James William Ercolani (born June 8, 1936) known by his stage name James Darren, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had notable starring and supporting roles in films including ''

Gidget Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenaged daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenaged girl and her surfing fri ...

'' (1959) and its sequels, ''

The Gene Krupa Story ''The Gene Krupa Story'' (also known as ''Drum Crazy'') is a 1959 biopic of American drummer and bandleader Gene Krupa. The conflict in the film centers on Krupa's rise to success and his corresponding use of marijuana. Plot synopsis The young ...

'' (1959), '' All the Young Men'' (1960), '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961), and '' Diamond Head'' (1962). As a

teen pop Teen pop is a subgenre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop" About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Teen pop incorporates different subgenres of pop music, as well as elements o ...

singer, he achieved hit singles including " Goodbye Cruel World" in 1961. He later became more active in television, starring as Dr. Anthony Newman in the

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

series ''

The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series and ...

'' (1966–1967). He appeared in the regular role of Officer III James Corrigan in the

police drama The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eithe ...

T. J. Hooker ''T. J. Hooker'' is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982, on ABC and ran on the network un ...

'' (1983–1986) and in the recurring role of

Vic Fontaine Vic Fontaine is a fictional character who appeared in the sixth and seventh seasons of the American science fiction television series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''. Portrayed by James Darren, he is a holographic representation of a 1960s-era ...

in '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (1998–1999).

Early life

Darren was born in the Lower Moyamensing neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, on June 8, 1936. He is of Italian descent. He wanted to be an actor and studied in New York City with

Stella Adler Stella Adler (February 10, 1901 – December 21, 1992) was an American actress and acting teacher.
''

Career

Darren was discovered by talent agent and casting director

Joyce Selznick Joyce Selznick (February 12, 1925 – September 17, 1981) was a talent agent, casting director, and screenwriter. She was the niece of film producer David O. Selznick (''Gone with the Wind'', 1939), providing her with early exposure to the industr ...

after he got some photographs taken by Maurice Seymour to show potential agents:

His secretary, a woman by the name of Yvonne Bouvier, asked me if I was interested in getting into film. I said yeah, I was. She said I know someone you should meet. She set up a meeting between me and Joyce Selznick, who worked for
Screen Gems Screen Gems is an American brand name used by Sony Pictures' Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, a subsidiary of Japanese multinational conglomerate, Sony Group Corporation. It has served several different purposes for its parent ...
. I went down to 1650 Broadway, the
Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and further uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. It was built in 1931 as t ...
. On my way to a meeting with Joyce, we just happened to get on the elevator at the same time. She kept staring at me. I never met her. She never met me. We got off at the same floor and walked to the same office. That was our meeting. Joyce brought me over to Columbia Pictures about a week later and got me a contract there."Gary James' Interview With James Darren"
classicbands.com

Columbia

Columbia signed Darren to a long-term contract in July 1956. A few weeks later he was filming his first film, ''

Rumble on the Docks ''Rumble on the Docks'' is a 1956 American crime film noir directed by Fred F. Sears and starring James Darren. Plot Jimmy Smigelski, living near the docks of Brooklyn, is quick to help when a neighborhood girl, Della, and her little brother are ...

'' (1956), a low budget "B" movie produced by

Sam Katzman Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer and director. Katzman produced low-budget genre films, including serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and his financial backers. Ea ...

, where Darren played the lead. Darren's appearance was well received and he got a lot of fan mail – second at the studio only to

Kim Novak Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak (born February 13, 1933) is an American retired film and television actress and painter. Novak began her career in 1954 after signing with Columbia Pictures and quickly became one of Hollywood's top box office stars, ...

. Darren guest starred on an episode of TV's ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system enabling documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet. Documents and downloadable media are made available to the network through web se ...

'' ("Kill and Run") then Columbia gave him a support role in an "A" picture, the comedy ''

Operation Mad Ball ''Operation Mad Ball'' is a 1957 military comedy from Columbia Pictures, produced by Jed Harris, directed by Richard Quine, that stars Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Kathryn Grant, Arthur O'Connell, and Mickey Rooney. The screenplay is by Blake E ...

