# James Darren

James William Ercolani (June 8, 1936 – September 2, 2024), known by his stage name James Darren, was 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 the youth and beach-culture film Gidget (1959) and its sequels. He also appeared in The Gene Krupa Story (1959), All the Young Men (1960), The Guns of Navarone (1961), and Diamond Head (1962). As a teen pop singer, he sang hit singles including "Goodbye Cruel World" in 1961. He later became more active in television, starring as Dr. Anthony Newman in the science fiction series The Time Tunnel (1966–1967). He had the regular role of Officer James Corrigan in the police drama T. J. Hooker (1982–1986) and performed as Vic Fontaine, a recurring role in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998–1999).

## Early life

James William Ercolani was born in Philadelphia, on June 8, 1936. He was of Italian descent and grew up in South Philadelphia near where Fabian and Frankie Avalon lived. In an interview with the News Press of Fort Myers, Florida he said that the area where he lived was "a real neighborhood. It made you feel that you could be successful, too." He mentioned that Al Martino and Eddie Fisher were from the neighborhood.
Darren wanted to be an actor and studied in New York City with Stella Adler for a number of years. He also occasionally sang although he later said "I wasn't really a singer. I was a kid in Philly whose dad would take him to bars and nightclubs and I would get up and sing two songs."

## Career

Darren was discovered by talent agent and casting director Joyce Selznick 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. I went down to 1650 Broadway, the Brill Building. 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.

### 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 (1956), a low-budget "B" movie produced by Sam Katzman, 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. He guest starred on an episode of TV's The Web ("Kill and Run") and then Columbia gave him a support role in an "A" picture, the comedy Operation Mad Ball (1957), starring Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs.
He had support roles in two films directed by Phil Karlson: The Brothers Rico (1957), a film noir, playing the brother of Richard Conte; and Gunman's Walk (1958), a Western with Van Heflin and Tab Hunter. In between he was second billed in another movie for Katzman, The Tijuana Story (1957), although his role was relatively small.

### Gidget and singing

Darren was third billed in the surf film, Gidget (1959), starring Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson, playing Moondoggie, essentially the film's leading man. 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, the biggest of which was "Goodbye Cruel World" (No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961). It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. He also recorded this song in Italian, as "Addio Mondo Crudele", which was very successful in Europe. His follow-ups also became hits: "Her Royal Majesty" (No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1962) and "Conscience" (No. 11, 1962). He is also featured in one of the Scopitone 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. He did an episode of The Lineup (1959). He was third billed in a series of films for Columbia: The Gene Krupa Story (1959), a biopic with Sal Mineo; All the Young Men (1960), a Korean War movie with Alan Ladd and Sidney Poitier; and Let No Man Write My Epitaph (1960) with Burl Ives and Shelley Winters, which was a sequel to Knock on Any Door (1949). He had a cameo as himself in a teen film, Because They're Young (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, he later said "The people handling my career at that point didn't really take advantage of it." Also popular was Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) where Darren reprised his role as Moondoggie; 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 a third time in Gidget Goes to Rome (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." He told Entertainment Weekly in 2024, "They (Columbia Pictures) had me under contract; I was a prisoner. But with those young ladies (Sandra Dee, Deborah Walley, and Cindy Carol), it was the best prison I think I'll ever be in."
He sang the title track for Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963). He also did voice-over work for Screen Gems' Hanna-Barbera animation unit. He was caricatured as teen idol "Jimmy Darrock" on an episode of The Flintstones, and was the singing voice of Yogi Bear in the theatrical feature, Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! (released 1964), on the song "Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a". Darren's seven-year contract with Columbia expired in 1963, and he did not renew it. His recording agreement with Colpix remained in force, and Colpix issued new records into 1965. In the same year he changed labels, signing with Warner Bros. Records where he had a Top-40 hit ("All", No. 35, 1967).

### Universal

In 1963 Darren signed a seven-picture deal with Universal, starting with The Lively Set (1963). That teamed him with Pamela Tiffin, who was also in For Those Who Think Young (1964), a teen film Darren made for United Artists. Nancy Sinatra appeared in the movie as well. Darren was the godfather of Nancy's daughter, AJ Lambert.

