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Dean Martin

Dean Martin was an American film actor and singer. Martin (real name: Dino Paul Crocetti) was born into an Italian family in Steubenville, Ohio. He left school aged sixteen and had a variety of jobs before changing his name and achieving moderate success as a singer in the New York club scene. He teamed up with Jerry Lewis in 1946 and the two created a successful stage comedy routine, the duo made their first film together in 1949 with My Friend Irma and in 1951 they starred in the hit At War with the Army which established the formula for their thirteen following films. On television the duo debuted in 1950 on the The Colgate Comedy Hour, a variety show that they would occasionally host from 1950-1955. The partnership with Lewis broke up in 1956 and Martin surprised many when he went on to further success on his own.

In the 1960s he was part of the Rat Pack and made a number of successful films with them. He also starred in a series of four films as a secret agent, Matt Helm (1966-1969) and from 1965 until 1974 he hosted the weekly The Dean Martin Show on NBC. In the 1970s his poor health and declining popularity generally restricted him to the stage, he finally retired completely only in 1988 when he became ill during a concert tour with surviving Rat Packers Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.. He appeared in fifty-one films in all.

He was married three times and had eight children, one by adoption.


Note: This profile was written in or before 2003.

Dean Martin Facts

Birth NameDino Paul Crocetti
OccupationActor
BirthdayJune 7, 1917
SignGemini
BirthplaceSteubenville, Ohio, USA
Date of deathDecember 25, 1995 (age 78)
Height5' 10" (1m78)  How tall is Dean Martin compared to you?

Selected Filmography

Remember
McLintock!
Down Periscope
Rat Race
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
My Best Friend's Girl
Brokeback Mountain
Thief of Budapest
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