Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra, born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey and died May 14, 1998 in Los Angeles, California at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, was an American singer, actor and music producer.

Born to Italian parents (a father of Sicilian origin and a mother from Liguria), Sinatra was one of the major figures in American music. A crooner with a worldwide reputation, he was nicknamed "The Voice" and also the "Hoboken gangster," due to his links with the mafia.

He was one of the most influential singers of the 20th century and his popularity was comparable to that of his compatriots such as Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby or Michael Jackson. American music critic Robert Christgau even called him "the greatest singer of the 20th century." His repertoire includes more than 2,000 songs and approximately 150 million records sold. Over his career, he recorded 59 studio albums.

His career began in the swing era, as a singer in the jazz orchestras of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. He achieved success as early as 1943, after signing with Columbia Records. Having become an idol of the bobby-soxers, he released his first album in 1946, The Voice of Frank Sinatra. In 1953, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in From Here to Eternity. That same year, he signed with Capitol Records and recorded several successful albums (In the Wee Small Hours, Songs for Swingin' Lovers!, Come Fly with Me, Only the Lonely and Nice 'n' Easy). In 1961, he founded Reprise Records, his own label, and undertook an international tour. A founding member of the Rat Pack, alongside Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., he associated with numerous celebrities and statesmen, including John F. Kennedy.

In the 1960s, he recorded his two greatest hits, Strangers in the Night (1966) and My Way (1969). He took a first retirement in 1971 after a few unsuccessful albums and films, but returned in 1973 and experienced renewed success performing the song New York, New York, a cover of the theme from the homonymous film by Martin Scorsese (the original version being performed by Liza Minnelli). Living in Las Vegas, where he performed every evening in the major casinos, he also conducted numerous tours throughout the United States and the rest of the world until 1995. During his film career, he was also directed by some of the greatest directors of Hollywood's golden age, including Otto Preminger, John Huston, Frank Capra, Vincente Minnelli and Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

Politically engaged, he was a fervent supporter of the Democratic Party from 1944 to 1970, before supporting the Republican camp and particularly his friend Ronald Reagan. Married four times, notably to actresses Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow, he had three children, including singer Nancy Sinatra. In the 1990s, an investigation showed that Sinatra had links with Italian-American mafia bosses such as Carlo Gambino, Sam Giancana or Lucky Luciano.