James Darren

James Darren, born James William Ercolani on June 8, 1936, is an American television and film actor, television director, and singer. Renowned for his work in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Darren starred in notable films such as Gidget (1959) and its sequels, The Gene Krupa Story (1959), All the Young Men (1960), The Guns of Navarone (1961), and Diamond Head (1962). He achieved success as a teen pop singer with hit singles like 'Goodbye Cruel World' in 1961. Darren transitioned to television, starring as Dr. Anthony Newman in The Time Tunnel (1966–1967), Officer III James Corrigan in T. J. Hooker (1983–1986), and Vic Fontaine in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1998–1999). Born in Philadelphia to an Italian family, Darren pursued his passion for acting by studying under Stella Adler in New York City.