### Irwin Allen

Darren guest-starred on an episode of Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Allen then cast Darren in the lead of a series, as impulsive scientist and adventurer Tony Newman on the science fiction series The Time Tunnel (1966–1967) with Robert Colbert and Lee Meriwether. When the series ended, Allen shot a pilot for a new series starring Darren, The Man from the 25th Century, but it was not picked up.
Darren went to Europe to make Venus in Furs (1969) for Jess Franco and 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; S.W.A.T., Police Woman, Black Sheep Squadron, The Feather & Father Gang, Charlie's Angels, Police Story, Hawaii Five-O, Vegas, The Love Boat, and Fantasy Island.
He had a role in the TV movie The Lives of Jenny Dolan (1975) and the film The Boss' Son (1978). In the early 1980s Darren appeared on Scruples (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 conducted an interview with a popular musician about their career interspersed with classic performance footage of that artist. Artists who appeared included Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Sly Stone, and Herb Alpert. The show appeared mostly on PBS.

### TJ Hooker and directing

From 1983 to 1986 Darren had a regular role as Officer James Corrigan on the television police drama T. J. Hooker. "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, The A-Team, Silk Stalkings, Renegade, and Nowhere Man as well as dramas such as Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place. He continued to act on such shows as Raven.

### Deep Space Nine

In 1998, Darren achieved popularity anew as a singer through his appearances on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the role of holographic crooner and adviser Vic Fontaine. 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 (1999). The album shows Darren, a close friend of Frank Sinatra, singing in the Sinatra style. The 2001 follow-up Because of You showed similar inspiration from Tony Bennett.
Darren's later appearances include Random Acts (2001) and Lucky (2017).

## Personal life and death

In 1955, Darren married Gloria Terlitsky, his sweetheart since 1953. Her father opposed their marriage because Terlitsky was Jewish while Darren was Roman Catholic. Darren and Terlitsky had a son, James Jr. ("Jimmy"), and divorced in 1958. Jimmy was adopted by Gloria's third husband and is now known as Jim Moret, a journalist and television commentator.
Two years after the divorce, Darren married Evy Norlund, Miss Denmark 1958. They had two sons, Christian (born c. 1960) and Anthony (born c. 1964).
Darren died from congestive heart failure in his sleep, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, on September 2, 2024. He was 88. In the weeks before his death, Darren was experiencing issues relating to the function of his aortic valve. His doctors judged his condition too fragile to undergo surgery and repair it.

