Entertainer, Singer, Actor, Businessman. Regarded by many as the greatest popular singer of the 20th Century, he was nicknamed "The Voice," "Ol' Blue Eyes" and "Chairman of the Board." Born Francis Albert Sinatra in Hoboken, New Jersey, the son and only child of an Italian immigrant fireman, his mother Dolly was a midwife. Legend has it that one day he heard Bing Crosby singing and decided this would be the career path he was to embark upon. His initial break came in 1935, when he received first prize in a radio contest. He eventually caught the attention of bandleader Harry James, resulting in their collaboration, which included his first recordings in 1939 and moved onto the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra with whom he recorded the hit "I'll Never Smile Again" (1941). He would also marry his first wife Nancy and their union produced his children Nancy, Frank, Jr. and Tina. By the second half of the decade, he launched his Hollywood career with singing and dancing, as well as acting roles in several memorable pictures including "On the Town" (1949), co-starring with Gene Kelly, which featured the score "New York, New York." In 1950, his career endured a major setback, when he suffered a hemorrhaged vocal cord due to his extreme concert schedule, which resulted in his hiatus from singing for a period. Sinatra turned what could have been a detrimental blow to his career into a positive, as he focused on his acting skills. During that time, he divorced Nancy and married one of Hollywood's top actresses, Ava Gardner. His breakthrough role as an actor would be his playing the doomed Angelo Maggio in the Oscar-garnered "From Here to Eternity" (1953), for which he received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and earned respect as an accomplished dramatic performer. This was followed by "Guys and Dolls" (1955), "The Man With the Golden Arm" (1955, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor playing heroin addict Frankie Machine), "The Joker Is Wild" (1957), "Pal Joey" (1957) and "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962). His singing career was also back on track, this time with a richer vocal style heard in the hits "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" (1955), "Come Fly With Me" (1958), "Nice n' Easy" (1960), "My Way" (1969) and "Theme From New York, New York" (1980). By the end of the 1950s, he had divorced Ava Gardner and established an exclusive circle of friends unofficially called "The Rat Pack," which included Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. Among the films they starred in are the original "Ocean's Eleven" (1960), "Sergeants 3" (1962) and "Robin and the Seven Hoods" (1964), in addition to becoming a bill-topping act in Las Vegas. During this period, Sinatra established the Reprise Records label which was eventually purchased by Warner Bros. Records. He received Grammy Awards for the singles "It Was a Very Good Year" (1966) and "Strangers in the Night" (1966, number one hit and gold record status), also for the albums "September of My Years" and "A Man and His Music" (1967). Additional singles during this period include "Summer Wind" (1966), "That's Life" (1966), "Somethin' Stupid" (1967, duet with his daughter Nancy) which achieved a number one placing and gold record status and what would become a signature hit for him "My Way" (1969) achieved a Top-30 chart placing. In 1960, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions as a recording artist, in addition to TV and films. While filming "Von Ryan's Express" (1965), he met actress Mia Farrow, whom he married in 1966 (until 1968). He had a brief retirement during the early 1970s, only to return and marry Barbara Marx (who was formerly married to Zeppo Marx of the Marx Brothers) in 1976. In 1988, there would be a brief reunion and tour of the "Rat Pack" and during the 1990s more success with his "Duets" recordings. Shortly after his 80th birthday, his health began to decline. He was hospitalized in November 1996 for pneumonia and heart related issues. He suffered a fatal heart attack on May 14, 1998.