James Darren, Teen Idol Actor in ‘Gidget,’ Singer and Director, Dies at 88

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”.