## Selected discography
### Singles

| Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Album |
| Year | Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated | US Billboard | US AC | Canada CHUM/RPM | UK | Album |
| 1958 | "Mighty Pretty Territory" b/w "There's No Such Thing" | — | — | — | — | Album No. 1 |
| 1959 | "Gidget" b/w "You" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes) | 41 | — | 33 | — | Album No. 1 |
| 1959 | "Angel Face" b/w "I Don't Wanna Lose Ya" | 47 | — | 30 | — | James Darren Sings for All Sizes |
| 1959 | "I Ain't Sharin Sharon" b/w "Love Among the Young" (from Album No. 1) | — | — | — | — | non-album track |
| 1959 | "Teenage Tears" b/w "Let There Be Love" (Non-album track) | — | — | — | — | James Darren Sings for All Sizes |
| 1960 | "You Are My Dream" b/w "Your Smile" | — | — | — | — | Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies |
| 1960 | "Because They're Young" b/w "Tears in My Eyes" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes) | — | — | — | 29 | Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies |
| 1960 | "Traveling Down a Lonely Road" b/w "P.S. I Love You" | — | — | — | — | Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies |
| 1960 | "All the Young Men" b/w "How Sweet You Are" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes) | — | — | — | — | non-album track |
| 1960 | "Come On My Love" b/w "Man About Town" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes) | — | — | — | — | Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies |
| 1961 | "Goodbye My Lady Love" b/w "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" (Non-album track) | — | — | — | — | Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies |
| 1961 | "Gotta Have Love" b/w "Fool's Paradise" (Non-album track) | — | — | — | — | James Darren Sings for All Sizes |
| 1961 | "Gidget Goes Hawaiian" b/w "Wild About That Girl" | — | — | — | — | Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies |
| 1961 | "You Are My Dream" b/w "Hand In Hand" | — | — | — | — | Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies |
| 1961 | "Goodbye Cruel World" b/w "Valerie" | 3 | — | 1 | 28 | James Darren Sings For All Sizes |
| 1962 | "Her Royal Majesty" b/w "If I Could Only Tell You" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes) | 6 | — | 8 | 36 | Teenage Triangle |
| 1962 | "Conscience" b/w "Dream Big" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes) | 11 | — | 10 | 30 | Teenage Triangle |
| 1962 | "Mary's Little Lamb" b/w "The Life of the Party" | 39 | — | 23 | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1962 | "Hail to the Conquering Hero" b/w "Too Young to Go Steady" (from Love Among the Young) | 97 | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1962 | "Hear What I Wanna Hear" b/w "I'll Be Loving You" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1963 | "Pin a Medal On Joey" b/w "Diamond Head" | 54 | — | 29 | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1963 | "They Should Have Given You the Oscar" b/w "Blame It On My Youth" (from Love Among the Young) | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1963 | "Gegetta" b/w "Grande Luna Italiana" | — | — | — | — | More Teenage Triangle |
| 1963 | "Back Stage" b/w "Under the Yum Yum Tree" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1964 | "Punch and Judy" b/w "Just Think of Tonight" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1965 | "Baby, Talk to Me" b/w "A Married Man" (Non-album track) | — | — | — | — | More Teenage Triangle |
| 1965 | "Because You're Mine" b/w "Millions of Roses" | — | 30 | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1966 | "Tom Hawk" b/w "I Want to Be Lonely" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1966 | "Where Did We Go Wrong" b/w "Counting the Cracks" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1966 | "Crazy Me" b/w "They Don't Know" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1966 | "Tomorrow Tomorrow" b/w "Love Is Where You Find It" | — | — | — | — | Non-album tracks |
| 1967 | "All" b/w "Misty Morning Eyes" (Non-album track) | 35 | 5 | 37 | — | All |
| 1967 | "Since I Don't Have You" b/w "I Miss You So" | 123 | — | — | — | All |
| 1967 | "Didn't We" b/w "Counting the Cracks" | — | 36 | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1967 | "They Don't Know" b/w "The House Song" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1968 | "Cherie" b/w "Wait Until Dark" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1968 | "Each and Every Part of Me" b/w "A Little Bit of Heaven" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1970 | "Wheeling, West Virginia" b/w "That's My World" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1971 | "Bring Me Down Slow" b/w "More and More" | — | — | — | — | Mammy Blue |
| 1971 | "Mammy Blue" b/w "As Long As You Love Me" | 107 | — | — | — | Mammy Blue |
| 1972 | "Ain't Been Home In a Long Time" b/w "I Think Somebody Loves Me" | — | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | "Brian's Song" b/w "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" | — | — | — | — | Love Songs from the Movies |
| 1973 | "Let the Heartaches Begin" b/w "Sad Song" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1973 | "Stay" b/w "Sad Eyed Romany Woman" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1975 | "Love On the Screen" b/w "Losing You" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1976 | "Sleepin' in a Bed of Lies" b/w "One Has My Name, the Other Has My Heart" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1977 | "You Take My Heart Away" b/w Disco version of A-side | 52 | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1978 | "Only a Dream Away" b/w "Losing You" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1978 | "Let Me Take You in My Arms Again" b/w "California" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |
| 1978 | "The Next Time" b/w "Something Like Nothing Before" | — | — | — | — | non-album tracks |

### Albums

Source:
* 1960 Album 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, Paul Petersen and Shelley Fabares)
* 1963 Teenage Triangle (with Paul Petersen and Shelley Fabares)
* 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 This One's from the Heart
* 2001 Because of You
* 2019 Live! For The First Time
Many compilation albums also exist.

