Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor.

Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of the mid-20th century.

Sinatra is among the world's best-selling music artists with an estimated 150 million record sales.

Born to Italian immigrants in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era and was greatly influenced by the easy-listening vocal style of Bing Crosby.

Francis Albert Sinatra was born on December 12, 1915, in a tenement at 415 Monroe Street in Hoboken, New Jersey, the only child of Italian immigrants Natalina "Dolly" Garaventa and Antonino Martino "Marty" Sinatra, who boxed under the name Marty O'Brien.

Sinatra weighed 13.5 lbs at birth and had to be delivered with the aid of forceps, which caused severe scarring to his left cheek, neck, and ear, and perforated his eardrum—remaining damaged for the rest of his life.

His grandmother resuscitated him by running her grandson under cold water until he gasped his first breath.

Due to his injuries, his baptism at St. Francis Church in Hoboken was delayed until April 2, 1916.

A childhood operation on his mastoid bone left major scarring on his neck, and during adolescence he was further scarred by cystic acne.

Sinatra was raised in the Catholic Church.

Sinatra's mother was energetic and driven; biographers believe that she was the dominant factor in the development of her son's personality and self-confidence.

Sinatra's fourth wife Barbara would later claim that Dolly was abusive to him when he was a child, and "knocked him around a lot".

Dolly became influential in Hoboken and in local Democratic Party circles.

She worked as a midwife, and according to Sinatra biographer Kitty Kelley, ran an illegal abortion service that catered to Italian Catholic girls, for which she was nicknamed "Hatpin Dolly".

She also had a gift for languages and served as a local interpreter.

Sinatra's illiterate father was a bantamweight boxer who later worked at the Hoboken Fire Department, working his way up to captain.

Sinatra spent much time at his parents' tavern in Hoboken, working on his homework and occasionally singing for spare change.

During the Great Depression, Dolly provided money to her son for outings with friends and to buy expensive clothes, resulting in neighbors describing him as the "best-dressed kid in the neighborhood".

Excessively thin and small as a child and young man, Sinatra's skinny frame later became a staple of jokes during stage shows.

He found success as a solo artist after signing with Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of the "bobby soxers".

In 1946, Sinatra released his debut album, The Voice of Frank Sinatra.

Sinatra also appeared in musicals such as On the Town (1949), Guys and Dolls (1955), High Society (1956), and Pal Joey (1957), which won him a Golden Globe Award.

On television, The Frank Sinatra Show began on CBS in 1950, and he continued to make appearances on television throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

After winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for From Here to Eternity (1953), he starred in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962).

He then signed with Capitol Records and released several albums with arrangements by Nelson Riddle, notably In the Wee Small Hours (1955) and Songs for Swingin' Lovers! (1956).

In 1960, Sinatra left Capitol Records to start his own record label, Reprise Records, releasing a string of successful albums.

He collaborated with Count Basie on Sinatra-Basie: An Historic Musical First (1962) and It Might as Well Be Swing (1964).

In 1965, he recorded the retrospective album September of My Years and starred in the Emmy-winning television special Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music.

After releasing Sinatra at the Sands in early 1966, Sinatra recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim.

Toward the end of his career, he frequently played detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967).

It was followed by 1968's Francis A. & Edward K. with Duke Ellington.

Sinatra retired in 1971 following the release of "My Way", but came out of retirement two years later.

Sinatra received the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1971.

He recorded several albums and released "New York, New York" in 1980.

Sinatra forged a highly successful career as a film actor.

In 1983, Sinatra was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors.

He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997.

Sinatra received eleven Grammy Awards including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was included in Time magazine's compilation of the 20th century's 100 most influential people.

American music critic Robert Christgau called him "the greatest singer of the 20th century" and he continues to be regarded as an iconic figure.