics were competing, lesser-known technologies of the time....
series of pop music video jukebox films ("Because You're Mine").
Darren's role in the 1961 World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
film The Guns of Navarone
The Guns of Navarone (film)
The Guns of Navarone is a 1961 British-American Action/Adventure war film based on the 1957 novel of the same name about the Dodecanese Campaign of World War II by Scottish thriller writer Alistair MacLean. It stars Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn, along with Anthony Quayle and Stanley...
was an attempt to break out of his teen image. He was the singing voice of Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear
Yogi Bear is a fictional bear who appears in animated cartoons created by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in The Huckleberry Hound Show. Yogi Bear was the first breakout character created by Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually more popular than...
in the 1964 animated film, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!
Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!
Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! is a 1964 American animated feature film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. The film stars the voices of Daws Butler, Don Messick, Julie Bennett, and Mel Blanc...
, on the song "Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a". Prior to that, he was the singing and speaking voice of "Jimmy Darrock" on an episode of The Flintstones
The Flintstones
The Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
. He then achieved success co-starring as impulsive scientist and adventurer Tony Newman in the science fiction television series, The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel
The Time Tunnel is a 1966–1967 U.S. color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series. The show's main theme was Time Travel Adventure. The Time Tunnel was released by 20th Century Fox and broadcast on ABC. The show ran...
(1966–1967).
In the 1970s Darren appeared as a celebrity panelist on Match Game
Match Game
Match Game is an American television game show in which contestants attempted to match celebrities' answers to fill-in-the-blank questions...
.
Later Darren had a regular role as Officer James Corrigan on the television police drama T.J. Hooker from 1983–1986. Subsequently he worked as a director on many action-based television series, including Hunter, The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, and Nowhere Man
Nowhere Man (TV series)
Nowhere Man is an American television series that aired from 1995 to 1996 starring Bruce Greenwood. Created by Lawrence Hertzog, the series aired Monday nights on UPN. Despite critical acclaim, including TV Guides label of "The season's coolest hit," the show was cancelled after only one...
, as well as dramas such as Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
and Melrose Place.
In 1998 he achieved renewed popularity as a singer through his appearances on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
in the role of holographic crooner
Crooner
Crooner is an American epithet given to male singers of pop standards, mostly from the Great American Songbook, either backed by a full orchestra, a big band or by a piano. Originally it was an ironic term denoting an emphatically sentimental, often emotional singing style made possible by the use...
and advice-giver Vic Fontaine; many of his performances on the show were re-recorded for the album This One's From the Heart
This One's from the Heart
This One's From the Heart is a collection of songs James Darren sang on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the hologram Vic Fontaine. One song he performed on the show was "The Alamo," which was written specially for the show by Jay Chattaway, and does not appear on the CD.-Track listing:# "The Best Is...
(1999). The album showed Darren, a close friend of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, comfortably singing in the Sinatra style; the 2001 follow-up Because of You
Because of You (James Darren album)
Because of You is an album released by James Darren in 2001.-Track listing:# Just One of Those Things# My Kind of Girl# Can't Take My Eyes Off You# A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square# More Today Than Yesterday# Blame It On My Youth...
showed similar inspiration from Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
.
Personal life
Darren dated Barbara BouchetBarbara Bouchet
Barbara Bouchet, is a German-American actress and entrepreneur.She has acted in more than 80 films and television episodes and founded a production company that has produced fitness videos and books as well as owning a fitness studio...
after she won the "Miss Gidget" contest in 1959. He has been married twice:
- His first wife was Gloria Terlitzky (married 1955 to 1959) with whom he had one son, Jim MoretJim MoretJim Moret is currently the chief correspondent for the syndicated television news magazine Inside Edition. Moret has covered entertainment news and traditional hard news stories for over 25 years...
, who for nearly a decade worked as a CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
reporter and anchor, and is currently Chief Correspondent for the syndicated news program Inside EditionInside EditionInside Edition is a thirty-minute American television syndicated news program, first aired on CBS on October 9, 1988. It was originally similar to the programs Hard Copy and A Current Affair, but now more closely resembles a condensed version of breakfast television, exclusively with pre-recorded...
