Born in Steubenville, Ohio, on June 7, 1917, to Italian immigrants, Dean Martin entered the nightclub circuit and landed a contract with MCA to sing in New York City. There he met Jerry Lewis and they started a long-running comedy partnership on radio, television and film.
The team split in 1956, and Martin joined the Rat Pack - also including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford - in Las Vegas stage shows and on film. Martin died on December 25, 1995, in Beverly Hills, California.