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Dean Martin: You Won’t Believe These Behind-The-Scenes Facts

He was Five Years Old When He Learned to Speak English

Die-hard Dean Martin fans probably are all aware that he wasn’t actually born with that name. No, he was born as Dino Paul Crocetti, the son of Italian American immigrants. For the first several years of his life, the family used only Italian – but that became an issue for him once he was old enough to start school.

Getty Images Photo by Henry Gris

When he first entered elementary school in Ohio, he could only speak using badly broken English with a heavy accent, which other kids often teased him for. They probably wouldn’t have done so, if they’d known who he’d grow up to be.

Kid Crotchet

It wasn’t immediately that Martin was able to make a name for himself in show biz. In fact, early on, he was so broke that he was living out of a hotel. And, to pay for the room and their food, etc., he and his friend would stage boxing matches out of their room and charge people to come and watch.

Apparently, Dean was a pretty good fighter and went on to win 24 of his 30 matches. He fought under the name, “Kid Crotchet,” which was a name he adopted when he was just 15-years old.

Plastic Surgery

Unfortunately, Hollywood has a way of convincing stars they need surgery to be the best versions of themselves, thus the nose job he underwent to slim down his nose at the beginning of his career.

Luckily his success in the industry had nothing to do with the size of his nose and everything to do with his talent and personality. Martin was 27-years old when he underwent the rhinoplasty procedure.

Changing His Name

The “King of Cool” was actually born as Dino Paul Crocetti in 1917. He was born in Ohio, to his mother and father, who worked as a barber. When he first entered into the industry, he kept his first name and tacked on a new, flashy last one, calling himself Dean Martini.

But in 1940, he changed his name to the one that would stick. Apparently, there was also a popular musician at the time who went by the name “Nino Martini,” and he didn’t want it to sound too close.

He Loved Comic Books

Martin was never a very big fan of reading – at least, not novels. In fact, he only ever read one throughout the entirety of his life, which was Black Beauty. He did love his comic books, though. But even though he enjoyed reading them, he didn’t like going into the store to buy them.

So, he had his friend, comedian Jerry Lewis, get them for him and slip them to him in private. Then, he’d sneak off and read them alone in some quiet area.

He Starred In His Own Comic

He loved comic books so much that it’s only fitting he’d wind up starring in his own. In the early 1950s, The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis was released by DC Comics. And it wasn’t just a one-time deal.

The series would run from 1952-1957 until the dynamic duo broke up. Then, the series was renamed to just: The Adventures of Jerry Lewis.

The Dean Martin Festival

The actor was born in small-town Steubenville, Ohio, which honors their own hometown celebrity with an annual festival, named in his honor. Events at the festival include impersonators, along with a film festival, and a meatball eating contest.

There is also an occasional horse race at the local racetrack and gaming resort.

Three Stars

In order for a celebrity to get a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, there’s an entire (lengthy) process they have to go through. The first step is being nominated in one of several categories, and then it has to go through a number of other people, including the celebrity and their representation, along with the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.

Most celebrities only ever go through this process once, occurring in a single star along the famed path. Dean Martin, however, earned himself three throughout his career.

He Looked up to Jimmy the Greek

Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder was a famous sports commentator and Las Vegas bookie. He would eventually be canned from CBS for his unsavory remarks, but when Martin was younger, he looked up to him.

Snyder was a regular commentator on The NFL Today and has been parodied in a number of TV shows, including The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live.

When Frank met Dean

In the early 1940s, Dean was trying to make his way as a singer when he first met Frank Sinatra. The star offered to help him get a leg up in the industry, but Martin told him he wanted to do it himself, though he made sure to let him know how appreciative he was for the invite.

Their friendship started to blossom several years later when they made Some Came Running together in 1958.

Family Fame

Martin wasn’t the only person in his family to have gotten his fair share of the spotlight. His daughter, Gina, married Beach Boys guitarist/singer, Carl Wilson. The two were together for a couple of years before ultimately deciding to break things off. At one point, Dean married Olympic gold medal skater, Dorothy Hamill.

She was Martin’s second wife, though the two called it quits in the mid-1980s. His son Dean married actress Olivia Hussey, and his other son, Craig, married the daughter of a famous comedian.

Not So Fast

Although Martin and his longtime partner in comedy, Jerry Lewis, were a dream team for many years, they didn’t exactly start out as such. In fact, their first performance together was actually bad – very, very bad. The club owner where they were performing told them after their first act that they needed to think of something else for the second act, and fast because otherwise, they were out.

They rearranged some things within their act and were able to pull it together.