. - His second (and current) wife is Evy Norlund, married on February 6, 1960, with whom he has two sons, Christian Darren, a writer, and Tony Darren, a musician and singer-songwriter.
Darren and his wife are godparent
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
s to Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra, and remains best known for her 1966 signature hit "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
's daughter, Angela Jennifer Lambert, (Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
's first grandchild). Darren and Nancy Sinatra also share a birthday, June 8 1936 and 1940, respectively.
Singles
- 1959 "Gidget" (US #41)
- 1959 "Angel Face" (US #47)
- 1960 "Because They're Young" (UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#29) - 1961 "Goodbye Cruel World" (US #3, UK #28)
- 1962 "Her Royal Majesty" (US #6, UK #36)
- 1962 "Conscience" (US #11, UK #30)
- 1962 "Mary's Little Lamb" (US #39)
- 1962 "Hail to the Conquering Hero" (US #97)
- 1963 "Pin a Medal on Joey" (US #54)
- 1965 "Because You're Mine" (US AC #30)
- 1967 "All" (US #35/US AC #5)
- 1967 "Didn't We" (US AC #36)
- 1977 "You Take My Heart Away" (US #52)
Albums
- 1960 James Darren No. 1 (reissued 2004)
- 1961 Sings the Movies (Gidget Goes Hawaiian)
- 1962 Love Among the Young (reissued 2004)
- 1962 Sings for All Sizes
- 1963 Bye Bye Birdie (with The MarcelsThe MarcelsThe Marcels were a doo-wop group known for turning American classical pop songs into rock and roll. The group formed in 1959 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and signed to Colpix Records, with lead Cornelius Harp, bass Fred Johnson, Gene Bricker, Ron Mundy, and Richard Knauss...
, Paul PetersenPaul PetersenWilliam Paul Petersen is an American movie actor, singer, novelist, and activist. Primarily known for his character-type roles in the 1960s and 1970s, as an adult Petersen established the organization A Minor Consideration to support child stars and other child laborers through legislation,...
, & Shelley FabaresShelley FabaresMichele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an American actress and singer. Fabares is known for her roles as Donna Reed's oldest child, Mary Stone, on The Donna Reed Show , and as Craig T. Nelson's love interest and eventual wife, Christine Armstrong Fox, on the sitcom Coach. She also was Elvis...
) - 1963 Teenage TriangleTeenage Triangle (album)-Charts:-Re-release:In 1999 Teenage Triangle was released on Compact Disc in its entirety for the first time as part of a 2 LPs on 1 CD set on Westside. It included the original liner notes from the 1963 album....
(with Shelley Fabares & Paul Petersen) - 1964 More Teenage Triangle (with Paul Petersen & Shelley Fabares)
- 1967 All (reissued 2005)
- 1971 Mammy Blue
- 1972 Love Songs from the Movies
- 1994 The Best of James Darren
- 1999 This One's from the HeartThis One's from the HeartThis One's From the Heart is a collection of songs James Darren sang on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the hologram Vic Fontaine. One song he performed on the show was "The Alamo," which was written specially for the show by Jay Chattaway, and does not appear on the CD.-Track listing:# "The Best Is...
- 2001 Because of YouBecause of You (James Darren album)Because of You is an album released by James Darren in 2001.-Track listing:# Just One of Those Things# My Kind of Girl# Can't Take My Eyes Off You# A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square# More Today Than Yesterday# Blame It On My Youth...
Many compilation albums also exist.
Selected filmography
- Rumble on the Docks (1956)
- Operation Mad Ball (1957)
- The Brothers Rico (1957)
- Gunman's WalkGunman's WalkGunman's Walk is a 1958 film directed by Phil Karlson. It stars Van Heflin and Tab Hunter.-Cast:*Van Heflin as Lee Hackett*Tab Hunter as Ed Hackett*Kathryn Grant as Clee Chouard*James Darren as Davy Hackett...
(1958) - GidgetGidget (film)Gidget is a 1959 Columbia Pictures CinemaScope feature film. It stars Sandra Dee, Cliff Robertson, and James Darren in a story about a teenager's initiation into the California surf culture and her affiliated romance with a young surfer. The screenplay was written by Gabrielle Upton, a nom de plume...
