Profile of James Darren on Famous Like Me

James Darren (born James William Ercolani June 8, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer.

Biography

Darren began his career as a teen idol. 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).

Darren's role in the gritty 1961 World War II film The Guns of Navarone was an attempt to break out of his teen image. He then achieved success co-starring as impulsive scientist and adventurer Tony Newman in the science fiction television series, The Time Tunnel (1966-67).

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 recorded for the album This One's From the Heart (1999). A close friend of the late Frank Sinatra, the album showed Darren comfortably singing in the Sinatra style; the 2001 follow-up Because of You showed similar inspiration from Tony Bennett.

Some animation fans may know him as 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.

Selected Discography

Singles

• 1959 Gidget
• 1959 Angel Face
• 1961 Goodbye Cruel World (US #3)
• 1962 Her Royal Majesty (US #6)
• 1962 Conscience (US #11)
• 1962 Mary's Little Lamb (US #39)
• 1967 All (US #35)
• 1977 You Take My Heart Away

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
• 1963 Teen-Age Triangle
• 1963 More Teen-Age Triangle
• 1967 All (reissued 2005)
• 1971 Mammy Blue
• 1972 Love Songs from the Movies
• 1999 This One's From the Heart
• 2001 Because of You

Many compilation albums also exist.

Notable films

• Rumble on the Docks (1956)
• Operation Mad Ball (1957)
• The Brothers Rico (1957)
• Gidget (1959)
• The Guns of Navarone (1961)
• For Those Who Think Young (1964)

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