Actor James Darren, who went from acting in teen movies like “Gidget” to acting in TV shows like “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “T.J. Hooker” and as a singer and director, died Monday at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles at the age of 88.
His son, Jim Moret, said he was able to express his love for his family while he was being treated in the cardiac unit. “He was a very kind and talented man. He was forever young,” Moret said.
Moret said he's grateful that his father was able to embrace his iconic role as the Moondog surfer in “Gidget” and that he continued to interact with his fans.
Born in Philadelphia, he studied acting with Stella Adler in New York and was signed to Columbia Pictures, where he got his first acting role in “Rumble on the Docks.” He then appeared in films such as “Operation Madball” and “Gunmen's Walk” before being cast in the 1959 teen film “Gidget,” starring Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson. Darren also sang the title song for the hit film, which was based on the experiences of a teenage girl surfing in Malibu, and later became a popular television series.
“Gidget” was the beginning of a successful singing career for Darin, who had a hit with “Goodbye Cruel World” in 1961 and released at least 14 albums. He went on to appear in feature films including “The Guns of Navarone,” “The Gene Krupa Story,” “All the Young Men” and “Because They're Young.”
He reprised his role as Moondoggie in “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” and again in “Gidget Goes to Rome”, although he was tired of confining himself to stereotypical roles by then.
He moved to television, starring in the TV series “The Time Tunnel”, and after a short stay in Italy appeared in Jess Franco's “Venus in Furs”, then made guest appearances on several TV series including “Love, American Style”, “Fantasy Island” and “The Love Boat”.
Darren was a regular on the series “T.J. Hooker” from 1983 to 1986 and also moved into television directing, working on series including “Beverly Hills, 90210” and “Melrose Place.”
He found a new generation of fans in 1998 as Vic Fontaine, the anthropomorphic singer on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
He is survived by his wife, Evie, sons Jim Morritt, Christian Darin, Tony Darin, and five grandchildren.
