Dean Martin

Dean Martin
Actor, Singer

Dino Paul Crocetti was born on June 7, 1917 in Steubenville, Ohio. His father was originally from Montesilvano, Pescara, Italy, and his mother was born in Fernwood, Ohio. His first language was Italian and he spoke no English until he started school at the age of five. As a teenager, he played drums as a hobby. He worked in steel mills and was a welterweight boxer. For a time, Dean Martin shared a New York City apartment with Sonny King.

In the late 1940s he began singing for Cleveland bandleader Sammy Watkins, who suggested he change his name to Dean Martin. He remained with Watkins until May 1943. As a singer, Martin copied the styles of Harry Mills (Mills Brothers), Bing Crosby and Perry Como until he developed his own. He married Elizabeth Ann "Betty" McDonald of Ridley Park, Pennsylvania in 1941.

Dean Martin met comic Jerry Lewis at the Glass Hat Club in New York, where both were performing. They debuted together at the club in Atlantic City on July 24, 1946, and were not well received. The group made its television debut on June 20, 1948, with the first broadcast of The Ed Sullivan Show on the CBS-TV network. A radio series started in 1949. That year Martin and Lewis signed with Paramount as comedy relief for the movie "My Friend Irma."

Martin and Elizabeth had four children before their marriage finally ended in 1949. Martin married former Orange Bowl queen of Coral Gables in Florida, Dorothy Jean "Jeanne" Biegger. Martin's first solo film, "Ten Thousand Bedrooms" (1957), failed at the box office. His song "Volare" reached on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. Martin first starred opposite Frank Sinatra in the drama, "Some Come Running" (1958). Martin has recorded over 100 albums and 600 songs.

Elvis Presley is said to have been a fan of Martin and patterned his performance of "Love Me Tender" after Martin's style. Martin was influenced by country music. By 1965, some of Martin's albums were composed of country and western songs by artists such as Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Buck Owens. Martin often hosted country performers on his TV show and was named "Man of the Year" by the Country Music Association in 1966.

In 1972, he filed for divorce from his second wife, Jeanne, and divorced in 1973 after 24 years of marriage. The couple gave birth to three children. Less than a month after the dissolution of his second marriage, Martin, aged 55, married 26-year-old Catherine Hawn on April 25, 1973. Hawn was a receptionist at a Hair Salon in Beverly Hills, California. They divorced on November 10, 1976. Eventually, Martin reconciled with Jeanne, although they never married again.

"The Nashville Sessions" is Dean Martin's 1983 final studio album. For three decades, Martin was the most popular act in Las Vegas. Martin died at his Beverly Hills home on Christmas Day 1995 at the age of 78. The lights on the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor. Martin was buried at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.

In 1997, Ohio Route 7 was rededicated as Dean Martin Boulevard. In 2005, a section of the road in Clark County, Nevada, and in 2008, road in Rancho Mirage, California, was named the Dean Martin Drive. Martin has three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: one at 6519 Hollywood Boulevard for the movie; the second in 1617 Vine for recording; and a third for television at 6651 Hollywood Boulevard. In 2010, Martin received a posthumous star on the Italian Walk of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Songs of Dean Martin

* That's Amore (1954)

* Memories are Made of This (1956)

* Angel Baby (1958)

* Return to Me (1958)

* Volare (1958)

Dean Martin News and Images

My Friend Irma is a comedy film directed by George Marshall, and is most notable as the film debut of the comedy team Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The film was released on August 16, 1949.

At War with the Army is a 1950 American musical comedy film directed by Hal Walker and starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis and introducing Polly Bergen. It was filmed from July through August 1949, and released on December 30, 1950 by Paramount.

Dean Martin in At War with the Army 1950

My Friend Irma Goes West is a comedy film based on the radio show My Friend Irma, and featuring the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The film is directed by Hal Walker. It is the sequel of My Friend Irma (1949). The film was released on May 31, 1950, by Paramount.

Dean Martin in My Friend Irma Goes West 1950

That's My Boy is a semi-musical comedy film directed by Hal Walker and starring the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. It was released on May 13, 1951 by Paramount.

The Stooge is a comedy film directed by Norman Taurog and starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. The film was released on December 31, 1952, by Paramount.

