Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 - May 14, 1998) was an American singer, actor and producer who was one of the most popular and influential music artists of the 20th century. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 150 million records worldwide.
Born into an Italian immigrant family in Hoboken, NJ, Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era with band leaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra became a successful solo artist after signing with Columbia Records in 1943, becoming the idol of "bobby soxers". He released his debut album The Voice of Frank Sinatra in 1946. However, in the early 1950s, his professional career stalled and he moved to Las Vegas, where he became one of the most famous residential performers for the Rat Pack. His career revived in 1953 thanks to the success of From Here to Eternity, and his role subsequently won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sinatra has released several critically acclaimed albums including In the Wee Small Hours (1955), Songs for Swingin 'Lovers! (1956), Come Fly with Me (1958), Only the Lonely (1958) and Nice 'n' Easy (1960).
Sinatra left Capitol in 1960 to form his own label Reprise Records and released a number of successful albums. In 1965, he recorded the retrospective album September of My Years and appeared on the Emmy-winning television show Frank Sinatra: A Man and His Music. Following the release of Sinatra at the Sands, recorded at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Vegas with frequent collaborator Count Basie in early 1966, the following year he recorded one of his most famous collaborations with Tom Jobim, the album Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobi. He was followed by 1968 Francis A. & Edward K. with Duke Ellington. Sinatra retired for the first time in 1971, but resigned two years later. He recorded several albums and resumed appearances at Caesars Palace, and in 1980 released "New York, New York." He toured both the United States and abroad until his death in 1998.
Sinatra has found great success as a movie actor. After winning an Oscar for "From Here to Eternity," he starred in The Man with the Golden Hand (1955) and won critical acclaim for his performance in the Manchurian Candidate (1962). He has appeared in various musicals such as On the Town (1949), Guys and Dolls (1955), High Society (1956) and Pal Joey (1957), winning another Golden Globe for the latter. Towards the end of his career, he often played detectives, including the title character in Tony Rome (1967). Sinatra later received the Golden Globe Award. Cecil B. DeMille in 1971. On television, Frank Sinatra began on ABC in 1950 and continued to appear on television in the 1950s and 1960s. Sinatra was also heavily involved in politics from the mid-1940s and actively campaigning for presidents such as Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. Sinatra has been screened by the FBI over his alleged relationship with the Mafia.
Although Sinatra never learned to read music, he worked very hard from an early age to improve his skills in all aspects of music. A perfectionist, known for his sense of dress and performance presentation, he always insisted on recording live with his band. His light blue eyes earned him the popular nickname "Ol 'Blue Eyes". Sinatra led a colorful personal life and was often involved in stormy love affairs with women, for example with his second wife Ava Gardner. He later married Mia Farrow in 1966 and Barbara Marx in 1976. Sinatra had several violent confrontations, usually with journalists he met or bosses with whom he disagreed. He was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Ronald Reagan in 1985, and the Gold Medal of Congress in 1997. Sinatra has also won eleven Grammy Awards, including Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was collectively included in Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of the 20th Century. After Sinatra's death, American music critic Robert Christgau called him "the greatest singer of the 20th century" and is still seen as an icon