'' (1957), starring

Jack Lemmon John Uhler Lemmon III (February 8, 1925 – June 27, 2001) was an American actor. Considered equally proficient in both dramatic and comic roles, Lemmon was known for his anxious, middle-class everyman screen persona in dramedy pictures, leadin ...

and

Ernie Kovacs Ernest Edward Kovacs (January 23, 1919 – January 13, 1962) was a Hungarian-American comedian, actor, and writer. Kovacs's visually experimental and often spontaneous comedic style influenced numerous television comedy programs for years afte ...

. He had support roles in two films directed by Phil Karlson: ''

The Brothers Rico ''The Brothers Rico'' is a 1957 American crime film noir directed by Phil Karlson and starring Richard Conte, Dianne Foster and Kathryn Grant. Plot Eddie Rico (Richard Conte) is the happily married owner of a prosperous laundry company in Baysh ...

'' (1957), a film noir, playing the brother of

Richard Conte Nicholas Peter Conte (March 24, 1910 – April 15, 1975), known professionally as Richard Conte, was an American actor. He appeared in more than 100 films from the 1940s through 1970s, including '' I'll Cry Tomorrow'', ''Ocean's 11'', and ''Th ...

; and ''

Gunman's Walk ''Gunman's Walk'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Van Heflin and Tab Hunter. Plot Davy Hackett (James Darren) and his hot-tempered, arrogant older brother Ed (Tab Hunter) are about to assist the ...

'' (1958), a Western with

Van Heflin Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...

and

Tab Hunter Tab Hunter (born Arthur Andrew Kelm; July 11, 1931 – July 8, 2018) was an American actor, singer, film producer, and author. Known for his blond, clean-cut good looks, Hunter starred in more than forty films. He was a Hollywood heartthrob of t ...

. In between he was second billed in another movie for Katzman, '' The Tijuana Story'' (1957), although his role was relatively small.

''Gidget'' and singing

Bob Hope Jo Stafford James Darren Jo Stafford Show

James Darren Shelley Fabares Donna Reed Show 1959

James Darren Lee Meriwether Robert Colbert Time Tunnel 1966

Darren was third billed in the surf film, ''

'' (1959), starring

Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials, and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénue ...

and

Cliff Robertson Clifford Parker Robertson III (September 9, 1923 – September 10, 2011) was an American actor whose career in film and television spanned over six decades. Robertson portrayed a young John F. Kennedy in the 1963 film '' PT 109'', and won the 196 ...

, playing Moondoggie, essentially the film's

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

. He also sang the title track. "They were thinking about having someone do the vocal and I would lip sync", he recalled. "I told them I could do it. So we went into one of the sound stages and I sang 'Gidget'. They said, 'He sings fine,' then I did all the other songs." The film was a hit with teen audiences and so was the song. Darren wound up recording a string of pop hits for

Colpix Records Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia (Col) and Pictures (Pix). CBS, which owned Columbia Records, then sued Columbia Pictures for trademark infringement ov ...

, 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 Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. He also recorded this song in excellent Italian, as "Addio Mondo Crudele", which was very successful in Europe. 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 is a type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. Scopitone films were a forerunner of music videos. The 1959 Italian Cinebox/Colorama and Color-Sonics were competing, lesser-known technologies of the time one year before the Scop ...

series of pop music video jukebox films ("Because You're Mine"). Twice, in 1959 and 1961, Darren played teen idols on episodes of ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary an ...

''. He did an episode of '' The Lineup'' (1959). Darren was third billed in a series of films for Columbia: ''

'' (1959), a biopic with

Sal Mineo Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film ''Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), which earned him a nomination f ...

; '' All the Young Men'' (1960), a Korean War movie with Alan Ladd and

Sidney Poitier Sidney Poitier ( ; February 20, 1927 – January 6, 2022) was an American actor, film director, and diplomat. In 1964, he was the first black actor and first Bahamian to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. He received two competitive ...

; and ''

Let No Man Write My Epitaph ''Let No Man Write My Epitaph'' is a 1960 American crime drama film about the son of an executed criminal who aspires to escape his impoverished, crime-ridden neighborhood with the help of his mother and a group of concerned neighbors. The film wa ...

