Deana Martin
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Deana Martin is an American singer and actress. She is the daughter of singer Dean Martin.


Film and television

Martin was born in Manhattan to Dean Martin and his first wife, Elizabeth Anne "Betty" McDonald. She moved to Beverly Hills, California, with her family by the age of one. She later went to live with her father and his second wife, Jeanne Biegger. During her childhood, it was not unusual for his Rat Pack friends, Frank Sinatra and
Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...
, to visit. Being around them persuaded her to pursue a career in entertainment. Martin trained professionally at the
Dartington College of Arts Dartington College of Arts was a specialist arts college located at Dartington Hall in the south-west of England, offering courses at degree and postgraduate level together with an arts research programme. It existed for a period of almost 50 ...
in the United Kingdom. Her theatrical credits include '' Romeo and Juliet'', ''
The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken ...
'', ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'', and '' A Taste of Honey''. She co-starred in the National Broadway tour of Neil Simon's play ''Star Spangled Girl'' with George Hamilton and Jimmy Boyd. Other starring roles include ''Wait Until Dark'', ''6 Rms Riv Vu'', ''A Shot in the Dark'', and ''The Tunnel of Love''. She made her major motion picture debut in ''
Young Billy Young ''Young Billy Young'' is a 1969 Western film in Deluxe Color starring Robert Mitchum and featuring Angie Dickinson, Robert Walker Jr. (in the titular role), David Carradine, Jack Kelly (who plays a villain dressed like his character in the tel ...
'' with
Robert Mitchum Robert Charles Durman Mitchum (August 6, 1917 – July 1, 1997) was an American actor. He rose to prominence with an Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor for ''The Story of G.I. Joe'' (1945), followed by his starring in ...
,
David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series '' Kung Fu'', playi ...
, and
Angie Dickinson Angeline Dickinson (née Brown; born September 30, 1931) is an American actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough role in ''Gun the Man Down'' (1956) wit ...
. This debut led to starring roles in the films ''Strangers at Sunrise'' with George Montgomery and ''A Voice in the Night'' with
Vito Scotti Vito Giusto Scozzari (January 26, 1918 – June 5, 1996), also known as Vito Scotti, was an American character actor who played both dramatic and comedy roles on Broadway, in films, and later on television, primarily from the late 1930s to the ...
. She made her television debut in 1966 on ''
The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'', not to be confused with the ''Dean Martin Variety Show'' (1959–1960), is a TV variety-comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the ...
''. She was a frequent guest, performing in musical and comedy numbers with a wide array of entertainers, including Frank Sinatra. She also appeared on ''
A&E Biography ''Biography'' is an American documentary television series and media franchise created in the 1960s by David L. Wolper and owned by A&E Networks since 1987. Each episode depicts the life of a notable person with narration, on-camera interview ...
'', ''
Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', formerly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...
'', ''
CBS Sunday Morning ''CBS News Sunday Morning'' (normally shortened to ''Sunday Morning'' on the program itself since 2009) is an American news magazine television program that has aired on CBS since January 28, 1979. Created by Robert Northshield and original hos ...
'', '' Country Music Television'', ''
E! Entertainment Television E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUnivers ...
'', '' Entertainment Tonight'', ''
Larry King Live ''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly. Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles ...
'', '' Live with Regis & Kelly'', ''
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'', ''
The Bonnie Hunt Show ''The Bonnie Hunt Show'' is an American syndicated talk show hosted by Bonnie Hunt. It premiered on September 8, 2008. The show's second and final season premiered on September 8, 2009. It was announced on December 7, 2009 that ''The Bonnie Hu ...
'', ''
The Dating Game ''The Dating Game'' is an American television game show that first aired on December 20, 1965, and was the first of many shows created and packaged by Chuck Barris from the 1960s through the 1980s. ABC dropped the show on July 6, 1973, but it ...
'' (where she chose
Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. He has won five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2013. Additionally, he was nominate ...
as her date), ''
The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...
'', ''
The Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'' or informally, ''NBC News Today'') is an American news and talk morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It ...
'', '' The Tony Danza Show'', ''
The Big Breakfast ''The Big Breakfast'' is a British breakfast light entertainment television programme that was broadcast on Channel 4. Originally presented by Chris Evans and Gaby Roslin, the show was latterly presented by Mo Gilligan and AJ Odudu. The p ...
'', and ''Bruce Forsyth On Vegas''. For four seasons she hosted ''The Deana Martin Show''. In 2003, Martin appeared with Jerry Lewis on ''
The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon The ''MDA Labor Day Telethon'' was an annual telethon held on (starting the night before and throughout) Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Muscular Dystrophy Association was founded ...
''. Martin and Lewis sang "Time After Time". Since 2021 Martin has hosted ''Dean and Deana Martin's Nightcap'' on WABC-770 AM in New York.


