Darren died in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, his son Jim Moret, a correspondent for Inside Edition, told The Hollywood Reporter. He had entered the hospital for an aortic valve replacement but was deemed too weak to have the surgery; he went home but had to return.“I always thought he would pull through,” Moret said, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”
Born June 8, 1936, in Philadelphia, Darren was a student of famed acting coach Stella Adler, for whom he commuted to New York regularly. He starred as surfer Moondoggie (landing the part despite being unable to surf and being a weak swimmer) in all three Columbia Pictures’ romantic comedy Gidget films, from the 1959 original through subsequent sequels Gidget Goes Hawaiian (1961) and Gidget Goes to Rome (1963).For Darren, his success with teen fans led to a recording contract, as it did with many young actors at the time, among them Tab Hunter and Annette Funicello. Two of Darren’s singles, “Goodbye Cruel World” and “Her Royal Majesty,” reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. (“Goodbye Cruel World” also appeared in Steven Spielberg’s 2022 semi-autobiographical film, “The Fabelmans.”) Other singles included “Gidget” and “Angel Face.”
As a contract player at Columbia Studios, Darren appeared in grown-up films, too, including “The Brothers Rico,” “Operation Meatball” and “The Guns of Navarone.”
By the mid-’60s, when Darren appeared in “For Those Who Think Young” and “The Lively Set,” his big-screen acting career was almost over. He appeared in just a handful of movies after the 1960s ended, last appearing in 2017’s “Lucky,” directed by John Carroll Lynch.
When Darren’s film career waned he found new success on the small screen in 1966 with the Irwin Allen series “The Time Tunnel.” In the mid-1980s, he starred as a rookie Los Angeles police officer Jim Corrigan, earning his stripes opposite William Shatner’s veteran sergeant and title character in “T.J. Hooker.”It’s Only A Paper Moon, performed by the singing hologram Vic Fontaine, played by James Darren. From Star Trek Deep Space 9 Season 7 Episode 10 “It’s Only A Paper Moon”.
Todd Phillips was born on December 20, 1970, and turned 54 years 1 day old today. Phillips is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He began his career in 1993 and directed films in the 2000s such as Road Trip, Old School, Starsky & Hutch, and School for Scoundrels. He came to wider prominence in the early 2010s for directing The Hangover film series. In 2019, he co-wrote and directed the psychological thriller film Joker, based on the DC Comics character of the same name, which premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival where it received the top prize, the Golden Lion. Joker went on to earn Phillips three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, with his co-writer Scott Silver, his second, third, and fourth Academy Award nominations after also being nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Borat at the 79th Academy Awards. -
