Known For
Acting
Known Credits
24
Gender
Male
Birthday
March 30, 1913 (113 years old)
Place of Birth
Chicago, Illinois
Frankie Laine (born Francesco Paolo LoVecchio; March 30, 1913 – February 6, 2007) was an American singer and songwriter whose career spanned nearly 75 years, from his first concerts in 1930 with a marathon dance company to his final performance of "That's My Desire" in 2005. Often billed as "America's Number One Song Stylist", Laine's other nicknames include "Mr. Rhythm", "Old Leather Lungs", and "Mr. Steel Tonsils". His hits included "That's My Desire", "That Lucky Old Sun", "Mule Train", "Jezebel", "High Noon", "I Believe", "Hey Joe!", "The Kid's Last Fight", "Cool Water", "Rawhide", and "You Gave Me a Mountain".
Laine sang well known theme songs for many Western film soundtracks, including 3:10 To Yuma, Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and Blazing Saddles, although his recordings were not charted as country and western. Laine sang an eclectic variety of song styles and genres, stretching from big band crooning to pop, western-themed songs, gospel, rock, folk, jazz, and blues. He did not sing the soundtrack song for High Noon, which was sung by Tex Ritter, but his own version (with somewhat altered lyrics, omitting the name of the antagonist, Frank Miller) was the one that became a bigger hit. Laine also did not sing the theme to another show he is commonly associated with—Champion the Wonder Horse (sung by Mike Stewart)—but released his own, subsequently more popular, version.
Laine's enduring popularity was illustrated in June 2011 when a TV-advertised compilation called Hits reached No. 16 on the UK Albums Chart. The accomplishment was achieved nearly 60 years after his debut on the U.K. chart, 64 years after his first major U.S. hit and four years after his death.
Description above from the Wikipedia article Frankie Laine, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
| 2006 | Frankie Laine: An American Dreameras Self | |
| 1989 | Slim Gaillard's Civilisationas Self | |
| 1979 | The Cannon & Ball Showas Self | |
| 1963 | Burke's Lawas Kelly Rogers | |
| 1962 | The Merv Griffin Showas Self | |
| 1962 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsonas Self | |
| 1961 | The Mike Douglas Showas Self | |
| 1959 | Rawhideas Ralph Bartlet | |
| 1958 | The All-Star Christmas Showas Self | |
| 1958 | The Dick Clark Showas Self | |
| 1957 | Perry Masonas Danny Ross | |
| 1956 | He Laughed Lastas Gino Lupo | |
| 1956 | The Steve Allen Showas Self - Singer | |
| 1956 | Meet Me in Las Vegasas Frankie Laine | |
| 1955 | Music 55as | |
| 1955 | Bring Your Smile Alongas Jerry Dennis | |
| 1953 | The Oscarsas Self | |
| 1952 | This Is Your Lifeas Self | |
| 1952 | Rainbow 'Round My Shoulderas Frankie Laine | |
| 1951 | Sunny Side of the Streetas Singer Frankie Laine | |
| 1950 | When You're Smilingas Frankie Laine | |
| 1950 | What's My Line?as Self | |
| 1949 | Make Believe Ballroomas Self | |
| 1948 | The Ed Sullivan Showas Self |
| 1974 | Blazing Saddles...Theme Song Performance | |
| 1957 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...Other | |
| 1957 | Gunfight at the O.K. Corral...Theme Song Performance | |
| 1955 | Man Without a Star...Vocals |