The son of Italian immigrants, Dean Martin didn't speak English until he went to
school at five. A teenage boxer using the name Kid Crochet, he also worked in
casinos and sang with local bands, using the name Dino Martini, until bandleader
Sammy Watkins suggested he changed it to Dean Martin. During the Second World
War, he served in the US Army and afterwards formed a hugely successful
partnership with comedian Jerry Lewis, which made them both big movie stars.
After their split in 1956, Martin starred in a series of film roles with Frank
Sinatra, which launched their long assoc...