James Darren

James William Ercolani (June 8, 1936 – September 2, 2024), known by his stage name James Darren, was an American actor, singer, and television director. 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 on the science fiction series The Time Tunnel (1966–67). He had the regular role of Officer James Corrigan on the police drama T. J. Hooker (1982–86) and had a recurring role as Vic Fontaine on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998–99).

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.

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:

<blockquote>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.</blockquote>

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 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." 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." 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.

Darren went to Europe to make Venus in Furs (1969)

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; Baa Baa Black Sheep; 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.

T. J. Hooker and directing

From 1983 to 1986 Darren had a regular role as Officer James Corrigan on the television police drama T. J. Hooker.

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. 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. and Lucky (2017).

Death

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.

Filmography

Film

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Film

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

| 1956

| Rumble on the Docks

| Jimmy Smigelski

| rowspan="3" | 1957

| Operation Mad Ball

| Pvt. Widowskas

| The Brothers Rico

| Johnny Rico

| The Tijuana Story

| Mitch

| 1958

| Gunman's Walk

| Davy Hackett

| rowspan="2" | 1959

| Gidget

| Jeffrey "Moondoggie" Matthews

| The Gene Krupa Story

| Eddie Sirota

| rowspan="3" | 1960

| Because They're Young

| Himself

| All the Young Men

| Pvt. Cotton

| Let No Man Write My Epitaph

| Nick Romano

| rowspan="2" | 1961

| The Guns of Navarone

| Pvt. Spyro Pappadimos

| Gidget Goes Hawaiian

| Jeffrey "Moondoggie" Matthews

| 1962

| Diamond Head

| Paul Kahana

| rowspan="2" | 1963

| Gidget Goes to Rome

| Jeffrey "Moondoggie" Matthews

| Under the Yum Yum Tree

| Himself

| rowspan="3" | 1964

| Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!

| Yogi Bear (singing voice)

| For Those Who Think Young

| Gardner 'Ding' Pruitt III

| 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

|Unfinished

| 2001

| Random Acts

| Allen

| 2017

| Lucky

| Paulie

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+ Television

! Year

! Title

! Role

! class="unsortable" | Notes

| 1957

| The Web

| Tony Roberts

| Episode: "Kill and Run"

| rowspan="2" | 1959

| Kovacs on Music

| Various

| TV movie

| The Lineup

| Vezey

| Episode: "Vengeful Knife"

| 1959–61

| 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"

| 1966–67

| The Time Tunnel

| Dr. Tony Newman

| 30 episodes

| rowspan="2" | 1971

| City Beneath the Sea

| Dr. Talty

| TV movie

| 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

| rowspan="2" | 1976

| S.W.A.T.

| Joey Wade

| Episodes: "The Running Man: Part 1" and "The Running Man: Part 2"

| Police Woman

| Rick Matteo

| Episodes: "The Task Force" (2 Parts)

| rowspan="4" | 1977

| Baa Baa Black Sheep

| Lt. Col. Rod Towers

| Episode: "The War Biz Warrior"

| The Feather and Father Gang

| Praeger

| Episode: "For the Love of Sheila"

| Charlie's Angels

| David Barzak

| Episode: "Circus of Terror"

| Police Story

| Roger Lewis

| Episode: "Stigma"

| 1978–79

| Hawaii Five-O

| Johnny Munroe

| Episode: "Number One with a Bullet Part 1 and 2"

| rowspan="2" | 1980

| Vegas

| Paul Bracken

| Episode: "Consortium"

| Turnover Smith

| Georgie Green

| TV movie

| rowspan="2" | 1981

| The Love Boat

| Tony Steeter

| Episode: "Lose One, Win One/The $10,000 Lover/Mind My Wife"

| Scruples

| Vito

| TV movie

| 1979–82

| Fantasy Island

| Claude Duvalle, Brian Holmes, Michael Duvall

| 3 episodes

| 1983

| One Day at a Time

| Roger Alexander

| Episode: "The Cruise"

| 1982–85

| T. J. Hooker

| Officer Jim Corrigan

| 66 episodes

| rowspan="2" | 1992

| Raven

| Billy Sharp

| Episode: "Is Someone Crazy in Here or Is It Me"

| 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

| 1998–99

| Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

| Vic Fontaine

| 8 episodes

Partial discography

Singles

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2"| Year

! rowspan="2"| Titles (A-side, B-side) Both sides from same album except where indicated

! colspan="4"| Peak chart positions

! rowspan="2"| Album

! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US Billboard

! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| US AC

! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| Canada CHUM/RPM

! style="width:3em;font-size:80%;"| UK

| 1958

| align="left"| "Mighty Pretty Territory" b/w "There's No Such Thing"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"|Album No. 1

| rowspan="4"| 1959

| align="left"| "Gidget" b/w "You" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes)

| style="text-align:center;"| 41

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 33

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Angel Face" b/w "I Don't Wanna Lose Ya"

| style="text-align:center;"| 47

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 30

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| James Darren Sings for All Sizes

| align="left"| "I Ain't Sharin Sharon" b/w "Love Among the Young" (from Album No. 1)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| non-album track

| align="left"| "Teenage Tears" b/w "Let There Be Love" (Non-album track)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| James Darren Sings for All Sizes

| rowspan="5"| 1960

| align="left"| "You Are My Dream" b/w "Your Smile"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="3"| Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies

| align="left"| "Because They're Young" b/w "Tears in My Eyes" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 29

| align="left"| "Traveling Down a Lonely Road" b/w "P.S. I Love You"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "All the Young Men" b/w "How Sweet You Are" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| non-album track

| align="left"| "Come On My Love" b/w "Man About Town" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"| Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies

| rowspan="5"| 1961

| align="left"| "Goodbye My Lady Love" b/w "Walkin' My Baby Back Home" (Non-album track)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Gotta Have Love" b/w "Fool's Paradise" (Non-album track)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| James Darren Sings for All Sizes

| align="left"| "Gidget Goes Hawaiian" b/w "Wild About That Girl"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"| Gidget Goes Hawaiian – James Darren Sings the Movies

| align="left"| "You Are My Dream" b/w "Hand In Hand"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Goodbye Cruel World" b/w "Valerie"

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 28

| align="left"| James Darren Sings For All Sizes

| rowspan="5"| 1962

| align="left"| "Her Royal Majesty" b/w "If I Could Only Tell You" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes)

| style="text-align:center;"| 6

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

| style="text-align:center;"| 36

| align="left" rowspan="2"| Teenage Triangle

| align="left"| "Conscience" b/w "Dream Big" (from James Darren Sings for All Sizes)

| style="text-align:center;"| 11

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 10

| style="text-align:center;"| 30

| align="left"| "Mary's Little Lamb" b/w "The Life of the Party"

| style="text-align:center;"| 39

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 23

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="5"| Non-album tracks

| align="left"| "Hail to the Conquering Hero" b/w "Too Young to Go Steady" (from Love Among the Young)

| style="text-align:center;"| 97

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Hear What I Wanna Hear" b/w "I'll Be Loving You"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="4"|1963

| align="left"| "Pin a Medal On Joey" b/w "Diamond Head"

| style="text-align:center;"| 54

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 29

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "They Should Have Given You the Oscar" b/w "Blame It On My Youth" (from Love Among the Young)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Gegetta" b/w "Grande Luna Italiana"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| More Teenage Triangle

| align="left"| "Back Stage" b/w "Under the Yum Yum Tree"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"| Non-album tracks

| 1964

| align="left"| "Punch and Judy" b/w "Just Think of Tonight"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="2"|1965

| align="left"| "Baby, Talk to Me" b/w "A Married Man" (Non-album track)

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| More Teenage Triangle

| align="left"| "Because You're Mine" b/w "Millions of Roses"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 30

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="5"|Non-album tracks

| rowspan="4"| 1966

| align="left"|"Tom Hawk" b/w "I Want to Be Lonely"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Where Did We Go Wrong" b/w "Counting the Cracks"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Crazy Me" b/w "They Don't Know"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Tomorrow Tomorrow" b/w "Love Is Where You Find It"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="4"|1967

| align="left"| "All" b/w "Misty Morning Eyes" (Non-album track)

| style="text-align:center;"| 35

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| style="text-align:center;"| 37

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"| All

| align="left"| "Since I Don't Have You" b/w "I Miss You So"

| style="text-align:center;"| 12

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Didn't We" b/w "Counting the Cracks"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| style="text-align:center;"| 36

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="5"| non-album tracks

| align="left"| "They Don't Know" b/w "The House Song"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="2"| 1968

| align="left"| "Cherie" b/w "Wait Until Dark"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "Each and Every Part of Me" b/w "A Little Bit of Heaven"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| 1970

| align="left"| "Wheeling, West Virginia" b/w "That's My World"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="2"| 1971

| align="left"| "Bring Me Down Slow" b/w "More and More"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="2"| Mammy Blue

| align="left"| "Mammy Blue" b/w "As Long As You Love Me"

| style="text-align:center;"| 107

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="2"| 1972

| align="left"| "Ain't Been Home In a Long Time" b/w "I Think Somebody Loves Me"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"|

| align="left"| "Brian's Song" b/w "Thank Heaven for Little Girls"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| Love Songs from the Movies

| rowspan="2"| 1973

| align="left"| "Let the Heartaches Begin" b/w "Sad Song"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left" rowspan="8"| non-album tracks

| align="left"| "Stay" b/w "Sad Eyed Romany Woman"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| 1975

| align="left"| "Love On the Screen" b/w "Losing You"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| 1976

| align="left"| "Sleepin' in a Bed of Lies" b/w "One Has My Name, the Other Has My Heart"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| 1977

| align="left"|"You Take My Heart Away" b/w Disco version of A-side

| style="text-align:center;"| 52

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| rowspan="3"| 1978

| align="left"|"Only a Dream Away" b/w "Losing You"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"|"Let Me Take You in My Arms Again" b/w "California"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

| align="left"| "The Next Time" b/w "Something Like Nothing Before"

| style="text-align:center;"| —

Albums

Source:

1960 Album No. 1 (reissued 2004)
1961 Sings the Movies (Gidget Goes Hawaiian) (No. 132 US)
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)
1999 This One's from the Heart
2001 Because of You
2019 Live! For The First Time

Many compilation albums also exist.

Early life

Career

Columbia

TV guest star

Portrait of a Legend

T. J. Hooker and directing

Death

Filmography

Film

Television

Partial discography

Singles

Albums

References

External links