Growing up on the streets of Hoboken, New Jersey, made Frank Sinatra determined to work hard to get ahead. Starting out as a saloon singer in musty little dives (he carried his own P.A. system), he eventually got work as a band singer, first with The Hoboken Four then with Harry James, then Tommy Dorsey. With the help of George Evans (Sinatra's genius press agent), his image was shaped into that of a street thug and punk who was saved by his first wife, Nancy. In 1942 he started his solo career, instantly finding fame as the king of the bobbysoxers - the young women and girls who were his fans. About that time his film career was also starting in earnest. Known as "One-Take Charlie" for his approach to acting that strove for spontaneity and energy, rather than perfection, he was an instinctive actor who was best at playing parts that mirrored his own personality. A controversial public affair with screen siren Ava Gardner broke up his marriage to Nancy Barbato. After a vocal cord hemorrhage all but ended his career, he fought back and won the coveted role of Maggio in From Here to Eternity. He won an Oscar for best supporting actor, yet still didn't have widespread acceptance in Hollywood. He continued to give strong and memorable performances in such films as The Man with the Golden Arm, Suddenly and, especially, The Manchurian Candidate - probably his best film. For the rest of the 1960s he concentrated mainly on lighter roles, playing hard-boiled private eyes and hamming it up with his Rat Pack buddies Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.. Of these films, The Detective and Ocean's Eleven are the best. His last lead role was as the aging detective in The First Deadly Sin. He gave a moving performance that was a fitting finale to a long and rich career.
From Here to Eternity (1953): $8,000
Meet Danny Wilson (1952): $25,000
Reveille with Beverly (1943): $1,500
Major Bowes Amateur Theater of the Air (1935): $35.00

Some three decades late, the Hungarian-born actress Eva Bartok claimed that her daughter, Deana, born in 1957 during Bartok's marriage to the actor Curd Jürgens, was actually fathered by Sinatra, during a brief affair that he and Bartok had had following his breakup in 1956 with the sultry Ava Gardner. Sinatra never acknowledged paternity. Thought by many to be the finest American popular singer of our time. Father of Nancy Sinatra, Tina Sinatra, and Frank Sinatra Jr.. Inspired the Johnny Fontaine character in The Godfather. Winner of special Academy Award for The House I Live In and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1971) Member (leader) of the "Rat Pack" - Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. All appeared in Ocean's Eleven and Sergeants 3. In 1997, he was honored by the Motion Picture Academy with a Lifetime Achievement award. Interred at Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California, USA. Specific Interment Location: B-8, #151. According to Mia Farrow's biography, 'What Falls Away', he offered to have Woody Allen's legs broken when he was found to be having an affair with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn. Reportedly kept a picture of Ava Gardner on his mirror long after their break up. Former father-in-law of Tommy Sands. His daughter Nancy and Sands were married on 11 September 1960 and divorced in 1965. One-time son-in-law of John Farrow and Maureen O'Sullivan. Brother-in-law of John Charles Farrow, Prudence Farrow, Stephanie Farrow and Tisa Farrow. A provision in his will is that if anyone contests it, they are automatically disinherited. The epitaph on his headstone reads "The best is yet to come." At his funeral, friends and family members placed items in his coffin that had personal references. These are reported to include ten dimes, several Tootsie Roll candies, a pack of Black Jack chewing gum, a roll of wild cherry Life Savers candy, a ring engraved with the word "Dream", a mini bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, a pack of Camel cigarettes and a Zippo cigarette lighter. Godfather of singer Nikka Costa. Permanently injured one of his fingers while shooting a fight scene in The Manchurian Candidate. Was, at one time, part owner of the Sands Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. As the name implies, the latter was bisected by the California-Nevada borderline. Named Humanitarian of the Year by the Variety Clubs of America in 1983. A forcep delivery at his birth left permanent scars on his cheek and ruptured an eardrum. The latter is the reason most often given for his being exempted from service during World War II. Became estranged with Dean Martin during the final years of their lives, ever since Dean quit 'The Together Again Tour'. An accomplished amateur painter, he not only recorded the Grammy-winning album "Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely" (Capitol: 1958), but designed the cover art, as well. Had numerous number-one albums, and seven number-one singles (or more depending on whether you include the songs he sang fronting a big-band): "Five Minutes More", "Leanin' the Blues", "Mam'selle", "Oh! What It Seemed To Be" "Strangers in the Night", "All Or Nothing At All" with Harry James Band, and "Somethin' Stupid", shared with his daughter 'Nancy Sinatra'. He also has four number-one hits singing as the front singer of Tommy Dorsey Band although he was not directly credited as the artist. These include "I'll Never Smile Again", "Dolores", "There Are Such Things", "In The Blue Of Evening". Received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1971 Academy Awards for his many contributions to charity over the years. Bob Hope, who hosted the Oscars that year, remarked, "It's interesting how Sinatra announced his retirement, and they gave him a humanitarian award". Sinatra himself