His Debut

After working to make a name for himself as a singer in Las Vegas, he entered the world of acting on screen. First, he appeared in 1958’s, Some Came Running, alongside Frank Sinatra. Then, he made his television debut in 1964, as the host of his own show.

He also worked as a roastmaster on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast, joking with other celebrities and politicians, etc. The show aired from 1974-1984 and was initially created to breathe some new life back into Martin’s career, which seemed to be in somewhat of a lull in ’73.

Getting Closer

In the 1950s, Martin and Sinatra were as close as brothers, according to multiple sources. Frank loved Dean’s bold personality, and the two had a lot of fun together over the years. They not only worked together on the Rat Pack, but they were also in eight films together. Plus, they both had their gambling licenses – and loved them some Vegas.

Out of 17 shows, Martin only performed in five. He reportedly was having kidney troubles while on the road and therefore had to call it quits early in the tour. No one knows if this is true or if Martin was just trying to get out of the rest of the tour.

Faking It

On some shows, celebrities actually drink liquor. And, even though it may have appeared that Dean Martin did so on a number of occasions, it turns out he was just pretending. According to his daughter, most of the time when you’d see a drink in his hands, it was only apple juice.

It makes sense since he had a job to do. Unfortunately, there would come a point in time when he would pick up a bottle and not let go. But during the height of his career, when he was at that piano, it was apple juice all the way.

The Rat Pack

They originally acquired their name when Stephen Bogart’s mother walked in on them after they’d spent a weekend partying in Vegas. She reportedly told them, “you look like a goddamn rat pack,” – and it stuck! The men thought it was hysterical and chose to keep it.

The group’s motto? “Never rat on a rat.” Sinatra was reportedly the only one who was never a huge fan of the title, but he had no problem simply going along with it. So many decades later, they’re still known as The Rat Pack.

Through Thick and Thin

They were known around the industry and their area by a few different names, including “The Clan,” and “The Summit.” The original group was sometimes called the Holmby Hills Rat Pack, due to their neighborhood.

But no matter what they chose to call themselves, they were always there for each other, supporting each other and showing up for each other’s shows. They weren’t just known for their performances, but for their partying ways.

Dean’s Daughter

Deana Martin was born to the star and her mother, Dean’s first wife, Elizabeth, in 1948. She followed along in dad’s footsteps as far as going into the entertainment industry. First, she trained in the U.K at the Dartington College of Arts.

She made her TV debut on dad’s show in 1966 and started frequenting it after. Deana has appeared on a number of other shows as well and even hosted her own for an impressive four seasons.

Ocean’s 11

In 1960, the original Ocean’s 11 hit the scene, and people were not disappointed. Martin filmed the hit with four other members of the Rat Pack, including Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and Sammy Davis Jr.

The film is both based and filmed in Las Vegas and even inspired the almost equally popular remake  (and a few sequels) which stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon.

He’d Take The Stairs And Not The Elevator

While Dean Martin may have been quite the star, he didn’t always act like a diva. Sure, he loved to drink with his friends, but he actually hated parties. Another thing he hated: elevators. Yep, he would go out of his way and take his time to hike several flights of stairs before he’d jump in an elevator.

Apparently, he was pretty afraid of them, referring to them as “coffins.” He once walked 18 flights of stairs to avoid an elevator ride!

He Called the Cops on His Wife

Martin loved spending time with his friends and drinking and partying with them. But he didn’t feel the same way about large parties full of people he didn’t know. There was one time that his wife threw a party, to which a large number of people showed up.

Dean was not happy with the volume of noise around the house. He pretended to be a neighbor and placed an anonymous call to the police to complain. The police then showed up and broke up the party. Mission accomplished!

His First Film Was Pretty Bad

Dean Martin’s first film performance was in the 1957 rom-com, Ten Thousand Bedrooms. Martin plays a hotel mogul who falls in love with a young woman while he’s in Rome buying a new property. But, in order to marry her, he must first help her three older sisters get married. Unfortunately, the film was a flop.

Switching Genres

For the most part, Martin was used to lighthearted comedy and roles that were fairly easy to play. Well, that is until he was given his first dramatic role, playing the part of Michael Whiteacre in The Young Lions.

Other famous faces in the motion picture include Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. After filming wrapped, a budding friendship between the three had begun.

He Has A Hit Western Song

Throughout his career, Martin made plenty of Western movies and sang Country and Western classics. The first Western movie hit the scene in 1959 in the form of Rio Bravo. Martin played the booze-loving Sheriff’s deputy alongside John Wayne, who played the role of Sheriff.

