Bobby Darin | |
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 A publicity photo of Darin in 1959 | |
| Born | Walden Robert Cassotto (1936-05-14)May 14, 1936 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 20, 1973(1973-12-20) (aged 37) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
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| Children | 1 |
| Musical career | |
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| Works | Bobby Darin discography |
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Musical artist | |
Walden Robert Cassotto (May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973[1]), known by the stage nameBobby Darin, was an American singer, songwriter, and actor who performedpop,swing,folk,rock and roll andcountry music.[2]
Darin started his career as a songwriter forConnie Francis. In 1958, Darin co-wrote and recorded his first million-selling single, "Splish Splash", which was followed by Darin's own song "Dream Lover", then his covers of "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea", which brought him worldwide fame.[citation needed] In 1959, Darin was the inaugural winner of theGrammy Award for Best New Artist and also won aRecord of the Year for "Mack the Knife" at the2nd Annual Grammy Awards. Three years later, Darin won aGolden Globe Award for his first film,Come September, co-starring his first wife, actressSandra Dee.
In the 1960s, Darin became more politically active and worked onRobert F. Kennedy's Democratic presidential campaign. Darin was present at theAmbassador Hotel in Los Angeles at the time ofRobert Kennedy's assassination in June 1968. That same year, Darin discovered the woman who had raised him was his grandmother, not his mother as he thought, while also learning that the woman who he thought was his sister was actually his mother. Those events deeply affected Darin and sent him into a long period of seclusion.[3]
Although Darin made a successful comeback in television in the early 1970s, his health was beginning to fail due to a weak heart; Darin's knowledge of his vulnerability had always spurred him on to use his musical talent while still young.[citation needed] Darin died in 1973 at age 37 in a hospital recovery room after having open heart surgery in Los Angeles.[4][5][6][7]
Darin was born Walden Robert Cassotto inEast Harlem inManhattan on May 14, 1936, to Vanina Juliette "Nina" Cassotto (November 30, 1917 – November 3, 1983).[8] Because his mother was only 18 at the time of his birth, Darin was raised to believe his maternal grandmother was his mother and Nina was his older sister.[3]
Darin's maternal grandmother, Vivian "Polly" Fern Walden (born in 1891), was of English, Danish, and Norwegian ancestry[9][10][11] and had been avaudeville singer before Darin's birth.[12] His maternal grandfather, Saverio Antonio "Big Sam Curly" Cassotto (born January 26, 1882), was of Italian descent. He had been amade man and "soldier" in theGenovese Crime Family, as well as a close associate ofFrank Costello's. Sam Cassotto died from pneumonia in late 1935 while in prison, less than a year before Darin was born.
In 1968, when Darin was 32 and considering entering politics, Nina told him the truth, devastating Darin.[13] She refused to reveal the identity of his biological father and took that secret to her grave when she died in 1983. The father's identity remained unknown until 2020. In April 2020, Emilio "Milton" LePore (November 11, 1911 – January 5, 1965) was traced, through genealogical DNA, as being Darin's biological father.[14]
Emilio LePore was the son of Italian immigrants and the oldest of five children. He went by the name Milton, rather than his formal name, Emilio. LePore was the brother of the actorRichard LePore (1927-1998).[15][16] The LePore brothers shared the actorAnthony Franciosa (1928-2006) as their first cousin.[17] Franciosa and Sandra Dee co-starred in the 1966 movieA Man Could Get Killed.[1] Franciosa and Dee had no knowledge they were in-laws. Details about Milton LePore and Nina Cassotto's courtship are scarce. They met in the Spring or Summer of 1935. In August of 1935, Miss Cassotto became pregnant with Darin. Soon after, Cassotto ended the relationship. Details of why and how she ended it are not known. What is known about LePore, is that by the end of the 1930s, he was institutionalized for schizophrenia. The 1940 Census listed LePore as an inmate ofRockland State Hospital, where he remained until his death in 1965.[18][19]
