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James Darren
Age: 73
Height: 5' 10 1/2"
Birth Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Born: Jun. 8th, 1936
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James Darren's Main TV Roles
NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at
IMDB
BIOGRAPHY: Tall, good-looking James Darren was a student of acting coach Stella Adler and made his name in the 1950s in a series of teenage-themed films. A better actor than most of his contemporary teenage heartthrobs, he nevertheless found it difficult to escape the teen-idol image he got in pictures like Gidget (1959) and Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961). He also gained fame in the early and mid-1960s as a singer, with several hits to his credit, including "Goodbye Cruel World" and "Her Royal Majesty". His film work tapered off in the 1960s, but he did much TV work and had two hit series, "The Time Tunnel" (1966) in the 1960s and "T.J. Hooker" (1982) in the 1980s.
TRIVIA:
- His current surname, Darren, since 1959, was inspired by the famous automobile of the 1950s.
- First wife Gloria Terlitzky was a childhood sweetheart. They had a child named Jimmy. Second wife Evy Norlund', a former Miss Denmark of 1958, gave him two sons, Christian and Anthony.
- He was originally not given the Moondoggie character in Columbia Pictures' _Gidget (1959)_ (qv) because the role required two songs to sing and Darren had not proven himself a capable enough singer. On his own, he cut a single with the studio's recording subsidiary, Colpix Records, which charted. Columbia changed its mind and gave him the role despite the fact that he couldn't surf and was a weak swimmer. He nevertheless became a huge teen idol and reprised the Moondoggie role in both _Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961)_ (qv) and _Gidget Goes to Rome (1963)_ (qv), all with different Gidgets: 'Sandra Dee (I)' (qv); 'Deborah Walley' (qv) and 'Cindy Carol' (qv).
- His wife, 'Evy Norlund' (qv), is the former Miss Denmark of 1958.
- Spotted by talent agent 'Joyce Selznick' (qv) of Columbia Pictures while waiting for an elevator, he was signed in 1956 and given the name "James Darren" by the studio in honour of the Kaiser-Darrin sports car.
- Godfather of 'A.J. Lambert' (qv), who is the daughter of 'Nancy Sinatra (I)' (qv) and granddaughter of 'Frank Sinatra' (qv). Darren was a close friend of Sinatra and his family.
- As a teen he commuted from South Philly to New York to attend 'Stella Adler' (qv)'s drama classes.
- Father of CNN anchorman 'Jim Moret' (qv).
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