'' (1960) with

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American musician, actor, and author with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his own rad ...

and

Shelley Winters Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...

, which was a sequel to ''

Knock On Any Door ''Knock on Any Door'' is a 1949 American courtroom trial film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart. The picture gave actor John Derek his breakthrough role, and was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by Willard Motley ...

'' (1949). He had a cameo as himself in a teen film, ''

Because They're Young ''Because They're Young'' is a 1960 American drama film directed by Paul Wendkos and 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-stars Tuesday Weld, ...

'' (1960), singing the title track. Darren had a supporting role in the World War II film '' The Guns of Navarone'' (1961), a huge hit at the box office. However, Darren later said "The people handling my career at that point didn't really take advantage of it." Also popular was ''

Gidget Goes Hawaiian ''Gidget Goes Hawaiian'' is a 1961 American romantic comedy musical film starring James Darren, Michael Callan and Deborah Walley. Released by Columbia Pictures, the film is a sequel to the 1959 Sandra Dee beach film vehicle ''Gidget''. Dee was ...

'' (1961) where Darren reprised his role as Moondoggie; he had a new Gidget (

Deborah Walley Deborah Walley (August 12, 1941May 10, 2001) was an American actress noted for playing the title role in ''Gidget Goes Hawaiian'' (1961) and appearing in several beach party films. Early years Walley was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to Ice ...

) and was given top billing. Darren had a good support role in a melodrama, '' Diamond Head'' (1962) with

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...

. He played Moondoggie a third time in ''

Gidget Goes to Rome ''Gidget Goes to Rome'' is a 1963 Columbia Pictures Eastmancolor feature film starring Cindy Carol as the archetypal high school teen surfer girl originally portrayed by Sandra Dee in the 1959 film ''Gidget''. The film is the third of three Gidg ...

'' (1962) which he later said he "hated... I didn't want to do it. I thought that I'd be doing those for the rest of my life."Todd Doogan interviews actor James Darren
(2001). He sang the title track for ''

Under the Yum Yum Tree ''Under the Yum Yum Tree'' is a 1963 American sex comedy film directed by David Swift and starring Jack Lemmon, Carol Lynley, Dean Jones, and Edie Adams, with Imogene Coca, Paul Lynde, and Robert Lansing in supporting roles. The film received ...

'' (1963).

Universal

In 1963 Darren signed a seven-picture deal with Universal, starting with ''

The Lively Set ''The Lively Set'' is a 1964 American color action drama sport film directed by Jack Arnold and starring James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Doug McClure and Joanie Sommers. Plot Casey Owens, a young mechanic, has developed a design for a turbine car e ...

'' (1963). That teamed him with

Pamela Tiffin Pamela Tiffin Wonso (October 13, 1942 – December 2, 2020) was an American film and television actress. Early life Tiffin was born in Oklahoma City to Stanley Wonso and Grace Irene (Tiffin) Wonso of Russian and British ancestry, but grew up in ...

, who was also in '' For Those Who Think Young'' (1964), a teen film Darren made for United Artists. He was the singing voice of

Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in ''The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...

in the animated film, ''

Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! ''Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!'' is a 1964 American animated musical comedy film produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and released by Columbia Pictures. The film stars the voices of Daws Butler, Don Messick, Julie Bennett, Mel Blanc, and J. Pa ...

'' (1964), on the song "Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a". Prior to that, he was the singing voice of his own character "Jimmy Darrock" on an episode of ''

The Flintstones ''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions. The series takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the activities of the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighb ...

''. However, the character's dialogue was provided by voice actor

Lennie Weinrib Leonard Weinrib (April 29, 1935 – June 28, 2006) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the title role in the children's television show ''H.R. Pufnstuf'', Grimace in McDonaldland commercials, the title role in ...

Irwin Allen

Darren guest starred on an episode of ''

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ''Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'' is a 1961 American science fiction disaster film, produced and directed by Irwin Allen, and starring Walter Pidgeon and Robert Sterling. The supporting cast includes Peter Lorre, Joan Fontaine, Barbara Eden, M ...

'' as an Android Omar, that was produced by

Irwin Allen Irwin Allen (born Irwin O. Cohen, June 12, 1916 – November 2, 1991) was an American film and television producer and director, known for his work in science fiction, then later as the "Master of Disaster" for his work in the disaster film gen ...