Darin moved tothe Bronx early in his life (with a rented summer home inStaten Island)[20] and graduated from the prestigiousBronx High School of Science. In later years, Darin attributed his arrogance to his experiences there, where Darin was surrounded by brighter students who teased him.[21] Darin then enrolled atHunter College and soon gravitated to the drama department. After only two semesters, he dropped out to pursue an acting career.[22] Darin was an ambitious young adult and aspired to be an actor, go onBroadway, and become a recording artist.[23]
By the time he was a teenager, Darin could play several instruments including piano, drums, and guitar. He later added harmonica andxylophone.[24] Darin took his stage name,Bobby Darin, when he began recording.[25] One version of how Darin got the name is that the first three letters on aMandarin Chinese restaurant were burned out.[26][27] According to another version, he adapted it from the first name of actorDarren McGavin, TV's Mike Hammer. Darin said: "My legal name will remain Cassotto. Cassotto was my mother's name, and it will be my children's name."[25]
Darin's career took off with a songwriting partnership, formed in 1955 withDon Kirshner, whom he met at acandy store inWashington Heights.[1] They wrotejingles and songs, beginning with "Bubblegum Pop".[28] In 1956, Darin's agent negotiated a contract withDecca Records.[1] The songs recorded at Decca had minimal commercial success.[1]
A member of theBrill Building gang of struggling songwriters, Darin was introduced to singerConnie Francis, with whom he helped write several songs. They developed a romantic interest, but her father was not fond of Darin and did not approve of the relationship, and the couple split up. At one point, Darin wanted to elope immediately; Francis has said that not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.[29]
Darin left Decca to sign withAtlantic Records'Atco subsidiary, where he wrote and arranged music for himself and others. Guided by Atlantic's star-makerAhmet Ertegun, Darin's career finally took off in 1958 when he recorded "Splish Splash".[1] Darin co-wrote the song with radio DJMurray Kaufman after a phone call from Kaufman's mother, Jean, a frustrated songwriter. Her latest song idea was: "Splish, Splash, Take a Bath". Both Kaufman and Darin felt the title was lackluster, but Darin, with few options, said: "I could write a song with that title." Within an hour, Darin had written "Splish Splash".[30] The single, Darin's first successful foray into the rock-and-roll genre, sold over a million copies.[31][32] His partnership with Kirshner, who was not involved in the writing of that song, ended at that time.[28] Darin made another recording in 1958 forBrunswick Records with a band called the Ding Dongs.[1] With the success of "Splish Splash", the single was re-released byAtco Records as "Early in the Morning" with the band renamed as the Rinky Dinks.[1] It charted, and made it to number 24 in the United States.[33][34]
In 1959, Darin recorded the self-penned "Dream Lover", a ballad that became a multimillion seller.[1] With it came financial success and the ability to demand morecreative control of his career; Darin meant for hisThat's All album to show that he could sing more than rock and roll as a result.[35] Darin's next single, "Mack the Knife", the standard fromKurt Weill'sThreepenny Opera, was given a vamping jazz-pop interpretation.[1] Although Darin was initially opposed to releasing it as a single,[35] the song went to number one on the chart for nine weeks, sold two million copies, and won theGrammy Award for Record of the Year in 1960. He was also voted theGrammy Award for Best New Artist that year, and "Mack the Knife" has since been honored with aGrammy Hall of Fame Award.
Darin followed "Mack" with "Beyond the Sea", a jazzy English-language version ofCharles Trenet'sFrench hit song "La Mer".[1] Both tracks were produced by Atlantic founders Ahmet andNesuhi Ertegun with staff producerJerry Wexler, and they featured arrangements by Richard Wess. The late-1950s success included Darin setting the all-time attendance record at theCopacabana nightclub in Manhattan and headlining at the majorcasinos inLas Vegas.