## Filmography
### Film

Film :
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1956 | Rumble on the Docks | Jimmy Smigelski |
| 1957 | Operation Mad Ball | Pvt. Widowskas |
| 1957 | The Brothers Rico | Johnny Rico |
| 1957 | The Tijuana Story | Mitch |
| 1958 | Gunman's Walk | Davy Hackett |
| 1959 | Gidget | Jeffrey Matthews a.k.a. Moondoggie |
| 1959 | The Gene Krupa Story | Eddie Sirota |
| 1960 | Because They're Young | himself – singer |
| 1960 | All the Young Men | Pvt. Cotton |
| 1960 | Let No Man Write My Epitaph | Nick Romano |
| 1961 | The Guns of Navarone | Pvt. Spyro Pappadimos |
| 1961 | Gidget Goes Hawaiian | Jeffrey Matthews a.k.a. Moondoggie |
| 1962 | Diamond Head | Paul Kahana |
| 1963 | Gidget Goes to Rome | Jeffrey Matthews a.k.a. Moondoggie |
| 1963 | Under the Yum Yum Tree | himself – singer behind title credits |
| 1964 | Hey There, It's Yogi Bear! | Yogi Bear ('Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a') (singing voice) |
| 1964 | For Those Who Think Young | Gardner 'Ding' Pruitt III |
| 1964 | The Lively Set | Casey Owens |
| 1968 | The Man from the 25th Century | Tomo / Robert Prentiss |
| 1969 | Venus in Furs | Jimmy Logan |
| 1978 | The Boss' Son | Buddy Weistein |
| 1979 | That's Life | |
| 2001 | Random Acts | Allen |
| 2010 | Accidental Icon: The real Gidget story | himself |
| 2017 | Lucky | Paulie |

### Television

Television :
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1957 | The Web | Tony Roberts | Episode: "Kill and Run" |
| 1959 | Kovacs on Music | Various | TV movie |
| 1959 | The Lineup | Vezey | Episode: "Vengeful Knife" |
| 1959–1961 | The Donna Reed Show | Kip Dennis / Jim Bryce / Buzz Berry | 2 episodes |
| 1965 | The Flintstones | Jimmy Darrock (singing voice) | S5.E26 - “Surfin' Fred” aired Mar 12, 1965 |
| 1966 | Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea | Omir | Episode: "The Mechanical Man" |
| 1966–1967 | The Time Tunnel | Dr. Tony Newman | 30 episodes |
| 1971 | City Beneath the Sea | Dr. Talty | TV movie |
| 1971 | Love, American Style | Roger Barnes (segment "Love and the Monsters") | Episode: "Love and the Anniversary Crisis/Love and the Conjugal Visit/Love and the Dream Burglar/Love and the Hotel Caper/Love and the Monsters" |
| 1975 | The Lives of Jenny Dolan | Orlando | TV movie |
| 1976 | S.W.A.T. | Joey Wade | Episodes: "The Running Man: Part 1" and "The Running Man: Part 2" |
| 1976 | Police Woman | Rick Matteo | Episodes: "The Task Force" (2 Parts) |
| 1977 | Baa Baa Black Sheep | Lt. Col. Rod Towers | Episode: "The War Biz Warrior" |
| 1977 | The Feather and Father Gang | Praeger | Episode: "For the Love of Sheila" |
| 1977 | Charlie's Angels | David Barzak | Episode: "Circus of Terror" |
| 1977 | Police Story | Roger Lewis | Episode: "Stigma" |
| 1978–1979 | Hawaii Five-O | Johnny Munroe | Episode: "Number One with a Bullet Part 1 and 2" |
| 1980 | Vegas | Paul Bracken | Episode: "Consortium" |
| 1980 | Turnover Smith | Georgie Green | TV movie |
| 1981 | The Love Boat | Tony Steeter | Episode: "Lose One, Win One/The $10,000 Lover/Mind My Wife" |
| 1981 | Scruples | Vito | TV movie |
| 1979–1982 | Fantasy Island | Claude Duvalle / Brian Holmes / Michael Duvall | 3 episodes |
| 1983 | One Day at a Time | Roger Alexander | Episode: "The Cruise" |
| 1982–1985 | T. J. Hooker | Dan Danko Officer Jim Corrigan | S2/E2: "King of the Hill" 66 episodes |
| 1992 | Raven | Billy Sharp | Episode: "Is Someone Crazy in Here or Is It Me" |
| 1992 | Renegade | Lou Delgado | Episode: "Second Chance" |
| 1994 | Silk Stalkings | | Episode: "Natural Selection: Part 1" |
| 1997 | Diagnosis: Murder | Councilman Matthew Watson | Episode: "Murder Blues" |
| 1999 | Melrose Place | Tony Marlin | 5 episodes |
| 1998–1999 | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | Vic Fontaine | 8 episodes |