. Allen then cast Darren in the lead of a series, as impulsive scientist and adventurer Tony Newman on the

series, ''

'' (1966–1967) with

Robert Colbert Robert Colbert is an American actor most noted for his leading role portraying Dr. Doug Phillips on the ABC television series ''The Time Tunnel'' and his two appearances as Brent Maverick, a third Maverick brother in the ABC/Warner Brothers ...

and

Lee Meriwether Lee Ann Meriwether (born May 27, 1935) is an American actress, former model, and the winner of the Miss America 1955 pageant. She has appeared in many films and television shows, notably as Betty Jones, the title character's secretary and daught ...

. When the series ended, Allen shot a brief pilot for a new series starring Darren, ''

The Man from the 25th Century ''The Man from the 25th Century'' is a 1968 short produced by Irwin Allen. It was intended to be a spin-off of ''Lost in Space'' and a pilot for a new TV series, but the series never sold.For the Literate Couch Potato Newsday13 Nov 2002: B31. S ...

'', but it was not picked up. Darren then went to Europe to make ''

Venus in Furs ''Venus in Furs'' (german: Venus im Pelz, links=no) is a novella by the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, and the best known of his works. The novel was to be part of an epic series that Sacher-Masoch envisioned called '' Legacy of Cai ...

'' (1969) for

Jess Franco Jess is a unisex given name, often a short form (hypocorism) of Jessica, Jesse, Jessie, etc., and a surname. It may refer to: Given name * Jess Atkinson (born 1961), American football player * Jess Cain (1926–2008), American radio host * J ...

then was reunited with Allen in '' City Beneath the Sea'' (1971).

TV guest star

In the 1970s, Darren performed regularly in night clubs. He focused on guest starring on TV series, such as ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup ...

''; ''

S.W.A.T. In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

''; '' Police Woman''; ''

Black Sheep Squadron ''Baa Baa Black Sheep'' (renamed ''Black Sheep Squadron'' for the second season) is an American television series that aired on NBC from September 23, 1976, until April 6, 1978. It was part historical drama, period military drama, part comedy. I ...

''; ''

The Feather and Father Gang ''The Feather and Father Gang'' is a 1976–1977 American crime-drama television series starring Stefanie Powers and Harold Gould, which centers on an attorney who enlists her con-man father and his team of bunco artists to help her solve crime ...

''; ''

Charlie's Angels ''Charlie's Angels'' is an American crime drama television series that aired on ABC from September 22, 1976, to June 24, 1981, producing five seasons and 115 episodes. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts and was produced by Aa ...

''; '' Police Story''; ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

''; ''

Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

''; ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy/drama television series that aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986; in addition, four three-hour specials aired in 1986, 1987, and 1990. The series was set on the luxury passenger cruise ship MS ''Pac ...

''; and ''

Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...

''. He had a role in the TV movie ''

The Lives of Jenny Dolan ''The Lives of Jenny Dolan'' is a 1975 made-for-television drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is us ...

'' (1975) and the film ''The Boss' Son'' (1978). In the early 1980s Darren appeared on ''

Scruples Conscience is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Conscience stands in contrast to elicited emotion or thought due to associations based on immediate sens ...

'' (1981), and '' One Day at a Time''.

''Portrait of a Legend''

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Darren was the host of ''Portrait of a Legend'', a weekly show in which he would conduct an interview with a popular musician about their career interspersed with classic performance footage of that artist. Artists who appeared included

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

Sly Stone Sylvester Stewart (born March 15, 1943), better known by his stage name Sly Stone, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who is most famous for his role as frontman for Sly and the Family Stone, playing a critical role in the ...

, and

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

. The show appeared mostly on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

''TJ Hooker'' and directing

Later Darren had a regular role as Officer III James Corrigan on the television police drama ''

'' from 1983 to 1986. "Every career has its hills and valleys", Darren said in 1983. "The most important thing is that you are happy with you. Not anybody's career, no one that I know of, has always been climbing. It always levels out and you want to make sure you have good investments and financial security and bread on the table. If projects aren't coming to you, then you seek them out and you try to develop and put projects together." He directed some episodes and launched a career as a director, notably of action-based series, including ''

Hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

'', ''

The A-Team ''The A-Team'' is an American action-adventure television series that ran on NBC from January 1983 to March 1987 about former members of a fictitious United States Army Special Forces unit. The four members of the team were tried by court marti ...