Money From Home is a comedy film starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The comedy was the first for the Martin and Lewis team to be shot in color and was their only film in 3-D. The film was released on December 31, 1953.

3 Ring Circus is a comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The picture was shot from February 17 to March 31, 1954, and released on December 25 by Paramount.

Dean Martin with actress Pier Angeli shows off her engagement ring to Dean Martin on 6th May 1955 in Beverly Hills.

Dean Martin photo shoot in 1955.

Artists and Models is a musical comedy film in VistaVision and marked Martin and Lewis's fourteenth feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, also featuring Eva Gabor and Anita Ekberg in brief roles. Released on November 7, 1955.

Dean Martin with wife Jeanne Biegger and one of their children in the 1955.

Hollywood or Bust is a semi-musical comedy film starring the team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The picture was filmed from April 16 to June 19, 1956 and released on December 6, 1956 by Paramount.

Ten Thousand Bedrooms is a film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Dean Martin, Anna Maria Alberghetti, and Eva Bartok. Martin's first film in the wake of the dissolution of his partnership with Jerry Lewis in the team of Martin and Lewis, it was filmed in Metrocolor and CinemaScope. The film was Release on April 3, 1957.

Dean Martin in Ten Thousand Bedrooms 1957

Dean Martin photo shoot in 1958.

The Young Lions is an World War II drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Dean Martin. It was made in black-and-white and CinemaScope by 20th Century Fox. The film is based upon the 1948 novel of the same name by Irwin Shaw. The film was released on April 2, 1958.

Rio Bravo is Western film, produced and directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, and Ward Bond. Written by Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett, based on the short story "Rio Bravo" by B. H. McCampbell. The film was released on March 18, 1959.

Career is a drama film, directed by Joseph Anthony and starring Dean Martin, Tony Franciosa, and Shirley MacLaine. The film was released in 1959.

Dean Martin with Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra at The Frank Sinatra Show. Air-date October 15, 1959.

Bells Are Ringing is a romantic comedy-musical film directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Judy Holliday and Dean Martin. Based on the successful 1956 Broadway production of the same name. The film was released on June 23, 1960.

Dean Martin Photo shoot 1960

Dean Martin during television still from the Dean Martin Comedy Hour in 1960.

Dean Martin at Dean Martin Comedy Hour 1960

Dean Martin with singer/actress Julie London during The Dean Martin Show, Episode-121 in 1960.

All in a Night's Work is a Technicolor romantic screwball comedy film directed by Joseph Anthony and starring Dean Martin and Shirley MacLaine. The film was released on March 22, 1961.

Dean Martin in All in a Night's Work 1961

Ada is a political drama film made by Avon Productions, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed by Daniel Mann, and produced by Lawrence Weingarten, with a screenplay by Arthur Sheekman and William Driskill based on the novel Ada Dallas by Wirt Williams. The film stars Susan Hayward and Dean Martin, with Wilfrid Hyde-White, Ralph Meeker, and Martin Balsam. The film was released on August 25, 1961.

Dean Martin Photo shoot 1962.

Something's Got to Give is an unfinished 1962 American feature film, directed by George Cukor for 20th Century Fox and starring Marilyn Monroe, Dean Martin and Cyd Charisse. A remake of My Favorite Wife (1940), a screwball comedy starring Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. it was Monroe's last work, but from the beginning its production was disrupted by her personal troubles, and after her death on August 5, 1962, the film was abandoned.

Dean Martin in Something's Got to Give 1962

Who's Got the Action? is a comedy film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Dean Martin, Lana Turner, Eddie Albert, Walter Matthau, and Nita Talbot. The film was released on December 25, 1962.

Dean Martin in Who's Got the Action 1962

Toys in the Attic is a drama film directed by George Roy Hill and starring Dean Martin, Geraldine Page, Yvette Mimieux, Gene Tierney and Wendy Hiller. The film is based on a Tony Award-winning play of the same name. The film was released on July 31, 1963.