Darin's 1960 recording of "Artificial Flowers", a song bySheldon Harnick andJerry Bock from the Broadway musicalTenderloin about the death of a child laborer, featured a jazzy,big band arrangement by Richard Behrke, that was in sharp contrast to its tragic lyrics.[36]
In 1962, Darin began writing and singingcountry music, with hit songs including "Things" (US number three/UK number two) (1962), "You're the Reason I'm Living" (US number three), and "18 Yellow Roses" (US number 10). The latter two were recorded byCapitol Records, which he joined in 1962, before returning to Atlantic three years later.[37] Darin left Capitol in 1964.[38] Two years later, he had his final UK hit single, with a version ofTim Hardin's "If I Were A Carpenter", which peaked at number 9 (number eight in the US). Darin performed the opening and closing songs on the soundtrack of the 1965Walt Disney filmThat Darn Cat!. "Things" was sung byDean Martin in the 1967 TV specialMovin' With Nancy, starringNancy Sinatra.[39]
In 1963, through his office in New York'sBrill Building, Darin employed futureThe Byrds leaderRoger McGuinn (then Jim McGuinn) and singer-songwriterFrank Gari as songwriters. McGuinn was "instructed to listen to the radio and to emulate the songs he heard".[40] McGuinn and Gari brought Darin a song called "Beach Ball" and Darin booked recording time in the Brill Building demo studio where the three recorded the song with Darin on drums, Gari on piano and McGuinn on guitar and all three on vocals. The song was subsequently recorded by Australian varity show presenterJimmy Hannan, with backing by theBee Gees.[41] Darin, McGuinn and Gari's recording was issued in 1963 byCapitol Records under the name The City Surfers. A second City Surfers single was issued the same year, again with writers under Darin's employ (Frank Gari,Artie Resnick andKenny Young) providing the songs. Darin's T. M. Music/T. M. Productions produced both singles, but details of the second City Surfers single session are lost, though Darin does appear to feature prominently as vocalist on the second City Surfers single.
In the fall of 1959, Darin played Honeyboy Jones in an early episode ofJackie Cooper'sCBS military sitcom/dramaHennesey. Darin's first major film,Come September (1961), was a teenager-oriented romantic comedy withRock Hudson andGina Lollobrigida, and featuring 18-year-old actressSandra Dee.[1] They met during the production of the film, and they soon married on December 1, 1960.[1] Dee gave birth to a son, Dodd Mitchell Darin (also known[clarification needed] as Morgan Mitchell) on December 16, 1961.[42] Dee and Darin made a few films together with moderate success, such asIf a Man Answers (1962) andThat Funny Feeling (1965).[43]
In 1961, Darin starred as a struggling jazz musician inToo Late Blues,John Cassavetes' first film for a major Hollywood studio.[44] Writing in 2012,Los Angeles Times critic Dennis Lim observed that Darin was "a surprise in his first nonsinging role, willing to appear both arrogant and weak".[45] In 1962, Darin won theGolden Globe Award for "New Star of the Year – Actor" for his role inCome September.[46] The following year he was nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe forPressure Point.
In 1963, Darin was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as ashell-shocked soldier inCaptain Newman, M.D. Throughout his acting career, Darin appeared alongside a series ofHollywood leading men:Sidney Poitier,Steve McQueen, andGregory Peck.[23] In October 1964, Darin appeared as a wounded ex-convict who is befriended by an orphan girl in "The John Gillman Story" episode ofNBC'sWagon TrainWestern television series.
"Now my attitude is very simple: I must do what artistically pleases me."
Darin became more politically active as the 1960s progressed, and his musical output became more "folksy". In 1966, Darin had a hit with folksingerTim Hardin's "If I Were a Carpenter",[35] securing a return to theTop 10 after a two-year absence.[1]
Darin traveled withRobert F. Kennedy and worked on the politician's 1968 presidential campaign. He was with Kennedy on June 4, 1968, the day he traveled to Los Angeles for the California primary, and Darin was also at theAmbassador Hotel later that night when Kennedy was assassinated. That event, combined with learning about his true parentage, had a deep effect on Darin, who spent most of the next year living in seclusion in a trailer nearBig Sur. In 1968–69, during his sabbatical, Darin wrote and recorded two albums that covered issues such ascivil rights, poverty, theVietnam War, and the death of RFK –Bobby Darin Born Walden Robert Cassotto (1968) andCommitment (1969).[47]
Returning to Los Angeles in 1969, Darin started his own record label, Direction Records, putting out folk and protest music. Darin wrote "Simple Song of Freedom" in 1969, which in an interesting turn of events, was first recorded by Tim Hardin, and the song became Hardin's best-selling record. It reached number 48 on theRPM Top 100 Singles list in Canada.[48] Also in Canada, a version byBuckwheat reached number 52.[49] Darin himself sang the song "live" on several television variety shows. Speaking about his first Direction album Darin said, "The purpose of Direction Records is to seek out statement-makers....The album is solely comprised of compositions designed to reflect my thoughts on the turbulent aspects of modern society."[50]
Darin was struggling with his finances as his music career dwindled. Darin's venture into protest music was not received favorably and generated little or no profits. In late 1969, he sold his songs, his record label (Direction Records), and publishing company (TM Music), losing the copyright to his own music and eventually, their worth. The company to which Darin sold them went bankrupt. During his final days, Darin was believed to have been still trying to gain back the rights to his music.[23]
In 1970, Darin proposed a self-directed and written filmThe Vendors (1970), about the life of a folk singer.[51] However, the production left him broke and was not released, which led Darin to return to music. In spite of his declining health, Darin's last venture was spent performing live, while undergoing heart surgery and receiving post-treatment medication.[23] He released his last album, self-titled (1972) onMotown.