Singing career

Martin began her recording career with producer
Lee Hazlewood Barton Lee Hazlewood (July 9, 1929 – August 4, 2007) was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960 ...
at Reprise Records. The recordings included her country music hit "Girl of the Month Club" while she was a teenager. Other tunes were "When He Remembers Me", "Baby I See You", and "The Bottom of My Mind", all recorded during the 1960s. Musicians from the Wrecking Crew, including
Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...
, played on these recordings. ''Memories Are Made of This'' was released in 2006. She covered some of her father's hit songs, including the title cut and "
Everybody Loves Somebody "Everybody Loves Somebody" is a song written in 1947 by Irving Taylor and pianist Ken Lane, and made famous by Dean Martin who recorded and released his version in 1964. History Although written almost 20 years earlier, by 1964 the song had a ...
", "
That's Amore "That's Amore" is a 1953 song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Jack Brooks, and became a major hit and signature song for Dean Martin, who first recorded and released it that year. ''Amore'' () means "love" in Italian. History The song ...
", "
Just Bummin' Around "Just Bummin' Around" was a hit song for Jimmy Dean as "Bumming Around" in 1952 reached No. 5 in the Billboard Country charts. Another version by T. Texas Tyler also reached the No. 5 spot in the same charts in 1953. The song was written by Pete ...
", and "For Your Love" written by her mother Betty Martin. She also sang a duet with her father's former comedy partner Jerry Lewis on " Time After Time." The album was produced by her husband John Griffeth and reached the iTunes Top 10 chart, where it remained for 40 weeks throughout 2006 and 2007. By 2008, after her tour, she was ready to record again. She went into the studio at Capitol Records with the same personnel to record ''Volare'', released in 2009. It debuted at number seven on the ''Billboard'' magazine Heat Seek chart, reached No. 22 on the magazine's Jazz Albums Chart, and appeared in the iTunes Top 10 chart. The song "Volare" peaked at No. 40 in ''Billboard'' magazine. In 2011, Martin released ''White Christmas'', her first album of holiday favorites. Joined by Andy Williams on the
title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...
, Martin covered 10 of her favorite tunes, including "
I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm" is a popular song copyrighted in 1937 by its composer, Irving Berlin, and first recorded by (i) Ray Noble (January 5, 1937), Howard Barrie, vocalist, and (ii) Red Norvo (January 8, 1937), Mildred Bailey, vocali ...
", " Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow", and "
Winter Wonderland "Winter Wonderland" is a song written in 1934 by Felix Bernard and lyricist Richard Bernhard Smith. Due to its seasonal theme, it is often regarded as a Christmas song in the Northern Hemisphere. Since its original recording by Richard Himbe ...
". She recorded with
Al Schmitt Albert Harry Schmitt (April 17, 1930 – April 26, 2021) was an American recording engineer and record producer. He won twenty Grammy Awards for his work with Henry Mancini, Steely Dan, George Benson, Toto, Natalie Cole, Quincy Jones, and other ...
, John Griffeth, and
Charles Calello Charles Calello (born August 24, 1938) is an American arranger, composer, conductor, record producer, and singer born in Newark, New Jersey. Calello attended Newark Arts High School and the Manhattan School of Music, in New York City. His track ...
. The album was re-released the following year. Martin discussed this re-release with Brad "Martini" Chambers on his show ''Martini in the Morning'' on November 20, 2012. A year later, Martin was back in the studio working on ''Destination Moon'' (2013). Her fourth album includes "
Break It to Me Gently "Break It to Me Gently" is a pop song written by blues musician Joe Seneca with lyrics by Diane Lampert. Both Brenda Lee and Juice Newton met with considerable success with their versions of the song. Brenda Lee recorded "Break It to Me Gently" ...
", "I Love Being Here With You", and " Beyond the Sea" and four new songs: "Read Between the Lines", "Where Did You Learn to Love Like That", "Paradise", and "Stuck in a Dream with Me". She sang a duet with her father on the Cole Porter song "True Love". ''Swing Street'' was released in 2016. She talked to Doug Miles about the album on his show.


