Frank Sinatra: Old Blue Eyes Never Left!by Marjorie Dorfman | More from this Blogger 16 Feb 2006 05:16 AM
After a brief stint with James, Sinatra joined the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1940 where he rose to fame as a singer. While he was a featured singer with the Dorsey band, he made his early film appearances in little known musicals, such as "Ship Ahoy" with Eleanor Powell in 1942. His singing career was in decline in the late 1940s and early 1950s, but Sinatra made an astonishing comeback as a serious actor in 1953 with his fine performance as Pvt. Angelo Maggio in "From Here To Eternity," for which he won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. The following few years cast him in important roles such as a psychopathic killer in "Suddenly" in 1954 and as a heroin addict in "The Man With the Golden Arm" (1955), for which he received an Academy Award Best Actor nomination. He also revived his singing career during the 1950s, signing with Capitol records and working with some of the finest musical arrangers of the era, notably Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins and Billy May. By the early 1960s, he started his own recording label, Reprise Records, and his position with that label earned him the nickname "The Chairman of The Board." He became a popular attraction in Las Vegas along with his pals, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop and Sammy Davis, Jr. in the "Rat Pack". He played a major role in the desegregation of Nevada hotels and casinos in the 1960s. He had a full successful life, dying of a heart attack on May 14, 1998, at the age of 82. He had married three times and three children: Nancy, Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Christine. What are some of YOUR favorite Frank Sinatra songs and movies? Learn more about Marjorie Dorfman  Marjorie Dorfman is a freelance writer and former teacher originally from Brooklyn, New York. Relevantpopular culture tags User Comments  Heather Long (16954) 16 Feb 2006 12:00 PMThe day Sinatra died, I was in my car driving somewhere. The radio host came on and said something like "It's a sad day for all of us today, Frank Sinatra, at the age of 82, has passed away." They spoke a little about him, but then they played "My Way." That has always been one of my favorite Sinatra songs and I grew up listening to Sinatra because my grandmother was such a fan. I cried that day listening to My Way. While he came generations before my time, his legacy is still present today. Ask anyone who saw the remade Ocean's 11.  Libby Pelham (12866) 02 Mar 2006 07:25 PMOh man, I love Sinatra! He will still be listened to for years and years to come. He sang such timeless classics...sigh... Discuss this article
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Born on December 12, 1915, in Hoboken, New Jersey, Francis Albert Sinatra was the only child of a quiet Sicilian-born fireman and a tempestuous Ligurian mother (Natalia Della aka Dolly). His childhood was actually middle class due to the stability of his father's job as a fireman. He decided he wanted to become a singer very early in life, after hearing Bing Crosby sing on the radio. And sing he did, in many small clubs in New Jersey until one lucky night he attracted the attention of trumpeter and bandleader, Harry James. 