Beginning on July 27, 1972, Darin starred in his own television variety show on NBC,Dean Martin Presents: The Bobby Darin Amusement Company, which ran for seven episodes ending on September 7. Beginning on January 19, 1973, Darin starred in a similar show on NBC calledThe Bobby Darin Show. That show ran for 13 episodes, ending on April 27. Darin subsequently made television guest appearances and remained a top draw.[52][53]
In 1960, Darin infamously toldLife that he wanted to be established as a legend by the age of 25.[54] Darin's off-the-cuff statements generated a rivalry and playful banter between Sinatra and himself.[55] Sinatra released a cover version of "Mack the Knife" on the 1984 albumL.A. Is My Lady,[56] perhaps a testament to Darin. Darin andElvis Presley were notable friends and teen idols in the 1950s. On occasion, Presley would sneak into Darin's concerts and watch him perform.[23]
In his short life, Darin explored all genres of music, such as pop, jazz, country, and folk music. In a 1988Rolling Stone interview,Neil Young confessed: "I used to be pissed off at Bobby Darin because he changed styles so much. Now I look at him and I think he was a f**king genius."[57]
Darin was an enthusiasticchess player.[58] His television show included an occasional segment where he would explain a chess move.[59] Darin arranged with theUnited States Chess Federation to sponsor agrandmaster tournament, which pitted him against the young Eastern Division champion Stephen Ryder, with the largest prize fund in history,[60] but the event was canceled after Darin's death.[53]
In 1956, Darin and Connie Francis met after their manager, George Scheck, arranged for Francis to record a song Darin had written. They were soon in what Darin's friends described as "an intense romance". However, Francis's parents did not approve of Darin, and one night, after returning from a date, Francis found her bags packed and waiting for her on the front step. Darin proposed almost immediately. When her father found out about the engagement, he stormed into the rehearsals ofThe Jackie Gleason Show with a gun and threatened to shoot Darin, who managed to escape out a window. Darin and Francis talked briefly after the show, but parted ways.[29] Over a four-month period in 1956, the two maintained a secret correspondence involving love letters. Darin kept the letters until his death, and the letters were auctioned. They were returned to Francis later.[61]
In the following years, they saw each other several times while appearing on the same television shows, but were never romantically involved again. In 1960, Francis heard on the radio that Darin had married Sandra Dee – just as her father and she were driving through theLincoln Tunnel. Francis later wrote: "I wished that somehow God would cause the Hudson River to come gushing in and entrap us in that tunnel." Francis said that not marrying Darin was the biggest mistake of her life.[29]
Darin married actress Sandra Dee on December 1, 1960.[62] They met inRome,Italy, while filmingCome September (which was released in 1961).[63] It was Dee's mother, Mary Douvon, who convinced the actress to go on a date with Darin. Later commenting on their relationship, Dee stated: "Bobby loved me. He was a calculating guy, but I don't think he arrived in Rome with a plan to marry this new littleMary Pickford of Hollywood. Aside from the fact that he was rude, brash, and always trying to get a reaction, I didn't like this person. I just thought, this is a conniving SOB."[64] On December 16, 1961, they had a son named Dodd Mitchell Darin.[65] In the early 1960s, the pair became Hollywood's golden couple, but they had a troubled marriage,[64] and divorced on March 7, 1967.[66]
Darin's second wife was Andrea Yeager, a legal secretary, whom he met in 1970.[67] They married on June 25, 1973, after living together for three years.[68][69] Four months later, in October 1973, the couple divorced[70] amid strain caused by Darin's worsening health problems when it became apparent that he was dying.[68]
Darin suffered from poor health throughout his life. He was frail as an infant, and beginning at age eight, had recurring bouts ofrheumatic fever that left him with a seriously weakened heart.[53] Darin was well aware that he might not live long, and lived his life accordingly. In the last few years of his life, Darin was often administered oxygen during and after his performances on stage and screen.[23]
