Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra was an American singer and one of the bestselling artists of all time. Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, where he developed an early interest in music. He later began picking up local singing gigs in exchange for meals or cigarettes. After gaining exposure singing for local radio stations, he joined the singing group the 3 Flashes, which was renamed the Hoboken Four.

From 1935 to 1942, Sinatra built a career with the Hoboken Four before venturing into a solo career. He landed his first credited onscreen appearance in 1943 in the film Reveille With Beverly and became a mainstream talent with appearances in Anchors Aweigh (1945), High Society (1956) and Some Came Running (1958). He was awarded both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity (1953).

Sinatra signed with Columbia Records in 1943 and released his debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra, in 1946. The release solidified an era of worldwide popularity throughout the ’40s known as “Sinatramania.” He became a founding member of the music group The Rat Pack, and his success continued throughout the ’60s and ’70s with solo releases like Nice ‘n’ Easy (1960) and Strangers in the Night (1966). His later accolades include a Golden Globe Lifetime Achievement Award, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and a Presidential Medal of Freedom awarded to him by Ronald Reagan.

Sinatra was wed to Nancy Barbato from 1939 to 1951, and the couple shared daughters Nancy (born in 1940) and Tina (born in 1948), and son Frank Sinatra Jr. (born in 1944). He was later romantically involved with Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow before he tied the knot with Barbara Marx in 1976.

The singer died on May 14, 1998, after suffering a heart attack.