A Filmmaker's Guide to the Best Performances: Dean Martin

b. 7th June, 1917 - d. 25th December, 1995

By Annie KapurPublished 6 years ago • 3 min read

An original member of the famed 'Rat Pack' and nicknamed 'The King of Cool', Dean Martin is remembered as a great singer and actor and also a massive influence on to the music scene of jazz, blues and big band along the same lines as his good friend, Frank Sinatra.

Born to Italian-American parents in Ohio, Dean Martin didn't even speak English until he started school. He learned to play the drums and then dropped out of school in tenth grade. After this, he would try to earn money any way he could - such as taking the following jobs: working in a steel mill, working in a speakeasy, as a blackjack dealer and even a boxer - oh, and yes he did bootleg liquor for a while too. He also worked a roulette table and in a tobacco shop as a stock boy. So he has seen his fair share of horrid stuff. It was later going to be Sammy Watkins and His Orchestra that would not only give Dean Martin his big break, but would also suggest to him to change his name to Dean Martin.

After teaming up with Jerry Lewis in the 1940s to 1950s, Dean Martin (now with a new name and persona based on the likes of Perry Como) started doing some more vaudevillian stuff such as comedy, singing and musicals. The double act would break up almost ten years after starting, catapulting Martin into his own solo career.

Dean Martin's solo career is interesting to say the least because initially, with the rise of rockabilly culture - he flopped big-time. He was more like yesterday's news now that new faces were coming out and Dean Martin himself wanted to be more of a dramatic and serious actor rather than slapstick comedian. Dean Martin teamed up with Frank Sinatra in 1958 and made a movie which is said to be his comeback to film. The film was called "Some Came Running" and it is brilliant. This not only marks Dean Martin's revival period, but it also marks the beginning of something he wanted - a serious acting career. He would go on to star alongside John Wayne, Geraldine Page and Ricky Nelson in various films over the late 50s and early 60s.

Elvis Presley was a fan of Dean Martin's music as well as many other people were. Dean Martin could not actually read music but managed to record over 600 songs in his time as a singer. For just about thirty years, Dean Martin's songs and music would make him the most popular act in Las Vegas. It was just after his singing career took off that Martin became close friends with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and others to form 'The Rat Pack' - they would go on to make movies together and one of the members would marry into the Kennedy family.

In the mid-60s, Dean Martin got his own show called rightly 'The Dean Martin Show' which would run until 1974. It was a comedy show in which Dean Martin, despite being a disciplined man when it came to alcohol, pursued the characterisation of a drunkard.

Later in his career, Sinatra surprised Jerry Lewis by bringing Dean Martin out on stage for a reunion. It received a standing ovation in 1976. They would perform on stage together in 1989 - on Dean Martin's 72nd Birthday. But, after spending years and years as a heavy smoker (as was the culture in those days), Dean Martin developed cancer and, after the concert with Frank Sinatra in 1990 - Martin's career was dying down much to his own want. He was told he had cancer in 1993 and that surgery could be provided. Dean Martin refused the surgery and died two years' later on Christmas Day in 1995.

Let's now take a look at the ten best performances by Dean Martin on screen. This won't include Vegas performances or stage performances, it also won't include songs recorded by Dean Martin either. We are just taking a quick look at the films here and if you haven't seen them, then please do! Dean Martin is actually a really good actor...

10. Kiss Me, Stupid (1964)