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Bobby Darin ( May 14 , 1936 – December 20 , 1973 ) (born '''Walden Robert Cassotto''') was one of the most popular American Big Band performers and Rock And Roll Teen Idol s of the late 1950s. He is widely respected for being a multi-talented, versatile performer who conquered many music genres, including folk, country, pop, and jazz. He was also an award-winning actor, songwriter and music business entrepreneur. His wish for a legacy was "to be remembered as a human being and as a great performer." How he wanted to be remembered. Among his many other contributions, he became a Goodwill Ambassador for the American Heart Association . EARLY YEARS Darin was born to a poor, working-class Italian-American family in The Bronx, New York . His father disappeared a few months before he was born. It was the height of the Great Depression , and he once remarked that his crib was a cardboard box, later a dresser drawer. As a result, his mother had to accept Home Relief , which was what "Welfare" was referred to in those days, http://www.tenement.org/vt_baldlhomer.html to take care of her infant son. It was not until he was an adult that he learned that the woman he thought to be his sister Nina, 17 years his senior, was in fact his mother, and the woman he thought to be his mother was his grandmother. Biography: Bobby Darin , The Biography Channel. Retrieved August 12, 2007. Also mentioned in the Bobby Darin episode of the ''Biography'' series. He went to his death without knowing the identity of his birth father. Darin was frail as an infant and beginning at the age of eight, was stricken with multiple bouts of , by the time he was a teenager, he could play several instruments, including Piano , Drum s and Guitar . He later added Harmonica and Xylophone . An outstanding student, with a genius-level , which means he scored at or above the top 2% of the population in IQ tests., Darin graduated from the prestigious Bronx High School Of Science and then went on to attend Hunter College on a scholarship. Wanting a career in the New York theater, he left college to play small Nightclub s around the city with a musical combo. In the resort area of the Catskill Mountains , he was both a bus boy and an entertainer.1st paragraph of ''Biography'' sketch. As was common with Ethnic Minorities at the time, he changed his Italian name to one that sounded more "American". He chose the name "Bobby" because he had generally been called that as a child. He allegedly chose Darin because he had seen a malfunctioning electrical sign at a Chinese Restaurant reading "DARIN DUCK" rather than "MANDARIN DUCK," and he thought the Darin looked good. Later, he said that the name was randomly picked out of the Telephone Book . Neither story has been verified. MUSIC CAREER 45 Sleeve.]] In 1956 , his agent negotiated a contract for him with Decca Records , where Bill Haley & His Comets had risen to fame. However, this was a time when rock and roll was still in its infancy and the number of capable Record Producer s and arrangers in the field was extremely limited. Like other performers, Darin was at first pigeon-holed, recording the banal songs popular with record executives at the time. He left Decca to sign with Kaufman, who bet that Darin could not write a song that started out with the words, "Splish Splash, I was takin' a bath", as suggested by Murray's mother. They eventually shared writing credits with her. This was followed by more hits recorded in the same successful style. In in 1960 . Darin was also voted the Grammy Award For Best New Artist that year. "Mack The Knife" has since been honored with a Grammy Hall Of Fame Award . He followed "Mack" with " Beyond The Sea ", a jazzy English-language version of Charles Trenet's French hit song, " La Mer ." Propelled by the success of "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea," Darin became a hot commodity. He set all-time attendance records at the famed Copacabana nightclub in NYC, where it was not unusual for fans to line up all the way around the block to get tickets when Darin was playing there. The Copacabana sold so many seats to Darin's shows that they had to fill the dance floor, normally part of the performance area, with extra seating, leaving Bobby with a relatively small (approx. six feet deep and 12-14 feet wide) stage on which to perform. Darin also headlined at the major Casino s in Las Vegas , the youngest performer to do so. Darin was instrumental in bringing up new talent. Richard Pryor , Flip Wilson , and Wayne Newton opened his night club performances when they were virtually unknown. Early on, at the Copacabana, he insisted that black comic Nipsey Russell be his opening act. This was a very hard sell in the Era of Nightclub Segregation , but perhaps because Darin had set the attendance mark (eclipsing Frank Sinatra ), his request was grudgingly granted by Jules Podell , the Frank Costello (mob boss) manager of the Copacabana . In the 1960s , Darin also owned and operated a highly successful music publishing and production company (TM Music/Trio), which was responsible for many hit records including "Under The Boardwalk" and "Good Lovin'". He "discovered" Wayne Newton and signed him to TM, giving him a song that was originally sent to Darin to record. That record went on to become Newton's breakout hit, " Danke Schoen ". He also was a Mentor to