Bobby Darin
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"Few performers have been as blatantly ambitious, driven, and egotistical as Bobby Darin, who earned the nickname of show business' 'Angry Young Man.' But then few performers have been as talented as this aggressive New Yorker." --From "The Hollywood Songsters" (1991)
Darin was nominated for Grammys in 1959 and 1962, and for an Oscar in 1963 for "Captain Newman, M.D."
Biography
Brash, self-confident musical performer who in a few brief years from the late 1950s to the mid-1960s rose from teen singing idol to smooth, polished nightclub headliner to Oscar-nominated actor (as a shell-shocked GI in 1964's "Captain Newman, M.D."). Sickly from early childhood, with recurring bouts of rheumatic fever which weakened his heart, Darin developed a swaggering, finger-snapping assertive style as a performer. With a keen understanding of the music industry, he wrote popular songs for the teen market while developing a wider, more adult audience by branching out with pop renditions of more sophisticated fare such as Kurt Weill's "Mack the Knife" winning him nightclub popularity, numerous TV appearances (earning up to $40,000 a show) and two film contracts. Darin appeared in fifteen films over a thirteen-year span, mostly light romantic comedies with a few forays into more dramatic fare (John Cassavetes' "Too Late Blues" 1961 and "Pressure Point" 1962) and wrote songs and often the scores for most of the films in which he appeared. His wildly diverse career was cut short by a fatal heart ailment that originally seemed poised to fell him as a young boy, possibly the reason he packed so much into his brief life. Darin's story was eventualy told on film, and stylishly, by one if his most ardent admirers, actor Kevin Spacey, who co-wrote, directed and starred in "Beyond the Sea" in 2004.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Music (Special)
Life Events
1957
Signed by Atco Records (subsidiary of Atlantic Recording Company) (date approximate)
1958
Co-wrote and recorded first hit, "Splish Splash" (sold 100,000 copies in three weeks; rose to Number 1 over a 13-week period)
1958
TV acting debut on "Way of the West" (an installment of the TV anthology series, "Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars")
1959
Signed two seven-year contracts with Universal and Paramount
1960
First feature film appearance as himself in "Pepe"
1961
Film acting debut, "Come September" (also wrote title tune and song "Multiplication")
1962
Left Atco to record for Capitol
1963
Received a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for his performance in "Captain Newman, M.D."
1966
Returned to Atco
1967
Booed from stage of Sahara Hotel in Las Vegas in concert of political diatribes against Richard Nixon, freedom songs and anti-Vietnam songs
1968
After Robert Kennedy's assassination, Darin sold his music publishing company and possessions, bought a trailer and moved to Big Sur
1971
Underwent open-heart surgery with the implant of two plastic valves
1972
Signed with Motown Records
1972
Hosted own TV variety show, "Dean Martin Presents The Bobby Darin Amusement Company" (summer replacement show)
1973
Final screen role, "Happy Mother's Day...Love George"
Photo Collections
Videos
Movie Clip
Trailer
Family
Companions
Bibliography
Notes
"Few performers have been as blatantly ambitious, driven, and egotistical as Bobby Darin, who earned the nickname of show business' 'Angry Young Man.' But then few performers have been as talented as this aggressive New Yorker." --From "The Hollywood Songsters" (1991)
Darin was nominated for Grammys in 1959 and 1962, and for an Oscar in 1963 for "Captain Newman, M.D."
Posthumously inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1999.