hosted or co-hosted the Academy Awards four different times, in 1963, 1969, 1975 and 1985. While filming a kidnapping scene for the film Robin and the 7 Hoods, he learned that his son, singer Frank Sinatra Jr., had been kidnapped from his hotel room in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. For obvious reasons, the scene was never used in the completed film. His album "Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color" (Capitol: 1955) not only was rare in the sense that he conduced an orchestra as opposed to singing, but was also the first album to be recorded at the Capitol [Records] Tower, today a prominent landmark at Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles. In 1960, when he was in the process of forming his own label, Reprise Records, he pointed out the Capitol Tower to a friend, saying, "See that? I helped build that. Now, it's time to build one of my own." A few years later, referring to his label's success, he stated, "We may not be a Cadillac yet, but we ain't no Bug [Volkswagen], neither." While filming a funeral scene in Robin and the 7 Hoods, he learned that his close friend and benefactor, President John F. Kennedy, had been killed in Dallas earlier that day. Named Entertainer of the Century in 2000. Served as a mentor to performer Harry Connick Jr., whom he referred to as "The Kid". Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1980. Portrayed Rocco "Rocky Fortune" Fortunato on NBC Radio's "Rocky Fortune" (1953-1954). Every episode featured Fortune with a new job (and new troubles). Sinatra quit the show when he got the part of Pvt. Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity. Starred on the CBS Radio musical program "Songs by Sinatra" (1943, 1945-1947). Star of the CBS Radio show "The Frank Sinatra Show" (1944). Host and performer of the CBS Radio show "Frank Sinatra in Person" (1944). Starred on the CBS Radio musical program "The Frank Sinatra Show" (1945). Starred on the NBC Radio show "To Be Perfectly Frank" (1953-1954). Co-star of CBS Radio's "Your Hit Parade" (1943-1945, 1947-1949 on NBC). Co-star of NBC Radio's "Lite Up Times" (1949-1950). Star of the NBC Radio show " Meet Frank Sinatra" (1950-1951). Host and performer on the NBC Radio show "The Frank Sinatra Show" (1954-1955). Was originally signed on to play Billy Bigelow in Carousel, but he walked off the set on the first day of filming after he found out that they were going to shoot each scene twice, using two different lens sizes, and was quoted as saying "I was paid to make one movie, not two". Second cousin of composer/arranger/conductor Raymond Sinatra. Ray Sinatra's father was a cousin of his father. Mentioned in the Marillion song "Sugar Mice" (from their 1987 album "Clutching at Straws"). His death is referred to in the Badly Drawn Boy song "You Were Right". Was best friends with Dean Martin. Of all the members of the Rat Pack, he considered Dean his closest confidant and best friend. On 14 May 1998, his last day of life, his family drove him to the hospital, frantically running stop signs and red lights. However, traffic was unusually light at that time, since many Americans were at home watching the final episode of the TV show Seinfeld. Writer of the songs "This Love of Mine" and "I'm a Fool to Want You." Divorced his third wife Mia Farrow after she refused to quit filming the classic thriller Rosemary's Baby in order to co-star with him in Rat Pack crime drama The Detective. He had the divorce papers delivered to her on set. In On the Town, he co-sang "New York, New York". Years later, he used the song "Theme From New York, New York" (first performed by friend Liza Minnelli, and commonly referred to as simply "New York, New York") as a showstopper in his live performances. Played the Stage Manager in a musical version of "Our Town" on a TV special in 1955, with Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint playing George and Emily. In that production, he introduced what would become another of his well-known signature songs: "Love and Marriage." Turned down the lead role in The Pajama Game, which would have paired him up with Janis Paige, who played the role on Broadway. As a result, Paige lost out on playing the part to Doris Day, who was considered a bigger box-office draw. Godfather to Quinn Gonzalez Was the first choice to play the title role in Dirty Harry, but broke his finger before shooting started and had to bow out of the production. When Bela Lugosi died virtually penniless, Sinatra quietly paid for his funeral. Grandfather of singer A.J. Lambert. He was voted the 59th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly. He was known for his mercurial personality, as all those who were close to him knew, he could be as sweet as a person could be one minute and equally as nasty and violent in the next moment. Some theorized that he was bipolar. He had a good sense of humor and loved to laugh, but was not good at telling jokes or witty retorts, so he surrounded himself with naturally funny friends like Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Jerry Lewis. In fact, many of his seemingly improvised punchlines at "Rat Pack" shows were made up by other Rat Pack members before the shows, especially Martin. Turned down the role of Paul Kersey in Death Wish. It was eventually given to Charles Bronson, and was the role that made him an international superstar. He was drafted into the Army during World War II but got a 4F because of a broken eardrum. The only member of the "Rat Pack" to win an Academy Award Is portrayed by John Ralston in Power and Beauty, by Patrick Jude in Sugartime, by Philip Casnoff in Sinatra, by Richard Muenz in Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story and by Ray Liotta in The Rat Pack He and the other members of the Rat Pack were banned from Marilyn