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1960s teen idol James Darren dies aged 88

James Darren, a teen idol of cinema and pop music throughout the early '60s, has died at the age of 88.

Early supporting roles came in The Gene Krupa Story(1959) and The Guns Of Navarone(1961), before he found his home on television, notably on ABC’s sci-fi show The Time Tunnel, later described by Tom Hanks as his favourite childhood series. He went on to star as Officer Jim Corrigan opposite William Shatner in T.J. Hooker in the 1980s, which also provided his first chance to sit in the director’s chair – he would later go on to direct episodes of The A-Team, Melrose Place and Beverly Hills 90210. His singing career took a back seat after his initial success, but it saw a revival after his semi-regular appearances in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in the late-’90s, in which he played the holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine.

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