James Darren

At 88 years old, James Darren physical status not available right now. We will update James Darren's height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, and measurements.

Career

After getting some photographs taken by Maurice Seymour to show prospective agents, Darren was discovered by talent agent and casting director Joyce Selznick.

In July 1956, Columbia signed Darren to a long-term deal. Rumble on the Docks (1956), Sam Katzman's low budget "B" film in which Darren was the lead, just a few weeks later. Darren's appearance was well-received and he got a lot of fan mail, second only to Kim Novak in the studio.

Darren guest appeared on an episode of television's The Web ("Kill and Run"), then Columbia gave him a supporting role in a "A" film starring Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs (1957).

He appeared in two films directed by Phil Karlson: The Brothers Rico (1957), a film noir, starring Richard Conte's brother; and Gunman's Walk (1958), a Western with Van Heflin and Tab Hunter. In between, he was second billed in another film for Katzman, The Tijuana Story (1957), but his role was minor.

Darren was third in the surf film Gidget (1959), starring Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson, who played Moondoggie, making him the film's leading man. He also performed on the title track. "They were considering having someone do the vocal and I would lip sync," he said. "I told them I could do it." We were now in one of the sound stages, and I performed 'Gidget.' He sings fine,' they said, but I did all the other songs."

The film was a hit among teen audiences, as well as the song. Darren went on to record a string of pop hits for Colpix Records, the most notable of which was "Goodbye Cruel World" (#3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961). It sold over one million copies and was given a gold disc. He also recorded this song in excellent Italian as "Addio Mondo Crudele," which was also very popular in Europe. "Her Royal Majesty" was another notable hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962 (#6 on the Billboard Hot 100). He appears in one of the Scopitone's pop music video jukebox films ("Because You're Mine")).

Darren appeared on episodes of The Donna Reed Show in 1959 and 1961. He appeared on The Lineup (1959).

Darren was third in a series of films for Columbia: The Gene Krupa Story (1959), a biopic about Sal Mineo; All the Young Men (1960), a Korean War film starring Alan Ladd and Sidney Poitier; and Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960), a sequel to Knock On Any Door (1949) with Burl Ives and Shelley Winters; The Gene Krupa (1960), a biopic with Darren he appeared in a teen film, Because They're Young (1960), performing the title track.

Darren appeared in The Guns of Navarone (1961), a big success at the box office, but he was a supporting role. Nevertheless, Darren later stated that "the people handling my career at the time didn't really take advantage of it." Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961), where Darren reprised his role as Moondoggie, was released; he had a new Gidget (Deborah Walley) and was given top billing.

Darren had a good support role in a melodrama, Diamond Head (1962) with Charlton Heston. He played Moondoggie for the third time in Gidget Goes (1962), which he later described as "hated... "hated... I didn't want to do it. "I was hoping that I'd be doing them for the rest of my life," says the author. He appeared on Under the Yum Yum Yum Tree (1963) as the title track.

Darren joined Universal in 1963 and obtained a seven-picture contract, beginning with The Lively Set (1963). That teamed him with Pamela Tiffin, who appeared in For Those Who Think Young (1964), a teen film Darren made for United Artists, which was also in For Those Who Think Young (1964).

In the animated film Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! He was the singing voice of Yogi Bear. "Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a" was a song that appeared on television in 1964. He appeared on "Jimmy Darrock" before that, and he was the singing voice of his own character "Jimmy Darrock" on an episode of The Flintstones. However, Lennie Weinrib, a voice actor, provided the character's dialogue.

As an Android Omar manufactured by Irwin Allen, Darren guest appeared on an episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as an Android Omar. Allen then starred Darren as the lead of a series titled The Time Tunnel (1966-1977) with Robert Colbert and Lee Meriwether. Allen shot a brief pilot for a new series starring Darren, The Man from the 25th Century, but it wasn't picked up when the series came to an end.

Darren continued to Europe to make Venus in Furs (1969) for Jess Franco, then reunited with Allen in City Beneath the Sea (1971).

In the 1970s, Darren appeared in nightclubs on a regular basis. He concentrated on guests appearing on television shows like Love, American Style, and S.W.A.T. Black Sheep Squadron; Charlie's Angels; The Feather and Father Gang; and Fantasy Island.

He appeared in The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975) and the film The Boss' Son (1978).

Darren appeared on Scruples (1981), and One Day at a Time in the early 1980s.

Darren was the host of Portrait of a Legend, a weekly show in which he would conduct an interview with a well-known singer about their career interspersed with a classic performance video of the artist. Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Sly Stone, and Herb Alpert were among the artists who appeared. The show was on PBS for the most part.

Later in life, Darren appeared on television news drama T. J. Hooker from 1983 to 1986.

In 1983, Darren said, "Every career has its hills and valleys." "You should be happy with you the most important thing." Not everyone's career, no one that I know of, has ever been on the rise, but not that I know of. The game will always be competitive, and you'll want to make sure you have good investments and financial stability as well as bread on the table. If your projects aren't coming to you, you should seek them out and try to design and implement them together.

He produced several episodes and began a career as a filmmaker, including Hunter, The A-Team, Silk Stalkings, Renegade, and Nowhere Man, as well as dramas such as Beverly Hills, 90210, and Melrose Place.

He continued to appear on such shows as Raven.

He regained fame as a singer in 1998 after appearing on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as a holographic crooner and mentor Vic Fontaine. His appearance in Deep Space Nine fueled his return to singing. Many of his live performances on the show were re-recorded for the album This One's from the Heart (1999). Darren, a close friend of Frank Sinatra, appears on the album and is comfortably singing in Sinatra style. Because of You's 2001 sequel Tony Bennett got a lot of inspiration from him.

Random Acts (2001) and Lucky (2017) are among the later appearances.

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