(1959) - The Gene Krupa StoryThe Gene Krupa StoryThe Gene Krupa Story is a 1959 biopic of American drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa. The conflict in the film centers around Krupa's rise to success and his corresponding use of marijuana.-Plot synopsis:...
(1959) - Because They're YoungBecause They're YoungBecause They're Young is a 1960 film from Columbia Pictures, starring Dick Clark as Neil Hendry, an American high school teacher who tries to make a difference in the lives of his students. The film co-starred Tuesday Weld, Warren Berlinger, Roberta Shore, Doug McClure, and Victoria Shaw. It was...
(1960) - All the Young MenAll the Young MenAll the Young Men is a 1960 Korean War feature film starring Alan Ladd and Sidney Poitier dealing with desegregation in the United States Marine Corps.-Plot:...
(1960) - Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960)
- Gidget Goes HawaiianGidget Goes HawaiianGidget Goes Hawaiian is a 1961 musical romantic comedy film starring Deborah Walley and James Darren. Released by Columbia Pictures, the film is a sequel to the 1959 Sandra Dee "beach movie" vehicle Gidget....
(1961) - The Guns of NavaroneThe Guns of Navarone (film)The Guns of Navarone is a 1961 British-American Action/Adventure war film based on the 1957 novel of the same name about the Dodecanese Campaign of World War II by Scottish thriller writer Alistair MacLean. It stars Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn, along with Anthony Quayle and Stanley...
(1961) - Diamond HeadDiamond Head (film)Diamond Head is a film starring Charlton Heston, Yvette Mimieux, George Chakiris, and James Darren, directed by Guy Green, and released by Columbia Pictures. The original music score was composed by John Williams, Hugo Winterhalter composed the theme, and Darren sang the title song...
(1963) - Gidget Goes to RomeGidget Goes to RomeGidget Goes to Rome is a 1963 Columbia Pictures feature film starring Cindy Carol as the archetypal high school teen surfer girl originally created by Sandra Dee in the 1959 film Gidget. The film is the third of three Gidget films directed by Paul Wendkos and expands upon Gidget's romance with...
(1963) - The Lively SetThe Lively SetThe Lively Set is a 1964 film directed by Jack Arnold. It stars James Darren, Pamela Tiffin and Doug McClure.-Plot:Young mechanic Casey Owens designs a turbine engine that could lead to an automotive land-speed record...
(1964) - For Those Who Think YoungFor Those Who Think YoungFor Those Who Think Young, appearing on the album cover as and originally to be entitled for those who think jung, was the third album by Canadian new wave band Rough Trade; it was released in 1981...
(1964) - Venus in FursVenus in Furs (1969 film)Venus in Furs is a 1969 Italian supernatural erotic thriller film directed by Jesús Franco and starring James Darren.The film bears only a superficial resemblance to the 1870 Venus in Furs novel by Leopold von Sacher Masoch...
(1969)
TV appearances
- The Donna Reed ShowThe Donna Reed ShowThe Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
(1959) - The FlintstonesThe FlintstonesThe Flintstones is an animated, prime-time American television sitcom that screened from September 30, 1960 to April 1, 1966, on ABC. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, The Flintstones was about a working class Stone Age man's life with his family and his next-door neighbor and best friend. It...
as Jimmy Darrock (1965) - ShivareeShivaree (TV series)Shivaree was a Los Angeles-based music variety show that ran in syndication from 1965 to 1966. It was hosted by Gene Weed. In its brief run, the show featured numerous well-known acts, including the Rolling Stones, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, the Byrds, the Bobby Fuller Four, the...
(1965) - Voyage to the Bottom of the SeaVoyage to the Bottom of the Sea (TV series)Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea is a 1960s American science fiction television series based on the 1961 film of the same name. Both were created by Irwin Allen, which enabled the movie's sets, costumes, props, special effects models, and sometimes footage, to be used in the production of the...
(Guest star in The Mechanical Man) - The Time TunnelThe Time TunnelThe Time Tunnel is a 1966–1967 U.S. color science fiction TV series. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen, his third science fiction television series. The show's main theme was Time Travel Adventure. The Time Tunnel was released by 20th Century Fox and broadcast on ABC. The show ran...
(1966–1967) - TJ Hooker (1982–1985)
- Star Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space NineStar Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
(1998–1999)