4 for Texas is a Western comedy film starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg, and Ursula Andress, and featuring screen thugs Charles Bronson and Mike Mazurki, with a cameo appearance by Arthur Godfrey and the Three Stooges (Larry Fine, Moe Howard, and Curly Joe DeRita). The film was released on December 25, 1963.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? is a comedy film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Dean Martin, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Carol Burnett. The film was released on December 25, 1963.

Dean Martin in Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed 1963

Kiss Me, Stupid is a sex comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder and starring Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston. The film was released on December 22, 1964.

Dean Martin With Froucho Marx and Raquel Welch at the Hollywood Palace. Air-date on March 7, 1964.

The Sons of Katie Elder is a Technicolor Western Panavision film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring John Wayne and Dean Martin. It was filmed principally in Mexico. The film was released on July 1, 1965.

Dean Martin in The Sons of Katie Elder 1965

Dean Martin with Italian actress Sophia Loren in 1965.

Dean Martin with Frank Sinatra, the Golddiggers, Danny Thomas, Bob Newhart during the Dean Martin Show Episode-1. Aired on 16th September 1965.

Marriage on the Rocks is a comedy film starring Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, and Dean Martin. The film was written by Cy Howard and directed by Jack Donohue. The film was released on September 24, 1965.

Dean Martin in Marriage on the Rocks 1965

The Silencers is a Pathécolor spy film spoof motion picture and starring Dean Martin as agent Matt Helm. It is loosely based upon the novel The Silencers by Donald Hamilton, as well as another of Hamilton's Helm novels, Death of a Citizen. Co-starring with Martin are Stella Stevens, Daliah Lavi, James Gregory and Victor Buono. The film was released on March 16, 1966.

Murderers' Row is a comedy spy-fi film starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm. It is the second of four films in the Matt Helm series, and is very loosely based upon the spy novel Murderers' Row by Donald Hamilton, which was published in 1962. Ann-Margret and Karl Malden co-star in this sequel to The Silencers. The film was released on December 20, 1966.

Dean Martin demonstrating the art of the swing in 1966 in Los Angeles, California.

Dean Martin with his wife Jeanne and children (Gail, Craig, Claudia, Deana, Gina, Ricci and Dean Paul) pose for a family portrait in 1966 in Los Angeles, California.

The Ambushers is a comedy spy-fi film starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm, along with Senta Berger and Janice Rule. It is the third of four films in the Matt Helm series, and is very loosely based upon the novel of the same name by Donald Hamilton as well as The Menacers. The film was released on December 22, 1967.

How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life is a film directed by Fielder Cook. It stars Dean Martin, Stella Stevens and husband and wife Eli Wallach and Anne Jackson. The film was released on January 29, 1968.

Dean Martin in How to Save a Marriage and Ruin Your Life 1968

Bandolero! is an western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen starring James Stewart, Dean Martin, Raquel Welch and George Kennedy. The film was released on June 1, 1968.

The Wrecking Crew is a comedy spy-fi film directed by Phil Karlson and starring Dean Martin as Matt Helm, along with Elke Sommer, Nancy Kwan, Tina Louise, and Sharon Tate. It is the fourth and final film in the Matt Helm series, and is very loosely based upon the 1960 novel of the same name by Donald Hamilton. The film was released on December 25, 1968 in Canada and on February 5, 1969 in New York City.

Dean Martin and Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor attend the "Airport" Hollywood Premiere Party on March 19, 1970 at a Hollywood Sound Stage in Hollywood, California.

Dean Martin at movie ariport premiere 1970

Dean Martin and actress Julie Bowen attending the premiere of 'Airport' on March 19, 1970 at the Hollywood Pacific Theater in Hollywood, California.

Dean Martin and actress Jo Anne Worley attending the premiere of 'Airport' on March 19, 1970 at the Hollywood Pacific Theater in Hollywood, California.

Dean Martin and his wife Jeanne Martin attend the Wedding of Dean Paul Martin and Olivia Hussey on April 17, 1971 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Dean Martin and wife Catherine Hawn dining at Rangoon Racquet Club in Beverly Hills, California on January 28, 1973.

Dean Martin with his wife Catherine Hawn and his daughter, Gina Martin and son Ricci Martin on March 1, 1974 dining at Chasen's Restaurant in Beverly Hills, California.