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-to 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.
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 and fast because otherwise, they were out.
They rearranged some things within their act and were able to pull it together.
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 health 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.