James Darren

Did you know?!

1. Big break

   A meeting was set up for Darren with Joyce Selznick, who worked for Screen Gems. They happened to ride the same elevator at the Brill Building, and about a week later Selznick took him to Columbia Pictures and got him a contract.

2. Early training

   Darren wanted to be an actor, so he studied with Stella Adler in New York City for a number of years.

3. 

   Getting ready for a role

   James Darren was cast as Moondoggie in Gidget and sang the title track himself after telling the filmmakers he could do the vocal instead of lip syncing.

4. 

   Beyond film

   In the theatrical feature Hey There, It's Yogi Bear!, released in 1964, Darren sang as the voice of Yogi Bear on the song "Ven-e, Ven-o, Ven-a".

5. Behind the camera

   Darren also worked as a director, launching that career with episodes of action shows like Hunter, The A-Team, Silk Stalkings, Renegade and Nowhere Man, plus dramas including Beverly Hills, 90210 and Melrose Place.

6. Beyond film

   In 1998, Darren became popular again as a singer playing the holographic crooner and adviser Vic Fontaine on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. That part led him back to singing, and he re-recorded several of his vocal numbers from the show for the 1999 album This One's from the Heart.