Honoring her father

For many years, Martin and her husband worked to encourage the state of Ohio to recognize the achievements of her father. In 2001, Ohio Governor
Bob Taft Robert Alphonso Taft III (born January 8, 1942) is an American politician and attorney, who served as the 67th governor of Ohio from 1999 to 2007 as a member of the Republican Party. A member of the Taft political dynasty, Taft served first in ...
signed a bill which made June 7 Dean Martin Day. Martin performs her father's songs as well as favorite classic pop hits in symphony halls, performing arts centers, blues clubs, jazz clubs, and festivals. She has performed at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, the Paramount Theatre in New York City, Coral Springs Center for the Arts in Florida,
Harrah's Atlantic City Harrah's Resort Atlantic City is a casino hotel in the marina district of Atlantic City, New Jersey, owned by Vici Properties and operated by Caesars Entertainment. Harrah's is one of the largest hotels in New Jersey. The casino is one of three ...
, Rrazz Room in San Francisco, Salt Lake City Jazz Festival,
Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boule ...
in Hollywood, The Sands in Macao or Benaroya Hall, and Symphony Hall in Seattle. In an interview with the ''Los Angeles Times'', Martin said, "There's, of course, a lot of Dean Martin music plus 'Uncle' Frank Sinatra, 'Uncle' Sammy Davis Jr.,
Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...
, a little
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
," she said. "It's all the great songs and then, of course, my own songs. I always honor my dad and all of the music of the Great American Songbook." She performed a concert in honor of her father's 100th birthday. In her book ''Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter's Eyes'', she shares stories about the Rat Pack from a perspective of a young girl growing up around them. She talks about how her father handled his busy career, public performances, and his role as husband and father. She talks about losing her half-brother,
Dean Paul Martin Dean Paul Martin Jr. (born Dino Paul Crocetti Jr., November 17, 1951 – March 21, 1987) was an American pop singer and film and television actor. A member of the California Air National Guard, Martin died in a crash during a military training f ...
, known as Dino, in a plane crash. Martin writes about growing up around
Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...
,
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...
, and
the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
, going ballroom dancing with a young
Jeff Bridges Jeffrey Leon Bridges (born December 4, 1949) is an American actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Bridges comes from a prominent ac ...
, and dating Davy Jones of The Monkees. Her book reached the bestseller list at ''The New York Times''. In 2005, Martin was hired by Sirius/XM Satellite Radio. In 2013, she joined
Tina Sinatra Christina Sinatra (born June 20, 1948) is an American businesswoman, film producer, Hollywood agent, and memoirist. Early life Christina Sinatra was born on June 20, 1948, in Los Angeles, California, the youngest child of American singer and ac ...
for her Father's Day Special with
Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of American singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to success in the mid-1970s as an R&B singer with the h ...
,
Monica Mancini Monica Jo Mancini (born May 4, 1952) is an American singer and the daughter of composer Henry Mancini. Career Mancini grew up in Northridge, California. Her father, Henry, was a popular, award winning composer and her mother, Virginia, was a si ...
, and Daisy Tormé reminiscing about their famous fathers. Martin is also a licensed pilot. She was featured in a cover story for the magazine ''Twin Cessna Flyer'' and profiled in ''AOPA Pilot''.


Personal life

Martin married film and music producer John Griffeth on February 7, 1990. They had met on a blind date the previous year, and renewed their vows in 2015.


Discography

* ''Memories Are Made of This'' (Big Fish, 2006) * ''Volare'' (Big Fish, 2009) * ''White Christmas'' (Big Fish, 2011) * ''Destination Moon'' (Big Fish, 2013) * ''Swing Street'' (Big Fish, 2016)


Bibliography

*


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Deana Living people American women jazz singers American jazz singers American women pop singers American film actresses American television actresses American people of Italian descent People from Manhattan 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American women singers Dean Martin 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Jazz musicians from New York (state) Year of birth missing (living people) American YouTubers