Bobby Darin
Acting · Directing
Born May 14, 1936, New York, New York, USA
Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, impressionist, and actor in film and television. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie Francis. He recorded his first million-selling single, "Splish Splash", in 1958. That was followed by "Dream Lover", "Mack the Knife", and "Beyond the Sea", which brought him worldwide fame. In 1962 he won a Golden Globe Award for his first film, Come September, co-starring his first wife, actress Sandra Dee. During the 1960s, he became more politically active and worked on Robert F. Kennedy's Democratic presidential campaign. He was present on the night of June 4/5, 1968, at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles at the time of Kennedy's assassination. During the same year, he discovered he had been raised by his grandmother, not his mother, and that the woman he thought was his sister was actually his mother. Those events deeply affected Darin and sent him into a long period of seclusion. Although he made a successful comeback (in television) in the early 1970s, his health was beginning to fail, as he had always expected, following bouts of rheumatic fever in childhood. The knowledge of his vulnerability had always spurred him on to use his musical talent while still young. He died at the age of 37 after a heart operation in Los Angeles.
Filmography
- 1973Bobby Darin: Mack is Back
- 1973Happy Mother's Day, Love George — Eddie
- The Bobby Darin Show
- 1972The Marshal of Madrid — Billy Dobbs
- Night Gallery
- 1970The Vendors — Director, Writer
- 1969The Happy Ending — Franco
- 1967Gunfight in Abilene — Cal Wayne, Original Music Composer
- Ironside
- 1967Stranger in the House — Barney Teale
- Run for Your Life — Mark Shepherd
- 1965That Funny Feeling — Tom, Original Music Composer
- Burke's Law — Roland Trivers (uncredited)
- 1963Captain Newman, M.D. — Cpl. Jim Tomkins
- 1962Hell Is for Heroes — Pvt. Dave 'J.J.' Corby
- 1962If a Man Answers — Eugene Wright
- 1962Pressure Point — Patient
- 1962State Fair — Jerry Dundee
- 1961Come September — Tony, Songs
- 1961Too Late Blues — John 'Ghost' Wakefield
- 1960Pepe — Bobby Darin
- 1960Shadows — Man at Rehearsal (uncredited)
- The Music Shop
- The Bob Crosby Show
- The Big Beat
- The Jack Benny Program — Bobby Darin
Appearances as themselves (27)
- 2012The True Buddy Holly Story — Self (archive footage)
- 2006In Concert Series: Bobby Darin — Self (archive footage)
- 2005Judy Garland Duets — Self (archive footage)
- 2003Rock 'n' Roll and the 1950's Vol. 2 — Self (archive footage)
- The Midnight Special — Self
- 1971The Jackson 5: Goin' Back to Indiana — Self
- The Flip Wilson Show — Self
- The Barbara McNair Show — Self
- Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In — Self
- 1967Bobby Darin in London — Self
- ABC Stage 67 — Self
- The Judy Garland Show — Self
- 1962President Kennedy's Birthday Salute — Self
- The Merv Griffin Show — Self
- The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
- The Mike Douglas Show — Self - Co-Host
- Startime — Self
- The Big Party — Self
- The Grammys — Self
- Kraft Music Hall — Self
- The Dick Clark Show — Self
- American Bandstand — Self
- The Dinah Shore Chevy Show — Self
- The Oscars — Self
- This Is Your Life — Self
- What's My Line? — Self
- The Ed Sullivan Show — Self