Then came Sergeants 3 in 1962, followed by a string of other films like 4 for Texas, The Sons of Katie Elder, Rough Night in Jericho, and Bandolero!

No Rehearsal Contract

Included in the actor’s film contract was the stipulation that he didn’t have to attend rehearsals along with the rest of the cast. So, what did he do instead? Well, most of the time he went and played golf, which was one of his favorite things to do when he wasn’t working.

So, in 1968, he signed a $34 million contract for his show and made sure it listed the fact he wouldn’t have to show up to rehearsals. Now that’s a pretty sweet deal!

He Trained with Bruce Lee

Martin was a multi-talented man who liked to explore different passions and trained for a ton of random jobs before playing a role in his films. We saw this when he played superspy, Matt Helm in a parody film series that included The Silencers, Murderers Row, The Wrecking Crew, and The Ambushers.

In order to knock out all of his martial arts moves in the role, he trained with the legendary fighter and fellow actor, Bruce Lee. In fact, Lee himself choreographed the fight scenes in the film.

That’s Amore

There is hardly a brain in the Western world that hasn’t been introduced to the wildly popular song, “That’s Amore.” It first entered existence in 1953 for Martin and Lewis’ hit film, The Caddy. As it turns out, Lewis actually paid some talented songwriters $30,000 to write the tune.

Now, it’s often used in films and television shows and is still connected with Martin. “When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s Amore.”

Going Their Separate Ways

The split between beloved comedic duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis happened exactly 10 years to the day when it all began. Apparently, Martin had started to feel as though his friend was trying to exert too much power and control over the partnership.

He at one point said he felt as though Jerry was “taking over the act,” which he wasn’t very pleased about. They eventually stopped speaking entirely, and bitterly ended their longtime show and friendship.  The breakup would only serve to enhance Dean’s career.

A Family Man

As Dean grew up as a part of a large Italian American clan, the family was always incredibly important to him. This carried over from his youth to his own family, once he had children of his own. He would always make sure he made the time to spend with them and, at the very least, would be home for dinner every night as long as he wasn’t on the road.

Martin fathered eight children in the course of his life, four sons, and four daughters. He was devoted to caring for each and every one of them.

Wife Number Two

After his split with his first wife, Elizabeth “Betty,” he would find love again with wife number two: model Jeanne Martin. The two got married after meeting at a New Year’s Eve event in 1949. This was the wife who loved to party a bit more than her new husband. Apparently, the cop calling didn’t shake things up too much.

The two remained a happy couple for nearly 20 years before calling it quits. They were destined to be reunited in the future, however, in the wake of a tragedy.

The Fight

The feud between Martin and Lewis was infamous and long-lasting. It stretched for two decades until the ԁеаtһ of Martin’s son, Dean Martin Jr. His son was piloting a fighter jet for the National Guard when the plane crashed and ended his life.


Although Lewis had not spoken to his former friend for about 20 years, he did show up at the funeral to show his respect. The two bonded once again and were semi-friends again until Martin passed away.

Vegas’ Tribute to the Singer

Dean Martin was a huge part of Las Vegas, and vice versa. Thus, they have honored his passing in a number of different ways. On the evening that it happened, the city dimmed the lights along the strip.


Then, there’s the actual Dean Martin tribute show, Dean Lives, which stars Drew Anthony as the late actor and musician. Other entertainers who are portrayed in the show include Marilyn Monroe, Jerry Lewis, Johnny Carson, and Peggy Lee.

Coincidence

Dean’s son perished in a mountain range, along with his crewman when their fighter jet went down in dense cloud cover. What’s really strange about the location of this tragedy is the fact that his friend and fellow Rat Pack member, Frank Sinatra’s mother also ԁıеԁ in a plane crash in the same range.


She was 82 years old when it happened. After this horrible incident, Dean and ex-wife Jeanne were reunited in mourning.

You Want Me To Do What?

Crying on cue is a talent that some actors are lucky enough to have and have developed. Unfortunately for Martin, he wasn’t necessarily one of them, at least not when he was first starting out. He reportedly had a tough time playing the drunk sheriff in Rio Bravo, since that wasn’t yet one of the talents that he had stashed away in his toolbelt in the early days of his career.


Still, the film would go on to be a major hit and score a Golden Globe and two additional nominations.

Kids can be Cruel

Early on when Dean was growing up as a child of Italian American immigrants, he would get bullied for not speaking in the same way the other kids at his elementary school did.


His broken English and thick Italian accent often resulted in him getting picked on by the other children. Because of that, he tried to keep to himself during the school day.

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