TelevisionVanguard | Actor, singer, director James Darren has passed away - RIP (1996 interview on Time Tunnel series) @TelevisionVanguard | Uploaded 1 month ago | Updated 5 hours ago
Actor, singer and television director James Darren has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 88. Born James William Ercolani (Italian descent) on June 8, 1936, he grew up in South Philadelphia. Best known for his role on the Gidget films as 'Moondoggie' in the early 1960s, Darren would go on to have a career in the television and film industry that spanned decades.
Darren wanted to be an actor as a young man and studied in New York City, and was discovered by talent agent and casting director Joyce Selznick. He signed a contract with Columbia in 1956, and began his film career in the low budget "B" movie 'Rumble on the Docks'. It wasn't long before Columbia promoted him in a support role in the "A" picture comedy 'Operation Made Ball', starring Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs. His career was on the rise.
He began his television career in the late 1950s, and a critical path was with a guest starring role on the television hit series The Donna Reed Show. The smash-hit Gidget film role soon followed, as Darren, singing the title track, played Moondoggie, and co-starred with leads Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson.
Darren followed up that success in the recording studio for Colpix Records, including the hit 'Goodbye Cruel World' in 1961, followed by 'Her Royal Majesty' in 1962 and Conscience in late 1962. He followed up his work on Gidget with a more dramatic hole in the hit movie The Guns of Navarone in 1961, which starred Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn.
He would continue his role of Moondoggie in the two subsequent 'Gidget' films, Gidget Goes Hawaiian in 1961, and Gidget Goes to Rome in 1962. He was the only one in the cast to play in all three films, which he had to while under contract at Columbia. It was both a blessing and perhaps a curse for Darren, but he stayed positive as he enjoyed working with the three actresses who would play Gidget over the years: Sandra Dee, Deborah Walley and Cindy Carol. Darren's seven year contract with Columbia Pictures ended in 1963, and he signed on with Universal at that point. He teamed with co-star Pamela Tiffin in two films at that stage of his career: The Lively Set in 1963 for Universal, and For Those Who Think Young in 1964 for United Artists.
His career took a turn towards television in 1964 when he did a guest spot on Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Allen remembered his work when Allen was casting the starring role of Tony Nelson in Allen's next television series The Time Tunnel in 1966. The series lasted only one season, but introduced Darren to a wide, weekly television audience. He ventured back into films in 1969 with the lead role in the European film Venus in Furs.
James Darren performed regularly in nightclubs during the 1970s, and also made many guest roles on television throughout the decade. The choice of roles was mainly in the many detective/police-related series of that era: Police Story, Police Woman, Charlie's Angels, The Feather and Father Gang, Hawaii Five-O, S.W.A.T and Vegas. That work lead him to a series regular role as officer Jim Corrigan on the hit television series TJ Hooker, starring William Shatner, from 1983 to 1986.
As he matured in the industry, he ventured into television series directing roles, starting with directing on his own series, TJ Hooker, and then directing series episodes for Hunter, The A-Team, Silk Stalkings, Beverly Hills 90120 and Melrose Place. He made a return to acting with the syndicated series Star Trek Deep Space Nine in the late 1990s, and in films Random Acts in 2001, and finally Lucky in 2017.
He is survived by wife Evy, and children Christian, Anthony and Jimmy Jr. He was also the godfather to long time friend Nancy Sinatra's daughter A.J. Lambert. Sinatra wrote a touching tribute to her dear friend Jimmy on social media on Sunday.
He was a childhood favorite and hero of us here at Television Vanguard, and we will miss him a great deal.
Rest in peace Jimmy.
This video clip is presented here on YouTube for the entertainment and informational value of the viewer, and no copyright infringement is intended. This video clip is sourced from the excellent DVD set (part 2 of 2) of the television series The Time Tunnel.
Actor, singer and television director James Darren has passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 88. Born James William Ercolani (Italian descent) on June 8, 1936, he grew up in South Philadelphia. Best known for his role on the Gidget films as 'Moondoggie' in the early 1960s, Darren would go on to have a career in the television and film industry that spanned decades.
Darren wanted to be an actor as a young man and studied in New York City, and was discovered by talent agent and casting director Joyce Selznick. He signed a contract with Columbia in 1956, and began his film career in the low budget "B" movie 'Rumble on the Docks'. It wasn't long before Columbia promoted him in a support role in the "A" picture comedy 'Operation Made Ball', starring Jack Lemmon and Ernie Kovacs. His career was on the rise.
He began his television career in the late 1950s, and a critical path was with a guest starring role on the television hit series The Donna Reed Show. The smash-hit Gidget film role soon followed, as Darren, singing the title track, played Moondoggie, and co-starred with leads Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson.
Darren followed up that success in the recording studio for Colpix Records, including the hit 'Goodbye Cruel World' in 1961, followed by 'Her Royal Majesty' in 1962 and Conscience in late 1962. He followed up his work on Gidget with a more dramatic hole in the hit movie The Guns of Navarone in 1961, which starred Gregory Peck, David Niven and Anthony Quinn.
He would continue his role of Moondoggie in the two subsequent 'Gidget' films, Gidget Goes Hawaiian in 1961, and Gidget Goes to Rome in 1962. He was the only one in the cast to play in all three films, which he had to while under contract at Columbia. It was both a blessing and perhaps a curse for Darren, but he stayed positive as he enjoyed working with the three actresses who would play Gidget over the years: Sandra Dee, Deborah Walley and Cindy Carol. Darren's seven year contract with Columbia Pictures ended in 1963, and he signed on with Universal at that point. He teamed with co-star Pamela Tiffin in two films at that stage of his career: The Lively Set in 1963 for Universal, and For Those Who Think Young in 1964 for United Artists.
His career took a turn towards television in 1964 when he did a guest spot on Irwin Allen's Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Allen remembered his work when Allen was casting the starring role of Tony Nelson in Allen's next television series The Time Tunnel in 1966. The series lasted only one season, but introduced Darren to a wide, weekly television audience. He ventured back into films in 1969 with the lead role in the European film Venus in Furs.
James Darren performed regularly in nightclubs during the 1970s, and also made many guest roles on television throughout the decade. The choice of roles was mainly in the many detective/police-related series of that era: Police Story, Police Woman, Charlie's Angels, The Feather and Father Gang, Hawaii Five-O, S.W.A.T and Vegas. That work lead him to a series regular role as officer Jim Corrigan on the hit television series TJ Hooker, starring William Shatner, from 1983 to 1986.
As he matured in the industry, he ventured into television series directing roles, starting with directing on his own series, TJ Hooker, and then directing series episodes for Hunter, The A-Team, Silk Stalkings, Beverly Hills 90120 and Melrose Place. He made a return to acting with the syndicated series Star Trek Deep Space Nine in the late 1990s, and in films Random Acts in 2001, and finally Lucky in 2017.
He is survived by wife Evy, and children Christian, Anthony and Jimmy Jr. He was also the godfather to long time friend Nancy Sinatra's daughter A.J. Lambert. Sinatra wrote a touching tribute to her dear friend Jimmy on social media on Sunday.
He was a childhood favorite and hero of us here at Television Vanguard, and we will miss him a great deal.
Rest in peace Jimmy.
This video clip is presented here on YouTube for the entertainment and informational value of the viewer, and no copyright infringement is intended. This video clip is sourced from the excellent DVD set (part 2 of 2) of the television series The Time Tunnel.