Roger McGuinn , who worked for Darin at TM Music before going off to form The Byrds . Darin also produced football great Rosey Grier 's 1964 LP , ''Soul City'', and "Made in the Shade" for Jimmy Boyd . In 1962, Darin also began to write and sing country music, with songs including "Things" (1962), "You're the Reason" and "18 Yellow Roses". He did well in that format. ACTING CAREER In addition to music, Darin became a Motion Picture actor. In 1960, he was the only actor ever to be contractually signed to five major Hollywood Studios . He wrote music for several films and acted in them as well. In his first major film, '' Come September '', a Romantic Comedy designed to capitalize on his popularity with the Teenage and Young Adult audience, he met and co-starred with 18-year-old actress Sandra Dee . They fell in love and were married in 1960. They had one son, Dodd Mitchell Darin, in 1961 , and Divorce d in 1967 . Asking to be taken seriously, he took on more meaningful movie roles, and in 1962 , he won the Golden Globe Award for "Most Promising Male Newcomer" for his role in ''Pressure Point''. In 1963 , he was nominated for an Academy Award For Best Supporting Actor for his role as a Shell-shocked soldier in '' Captain Newman, M.D. ''. At the Cannes Film Festival , where his records—in particular "Beyond the Sea"—brought him a wide following, he won the French Film Critics Award for Best Actor. A major disappointment in his acting career came when he lost the lead role of Tony in '' West Side Story '' to Richard Beymer . Several leading Hollywood men like Anthony Perkins , Warren Beatty , and Elvis Presley were also major contenders for the role. Darin had also been penciled in to star opposite Jackie Gleason in '' The Hustler '', before Paul Newman 's schedule suddenly allowed first choice Newman to step in. LATER YEARS Darin's musical output became more ", and stopped wearing a Hairpiece . Within two years, however, all of these changes were discontinued. At the beginning of the 1970s , he continued to act and to record, including several albums with Motown Records and a couple of films. In January 1971 , he underwent his first heart surgery in an attempt to correct some of the heart damage he had lived with since childhood. Darin married Andrea Yeager in June of 1973 . She was not from show business, and Bobby felt that she loved him for who he was, not for his image. In 1972 , he starred in his own TV Variety Show on NBC , ''The Bobby Darin Amusement Company'', which ran for two years. He made TV guest appearances and also remained a top draw at Las Vegas, where due to his poor health, he was often administered oxygen after his performances. DEATH In 1973, Darin's ill health took a fatal turn, when his mechanical Heart Valve clotted (a known risk of Prosthetic heart valves). He had decided to stop taking his Anticoagulant drug, Warfarin , that is routinely used to prevent such problems - his Heart Disease required him to take the drug on a daily basis and to undergo frequent Blood Test s to determine a satisfactory level of Anticoagulation . Unfortunately, Darin reportedly neglected to take Antibiotics as a precaution before undergoing a Dental procedure; as a result, Bacteria seeped into his Bloodstream , and further infected his already fragile heart. He died on December 20 , 1973 , following surgery to repair his Heart Valve . In accordance with his wishes, his body was donated to the UCLA Medical Center for Research purposes. Shortly before his death, he divorced his second wife, Andrea. Those close to him have said that this was an attempt to distance her from the pain of his death. Even though he did talk to Sandra Dee a short while before his death, the call was mainly to talk to his son Dodd, contrary to the ''Beyond the Sea'' biopic. LEGACY In 1990 , singer Paul Anka made the speech for Darin's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame . In 1999 , he was voted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame . He has a Star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame . The Righteous Brothers refer to Darin in their song ''Rock and Roll Heaven'', a tribute to late musicians. The duo also make a reference to '' Mack The Knife ''. In 2000 , actor Kevin Spacey , a lifelong fan of Darin, acquired the film rights to his story. Spacey directed and produced the film, and played Bobby Darin — as well as co-writing the script. The film is named after one of Darin's top hits, '' Beyond The Sea ''. With the consent of the Darin estate, Steve Blauner, and archivist Jimmy Scalia , the movie's opening was at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival . In spite of strong studio promotion and positive critical reaction, box office results were disappointing. However, the movie spurred a renewed interest in Darin, which has resulted in the release of "never before heard, or seen" material. His pianist, Roger Kellaway , has recorded two albums of Darin's music as well. On Monday, May 14 , 2007 , Bobby Darin was awarded a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars. This tribute honors Darin for his contribution to making Las Vegas the "Entertainment Capital of the World" and acknowledges his reputation as one of the greatest entertainers of the Twentieth Century . The sponsorship fee for this star was raised entirely by fan donations. TRIVIA
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