Monroe's funeral by Joe DiMaggio While on a tour in 1974 which included Australia, Sinatra became enraged by his treatment by members of the Australian press. After a brief scuffle at the airport, he appeared on stage and delivered a hateful tirade against the press, calling them "bums and parasites," and calling the female reporters "buck-and-a-half hookers." In retaliation, the aviation union refused to refuel or otherwise maintain his private jet until he apologized. He never did. He was spirited away in the night after intervention by a high-level union leader. Got the role of Pvt. Maggio in "From Here To Eternity" after actor Eli Wallach passed on it to do a Tennessee Williams play on stage according to Wallach on a June 20th broadcast of "Morning Sedition" on "Air America Radio." Though he had a lot of affairs during his marriage with his first wife Nancy, it was his relationship with Ava Gardner that finally led to a divorce. Was broke by 1951. Ava Gardner had to pay his plane ticket, so he could accompany her to Africa, where she shot Mogambo. His heritage was entirely Italian. Owned an extensive collection of electric toy trains. He had coveted electric trains as a boy and set up a track that wove through the path of his career. The train started at a replica of the Hoboken train station. Was offered the role of "Don Altobello" in The Godfather: Part III. Even though he had been a vocal critic of the first "Godfather" film, which featured a character based on him, he was intrigued by the offer, reportedly because the first two "Godfather" films had been so successful. Ultimately, he declined the offer and The part was played by Eli Wallach, whom Sinatra competed with for the role of Maggio in From Here to Eternity. Called "Something" written by George Harrison and performed by The Beatles as one of his favorite songs. Was such a big fan of Chicago's song, "Colour My World" that he offered to write a second stanza to the song. In 1963, his son, Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped. The kidnappers told Frank Sr. to call them from pay phones. During one call, he ran out of coins, and briefly feared that the loss had cost him his son (the kidnappers gave him another chance). He paid the $250,000 ransom, Frank Jr. was returned, and the kidnappers were eventually caught. However, as a result of the payphone scare, Sinatra swore never to be caught without dimes again, and carried a roll of dimes with him constantly until his death. Was played by Dennis Hopper in The Night We Called It a Day. Turned down Dirty Harry. Sinatra saw Steve McQueen in his Western Wanted: Dead or Alive and requested him to take 'Sammy Davis Jr' 's role in Never So Few. Davis had said in an interview he thought he was bigger than Sinatra in the entertainment world at that time. Since Davis' role in the film was originally written as a sidekick, it had to be re-written somewhat for McQueen. During filming they got along so well that Sinatra wanted McQueen to appear in Ocean's Eleven as the cowboy Louis Jackson. McQueen was all for it but was then convinced otherwise by critic Hedda Hopper, who told him it would not be a wise career move to be known as a Sinatra flunky. So McQueen passed on the film, and although there were no hard feelings his brief friendship with Sinatra came to an end. Godfather of Lorna Luft. Is one of only four actors/actresses to have both a number one single and an Oscar for best actor/actress. The others are Barbra Streisand, Jamie Foxx and Bing Crosby. Was considered for the role of Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl. This was vetoed by Barbra Streisand, as she didn't like him. The role was eventually played by Omar Sharif. Lee J. Cobb credited Sinatra with saving his life after his career was nearly ruined by his defiance of the House UnAmerican Activities Committe. Cobb had defined HUAC for two years, after being named as a communist by Larry Parks in 1951. During those two years, Cobb's once burgeoning career floundered and his wife had to be institutionalized after having a mental breakdown. Finally, he agreed to testify as a friendly witness, appearing before HUAC in 1953. At the conclusion of his testimony, he praised the Committe. He had a massive heart-attack soon after-wards. But for the kindness of Sinatra, whom he appeared in the movie The Miracle of the Bells, but whom he barely knew socially, Cobb thought he wouldn't have made it. Cobb was broke, but Sinatra paid his hospital bills, then had him stay with him before renting him a luxurious apartment. Cobb believes that Sinatra identified with him as a troubled artist down on his luck as Sinatra's own career had been in a severe tailspin before he resurrected himself by winning an Oscar for From Here to Eternity. Sinatra told Cobb he was robbed when he failed to win the Oscar for his performance as Johnny Friendly in On the Waterfront. (Ironically, Sinatra originally had been scheduled to star in the picture, which was filmed in his hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey, but producer Sam Spiegel gave the role to Marlon Brando when he realized he could raise $1 million in financing for the picture versus $500,000 if Sinatra was the star.) Is one of only five actors/actresses to have both a number one single and an Oscar for acting. The others are Cher, Barbra Streisand, Jamie Foxx, and Bing Crosby. Made no further public appearances after suffering a heart attack in January 1997. Campaigned for Ronald Reagan in the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections. Was active in Democrat Party politics from the 1944 presidential election until the late 1960s. In 1970 he supported Ronald Reagan's re-election campaign for Governer of California, and in 1972 he attended the Republican National Convention for the first time.