'', ''

Silk Stalkings ''Silk Stalkings'' is an American crime drama television series that premiered on CBS on November 7, 1991, as part of the network's late-night ''Crimetime After Primetime'' programming package. Broadcast for two seasons until CBS ended the ''Crim ...

'', ''

Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *'' Comman ...

'', and '' Nowhere Man'', as well as dramas such as ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran fo ...

'' and ''

Melrose Place ''Melrose Place'' is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on Fox from July 8, 1992, to May 24, 1999, for seven seasons. The show follows the lives of a group of young adults living in an apartment complex on Melrose Place, in ...

''. He continued to act on such shows as ''

Raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

''.

''Deep Space Nine''

In 1998, he achieved renewed popularity as a singer through his appearances on '' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' in the role of

holographic Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other Holography#Applications, applic ...

crooner Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic range ...

and adviser

. His role in ''Deep Space Nine'' inspired his return to singing. Many of his vocal performances on the show were re-recorded for the album ''

This One's from the Heart ''This One's from the Heart'' is a collection of songs which 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 Cha ...

'' (1999). The album shows Darren, a close friend of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, comfortably singing in the Sinatra style. The 2001 follow-up '' Because of You'' showed similar inspiration from

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

. Later appearances include ''Random Acts'' (2001) and '' Lucky'' (2017).

Personal life

In 1955, Darren married Gloria Terlitsky, his sweetheart since 1953. Her father opposed their marriage because Terlitsky was Jewish while Darren was Catholic. Darren and Terlitsky had son James Jr. ("Jimmy"), and divorced in 1958. Jimmy was adopted by Gloria's third husband, and is now known as journalist and TV commentator

Jim Moret James William Moret (born Ercolani; December 3, 1956) is the chief correspondent for the syndicated television news magazine ''Inside Edition'' hosted by Deborah Norville and Mary Calvi. Moret has covered entertainment news and traditional hard n ...

. Two years after the divorce, Darren married Evy Norlund,

Miss Denmark Miss Denmark () is a national Beauty pageant in Denmark. The pageant was founded in 1926, where the winners were sent to Miss Universe and other titleholders to Miss World, Miss International and Miss Supranational. Organization The Miss Dan ...

1958. They had two sons, Christian (born c. 1960) and Anthony (born c. 1964).

Selected discography

Singles

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 Marcels The Marcels were an American doo-wop group known for turning popular music 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, R ...

Paul Petersen William Paul Petersen (born September 23, 1945) is an American actor, singer, novelist, and activist. Petersen first rose to prominence in the 1950s playing Jeff Stone on ''The Donna Reed Show'', and transitioned to a singing career in the 19 ...

and

Shelley Fabares Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares (; born January 19, 1944) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her television roles as Mary Stone on the sitcom ''The Donna Reed Show'' (1958–1963) and as Christine Armstrong on the sitcom ...

) * 1963 ''

Teenage Triangle ''Teenage Triangle'' is a joint compilation album by three pop artists, Shelley Fabares, James Darren and Paul Petersen, all of whom were cast members on ''The Donna Reed Show''. It was released in 1963 on Colpix Records and included 12 tracks wit ...

'' (with Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen) * 1964 ''More Teenage Triangle'' (with Paul Petersen and Shelley Fabares) * 1967 ''All'' (reissued 2005) * 1971 ''Mammy Blue'' * 1972 ''Love Songs from the Movies'' * 1994 ''The Best of James Darren'' * 1999 ''

'' * 2001 '' Because of You'' * 2019 ''Live! For The First Time'' Many compilation albums also exist.

Filmography

TV appearances

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Darren, James 1936 births Living people American male film actors American male singers American male television actors American people of Italian descent American television directors Colpix Records artists Musicians from Philadelphia Male actors from Philadelphia Singers from Pennsylvania