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James Darren, 'Gidget' teen idol and singer, dies at 88

By Megan Ziegler
Published  September 3, 2024 9:45am EDT
Entertainment
FOX TV Stations
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FILE - Actor James Darren attends a party in Los Angeles, California. circa 1961. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Longtime actor, singer and television director James Darren has died at 88.
    • To movie fans, he was remembered best as Moondoggie, the surfer boy in the smash 1959 film "Gidget" and its two sequels. 
    • His son Jim Moret told news outlets he died in his sleep at a Los Angeles hospital on Monday.

James Darren, a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film "Gidget," died Monday at 88.

Darren died in his sleep at a Los Angeles hospital, his son Jim Moret told news outlets.

Moret told The Hollywood Reporter that Darren was supposed to have had an aortic valve replacement but was too weak for the surgery.

Darren was born James Ercolani in 1936 and grew up in South Philadelphia. Singing came easy to him, and at 14 he was appearing in local nightclubs.

According to a 1958 Los Angeles Times profile, he got a break when he went to New York to get some pictures taken and the photographer's office put him in touch with a talent scout.

He would be remembered best as Moondoggie, the dark-haired surfer boy in the smash 1959 release "Gidget."

Here are other notable roles and accomplishments from his life and career: 

James Darren movies

  • "Gidget"
  • "Gidget Goes Hawaiian" 
  • "Gidget Goes to Rome" 
  • "The Brothers Rico"
  • "Operation Meatball" 
  • "The Guns of Navarone"
  • "For Those Who Think Young"
  • "The Lively Set"

James Darren TV shows

  • "The Time Tunnel" 
  • "T.J. Hooker"
  • "The Love Boat"
  • "Hawaii Five-O"
  • "Fantasy Island"
  • "Melrose Place"
  • "Star Trek, Deep Space Nine."

Darren also transitioned his TV role on "T.J. Hooker" to directing, when he began to get several offers to direct. 

For almost two years, Darren directed episodes of "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Hunter," "Melrose Place," "Beverly Hills 90210" and other series.

James Darren songs

  • "Goodbye Cruel World" 
  • "Her Royal Majesty"
  • "Gidget"
  • "Angel Face"

James Darren Jim Moret son

Darren married his first wife, Gloria, in 1955 and together had Jim Moret, an "Inside Edition" correspondent and former CNN anchorman. 

After a divorce he married Evy Norlund, who came to the U.S. as the Danish entry in the Miss Universe contest. They had two sons, Christian and Anthony.

The Source

  • Information in this article was taken from The Hollywood Reporter, which received information about his death from his son. Information about Darren’s career was taken from The Associated Press. This story was reported from Detroit.