Sinatra, Francis (Frank) Albert

(1915-1998)

   Singer Frank Sinatra was born of Italian immigrant parents in Hoboken, New Jersey. He did not finish high school, and after working in a variety of casual jobs, he took up singing in 1932. After some success performing with a group, he earned a living as a singing waiter until he was discovered by Harry James, who hired him to sing with his band in 1939. He joined Tommy Dorsey’s band later that year. He had his first hit with Dorsey, “I’ll Never Smile Again” in 1940, and appeared in two films, Las Vegas Nights (1941) and Ship Ahoy (1942). Deferred from military service because of a punctured eardrum, Sinatra left the Dorsey band in 1942 to pursue a solo career. Appearing with the Benny Goodman band in December that year, he was met with screaming fans and became a teenage idol. His earlier recording of “All or Nothing at All” became a hit in 1943, and Sinatra not only hosted a regular radio program for two years but also appeared in a string of films, including Anchors Aweigh (1945), On the Town (1949), and Take Me to the Ball Game (1949). He also starred in his own television series from 1950 to 1952.

   After a lull in which it seemed that his career might come to an end, Sinatra achieved renewed success as an actor and a singer, starting with his appearance in the film From Here to Eternity in 1953, which won him an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He was nominated as best actor for his role in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955). Sinatra signed with a new record company, Columbia Records, and began working with arranger Nelson Riddle. He recorded more than 300 songs between 1953 and 1962, many of them becoming classics. In 1960, he established his own Reprise Records and by the late 1980s had recorded more than 400 songs, including the major hits “Strangers in the Night” (1966), “That’s Life” (1966), “Something Stupid” (1967), and “My Way” (1969). He continued to make films, including the highly-acclaimed Manchurian Candidate in 1962. He retired in 1971, made a comeback in 1973, made several new records, and performed live before huge crowds before finally retiring for good in 1994. In 1997, he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to add to his many film and record awards.

   See also Cinema; Music.