James Darren, who went from teen idol status
acting in youth-oriented movies like “Gidget” to becoming an actor in TV shows such
as “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “T.J. Hooker” and a singer and director, died
Monday at Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 88. His son Jim Moret said that he had been able
to express his love for his family while being treated in the cardiac unit. “He was a good man. He was very talented,” Moret
said. “He was forever young.” Moret said he was grateful that his father had
been able to embrace his signature role as the surfer Moondoggie in the “Gidget” movie 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
his first role was in “Rumble on the Docks.” He went on to appear in films
including “Operation Madball” and “Gunmen’s Walk” before being cast in the 1959 teen
movie “Gidget,” starring Sandra Dee and Cliff Robertson. Darren also sang the title
track for the hit movie, which was based on the experiences of a teenaged surfer girl in
Malibu and later became a popular TV series. Thank you for watching this video guys
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