After being discovered by casting director Joyce Selznick, James Darren became a teen idol almost immediately, including starring in films and releasing a string of pop hits, which include his biggest, “Goodbye Cruel World,” which reached number three on Billboard in 1961.
Of course, like many of these teen idols, he decided he wanted to pass to adulthood. He was able to do so thanks to a role in the gritty 1961 World War II film “The Guns of Navarone.” After that, he achieved success as an impulsive and adventurous scientist, Tony Newman, in the science fiction TV show “The Time Tunnel,” from 1966 to 1967.
Johnny Tillotson (1960s)
Johnny put the time and work in to finally make it big. He had a musical variety show while he was in college at the University of Florida, and once he graduated, he signed with Cadence Records and moved to New York City. His big hit “Poetry in Motion” got to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and all the way to number one on the UK Chart Singles.
Tillotson was known as a crossover artist, able to make it big on both the pop charts and in the country music world. The kid even got a Grammy nomination thanks to “It Keeps Right On a-Hurtin.'”
The Shangri-Las (1960s)
An American pop group in the nineteen-sixties, the Shangri-Las charted numerous times thanks to their melodramatic and often heartbreaking songs. They got their start in Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights, part of New York City.
The group was, for the most part, two sets of sisters: Mary and Elizabeth “Betty” Weiss, and identical twins Marguerite “Marge Ganser and Ann Ganser. The two Ganser sisters have sadly passed away, and before long, Betty Weiss decided she wasn't a fan of being on stage or touring. This flash-in-the-pan band didn't go on to do much more, but their songs are still fun to throw on.
Connie Stevens (1950s - 1960s)
Stevens got her start on the hit Warner Brothers TV series “77 Sunset Strip” before she released her novelty song in 1959. It was a duet with another actor on the program, Edward Byrnes. It got high on the Billboard Hot 100, all the way to number four.
She had plenty of other releases, including the number three hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Sixteen Reasons,” which she released in 1960. She was also in several big movies at the time, including starring opposite Jerry Lewis, and continued to get a few small roles here or there through the decades. She made her directorial debut in 2009 with “Saving Grace B. Jones.”
Marlon Brando (1950s-1960s)
Marlon Brando's career, popularity, and influence are unmatched. He had his big break in 1954 with the film "On the Waterfront" and went on to become a Hollywood staple. He is considered to be the first actor to popularize the Method Acting style.
Brando was one of the highest-paid actors in the world and received a record $3.7 million for just 13 days of work in his cameo on 1978’s "Superman." His most famous film is undoubtedly 1972's "The Godfather," a film that is widely regarded as the greatest film ever made. He passed away in 2004, at 80 years old.