Frank Sinatra: Get a kick out of these 30 facts!

Frank Sinatra's 102nd Birthday - Ol' Blue Eyes is a legend in many fields. From the record to the screen, this funny valentine gave it all throughout his lifetime. Today, 12 December, on what would be his 102nd birthday, let's take a look at some of the highlights throughout his life and career. Check out these 30 fun facts about the Sultan of Swoon!

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Origin - Francis Albert Sinatra was born 12 December 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey.

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Birth complications - He was delivered using forceps, which punctured his eardrum and left severe scarring. These were things he sustained for the rest of his life.

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Father - He was born to Italian-immigrant parents, neither of which went by their real names. His father was Antonino Martino Sinatra, but fought as a bantamweight boxer known as “Marty O’Brien.” He also worked for the local Fire Department for 24 years.

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Mother - His mother was Natalina Garaventa, who went by “Dolly.” She was given this name as a child, due to her pretty physical appearance. She was a renaissance woman, and was involved in several different activities throughout the community. She was an interpreter, an influence in the Democratic party, and was also a midwife. It has also been suggested that she performed illegal abortions for the Irish Catholic girls in the area, which gave her the nickname “Hatpin Dolly.”

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Idols - Sinatra has always been a huge fan of big band jazz music, and had some idols at a young age. Bing Crosby was arguably his favorite, though he also listened to Gene Austin and Rudy Vallée.

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Ukulele - You may be surprised to learn that in addition to singing and acting, he also played the ukulele. He received the gift from his uncle at 15 years old, according to the book ‘Fade to Black.’ He didn’t play any others, despite what some pictures would suggest.

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Education - Sinatra was never particularly dedicated to traditional education. The second high school he attended, he was expelled after 47 days due to “rowdiness,” and never graduated. He later tried enrolling in a business school, but left after 11 months.

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Singing for cash - After leaving school, he would perform in social clubs in the Hoboken area. Once he moved to New York, there was a period of time that Sinatra would sing at various local events for either dinner or cigarettes.

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Hoboken Four - His first big break came out of a local Hoboken group called the 3 Flashes. They agreed to take him in, mostly because he owned a car, and the trio became the Hoboken Four. They successfully auditioned for ‘Major Bowes Amateur Hour,’ which led to them winning first prize and touring the US for six months. This is really when Sinatra rose up to be the star of the group.

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Harry James - While working at the Rustic Cabin, Sinatra performed with a live group during the show ‘Dance Parade.’ A bandleader, Harry James (left), heard him sing, and signed him on for a two-year contract. He released his first album with them, ‘From the Bottom of My Heart,’ and later a second album. Neither of them had much commercial success.

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Teen Idol - Fondly known as “Frankie” by his fan base, he was fawned over by numerous teenage girls. He was one of the first teen idols. He is pictured here with yet another teen idol, Elvis Presley.

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First marriage - Frank Sinatra married Nancy in 1939. They had three children together, Nancy, Frank Jr., and Tina. Their marriage lasted until 1951, though he had numerous highly publicized affairs throughout.

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Tommy Dorsey - He joined the Tommy Dorsey band in 1939, in the hopes of receiving more commercial success. He achieved it. He recorded over 40 songs with them, including his first top ten hit, ‘Imagination.’ He also began recording solo, which in the end caused him to request an end to his contract. A legal battle ensued, which he won, though his relationship with Dorsey was damaged beyond repair.

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Communist? - After the release of a short film called ‘The House I Live In,’ (1945) many wondered if Sinatra was a Communist. In the film, he spoke out against racial intolerance and anti-semitism, which he continued to work against for the rest of his life.

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Acting career - Sinatra got his first acting job in 1941, in a movie called ‘Las Vegas Nights,’ though it was uncredited. After a cameo, his first major role was in ‘Higher and Higher.’ Oftentimes he was singing in the films or the soundtracks, and he starred in several musicals alongside Gene Kelly.

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Slump - After the war, Sinatra’s popularity began to slump. He was no longer pulling large crowds, and he was pushed out of the top spots for the most popular singers. He started diverging from his audience’s tastes, and his reputation was furthered damaged when his marriage failed and reports of his affair with Ava Gardner surfaced.

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Second marriage - In 1951, Sinatra married the famous actress Ava Gardner. They had a particularly turbulent relationship, filled with some very public fights, and called it quits in 1953. However, their divorce was not finalized until 1957.

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The comeback - Many say that the movie ‘From Here to Eternity’ (1953), starring Montgomery Clift (pictured), was the jumping off point to a real career revival. He signed on with Capitol Records, and began working with the arranger Nelson Riddle. This resulted in the production of various hits, including ‘My Funny Valentine’ and ‘I Get a Kick Out of You.’

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'The Man With the Golden Arm' (1955) - One of his most award-winning films, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor, as well as a BAFTA. He starred alongside Kim Novak (pictured on the right) and Eleanor Parker.

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The Rat Pack - The definition of cool at the time, ‘Oceans 11’ was the first movie to feature the Rat Pack together. It was made up of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop.

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Hollywood Stars - Frank Sinatra received three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame throughout his life, for both his work in film and music.

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Third marriage - Following in the steps of his two-year relationships, Sinatra married Mia Farrow in 1966 and divorced in 1968. This was after two previous broken off engagements.

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Fake out retirement - In the early 1970s, after one of his performances, he announced that he would ‘disappear.’ He told LIFE that he wanted to take some time off to do nothing. He came back soon in 1973 however.

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Fourth marriage - Sinatra tied the knot one last time, marrying Barbara Marx in 1976, and remianed with her until his death.

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Reuniting Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis - During a telethon, Frank Sinatra surprised Jerry Lewis by introducing Dean Martin to the stage. The famous comedy pair had been estranged for about 20 years.

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Awards - In total, Sinatra won 11 Grammys, two Golden Globes, one Academy Award, and numerous others.

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'New York, New York' - Everyone knows this Frank Sinatra tune, but did you know that there are actually two of them? He sang a song called ‘New York, New York’ from the soundtrack of the movie ‘On the Town,’ and the second came from a failed Scorsese film. This is the version that turned into his signature song.

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Death - Sinatra died on 14 May 1998 after a heart attack. He had experienced a lot of health problems toward the end of his life, including breathing problems, dementia, and bladder cancer.

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Tribute - On the night after Sinatra’s death, the lights on both the Empire State Building and the Strip were dimmed in his honor. The casinos even stopped spinning for a minute, which is a huge deal in the Vegas world.

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