In 1973, after failing to take antibiotics to protect his heart before a dental visit, Darin developedan overwhelming systemic infection, which further weakened his body and affected one of his heart valves. On December 11, 1973, he checked himself intoCedars-Sinai Hospital inLos Angeles for another round of open-heart surgery to repair the two artificial heart valves he had received in January 1971.[1] On the evening of December 19, a four-person surgical team worked for over six hours to repair Darin's damaged heart. Shortly after the surgery ended, Darin died in the recovery room the following morning. He was only 37 years old.[4][5]
Darin's last wish in his will was that his body be donated to science formedical research, and his remains were transferred to theUCLA Medical Center shortly after his death.[5]
In 1990, Darin was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame, with singer and close friendPaul Anka announcing the honor.[71] In 1999, Darin was voted into theSongwriters Hall of Fame. SongwriterAlan O'Day alluded to Darin and his recording of "Mack the Knife" in the song "Rock and Roll Heaven" (made a hit bythe Righteous Brothers), a tribute to deceased musicians, which O'Day wrote shortly after Darin's death.
On May 14, 2007, on what would have been his 71st birthday, Darin was awarded a star on theLas Vegas Walk of Stars to honor his contribution to making Las Vegas the "Entertainment Capital of the World" and named Darin one of the 20th century's greatest entertainers. Fans paid for the star. Darin also has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame. On December 13, 2009, at its 2010Grammy Awards ceremony, the Recording Academy awarded Darin a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award.
In 1986, directorBarry Levinson intended to direct a film based on Darin's life and had begunpreproduction on the project by early 1997. He abandoned the project, the rights to which were subsequently bought by actorKevin Spacey, along with Darin's son, Dodd. The resultant biopic,Beyond the Sea, starred Spacey as Darin, with the actor using his own singing voice for the musical numbers. The film covers much of Darin's life and career, including his marriage to Sandra Dee, portrayed byKate Bosworth.
Beyond the Sea opened at the 2004Toronto International Film Festival. Although Dodd Darin, Sandra Dee, and Blauner responded enthusiastically to Spacey's work and the film was strongly promoted by the studio,Beyond the Sea received mixed to poor reviews upon wide release, and box-office results were disappointing. Spacey, however, was nominated for theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor—Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, but the award that year went toJamie Foxx for his portrayal of Darin's musical contemporaryRay Charles.
In September 2016,Dream Lover: The Bobby Darin Musical had its world premiere atSydney Lyric Theatre, Australia. The production featured the story of Darin with an 18-piece big band. Darin was played byDavid Campbell.[72] Darin had an unusual upbringing, growing up with a "mother" who was actually his grandmother and alongside a "sister" who was actually his mother, a fact Darin did not discover until he was 31.[55] Campbell grew up in a similar circumstance,[72] leading Bobby's son Dodd Darin to describe Campbell as perfect for the role: "You have to have lived something like that to understand it and [Campbell] has, and I think he can relate to my dad, he can relate to the pain."[73] Campbell made similar observations, describing playing Darin as a "cathartic experience", and stating, "I feel like I'm healing things during this show."[73] The production was nominated in six categories in the18th Helpmann Awards including forBest Musical, with Campbell receiving theHelpmann Award for Best Male Actor in a Musical.[74] In2025,Jonathan Groff was nominated for theTony Award for Best Lead Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Darin in the originalBroadway production ofJust in Time.[75]
Studio albums
Films starred
Television
Darin was inaugural winner of theGrammy Awards categoryBest New Artist in 1959.
| Year | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Best New Artist | Himself | Won |
| Record of the Year | "Mack the Knife" | Won | |
| Best Male Pop Vocal Performance | Nominated | ||
| 1963 | Best Rhythm & Blues Recording | "What'd I Say" | Nominated |
| 1969 | Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance | "If I Were A Carpenter" | Nominated |
| 2010 | Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | Himself | Won |
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