Hollywood Memorial

Legendary Singer, Actor and Comedian, before achieving stardom, he performed various job duties, some of which were: a steel mill worker, a service station attendant, a gambler, and he also tried to be a professional boxer. As a boxer, he fought under the name of ‘Kid Crochet.’ When asked about his boxing career, he said that he had won ‘all’ but 11 of his 12 bouts. In 1946 his life would change forever when he met a very hard working young up-start named Jerry Lewis. This would mark the beginning of one of Hollywood’s greatest teams and over the next 11 years and 16 films, the team of Martin and Lewis not only brought about super-stardom, but it also brought a lot of personal conflicts. These conflicts not only led to their break-up, but the hurt was felt by the two for a great number of years. The mega-hit film ‘Oceans Eleven’ would bring with it the ever-famous ‘Rat Pack’ label, when he was teamed with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. This proved to be an enduring bond among these greats. Dean’s film career continued until 1965, when he made a daring venture into the television industry with ‘The Dean Martin Show.’ He hosted this show until 1973, and earned a Golden Globe Award. His show would change, and by adding a panel of some of Hollywood’s biggest names, the ‘Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roast’ was formed. This show would be known as one of the best in television history, and will remain a classic. When the show’s run ended in 1984, and after a 19-year stint in TV, he thought it was a time to relax, but after a short respite, he went on a singing tour with his old friends of the ‘Rat Pack.’ But 1987 would bring with it a very tragic event, one from which Dean would never recover, when his son, Dean Paul Martin, was killed in a plane crash. Dean immediately left the Rat Pack Tour, never to return, and he resigned to a solitary life until his death on a Christmas day. In his personal life, Dean was married 3 times, all of which ended in divorce. Dino is in a crypt at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, with one of his great songs ‘Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime’ becoming his epitaph.