Clean-cut leading man James Darren, 88, died on Sept. 2. In the 1960s, he starred in the TV series The Time Tunnel, and such movies as Gidget, Gidget Goes Hawaiian, and Gidget Goes to Rome (as Moondoggie—“I thought that I’d be doing those for the rest of my life”), The Guns of Navarone, and Diamond Head. The Philadelphia native also gained popularity as a pop singer, though he claimed, “I wasn’t really a singer. I was a kid whose dad would take him to bars and nightclubs and I would get up and sing two songs.” He was signed by Columbia in 1956, and acted steadily through 2017, though his fad passed by the 1970s (Darren had recurring roles on TJ Hooker and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). He was philosophical about stardom, saying that “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.” He was married twice, and is survived by Evy Norlund (Miss Denmark, 1958) and three sons.
Related Posts
EVE, JIMMY WAS A CLIENT OF OURS IN THE 60'S, WHEN I WAS JUST BECOMING A
FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD AGENT AND HE WAS I N 'THE TIME TUNNEL SERIES..
BUDD BURTON MOSS
BURTON MOSS MANAGEMENT
9.2.2024
I'm incredibly sad to hear this. Years ago, I was walking on 6th Avenue between 57th and 58th Street, and he passed me by walking in the other direction. I turned around, immediately, and ran after him and when I caught up with him I said, "Hello, Mr. Darren". He turned and looked at me and gave me his incredible, beautiful smile, and said, "Hello" back to me. I was in 7th heaven for a very long time after that.