12 Fun Dean Martin Facts: Get to Know the King of Cool

Table of Contents

Last updated on April 12th, 2023 at 09:25 pm

Dean Martin was one of the world’s foremost entertainers and performers who captured the hearts of many, whether he was onstage singing “Everybody Loves Somebody” or starring in over 35 films.

Looking to dig deeper into the popular icon? Check out our list of Dean Martin facts below.

Dean Martin Facts

dean martin name — Photo of Dean Martin from 1959. Image by MGM on Wikimedia Commons.

1. Dean Martin’s Real Name

dean martin height — Photo of Dean Martin guest starring as gunfighter Canliss and Laura Devon as his wife, from the television series Rawhide in 1964. Image by CBS Television on Wikimedia Commons.

Dean Martin’s real name is Dino Paul Crocetti.

Initially, he thought his stage name would be Dino Martini but ultimately decided against it once he realized how close it was to Italian opera singer Nino Martini.

2. Dean Martin’s Height and Weight

dean martin zodiac — Kim Sisters with Dean Martin on Wikimedia Commons.

The “Memories Are Made of This” singer was tall and thin.

He stood at 5 feet, 11 inches tall, and weighed approximately 170 pounds.

3. Dean Martin’s Zodiac Sign

Dean Martin is a Gemini. Geminis are known to be expressive and quick-witted.

Those are easily connectible traits to the legendary comedian.

4. Dean Martin’s Favorite Color

dean martin funny — Comedians Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis mugging it up in cockpit of airplane around 1950. Image by Los Angeles Daily News on Wikimedia Commons.

Dean Martin’s favorite color was blue. Is it because of his long-time friendship with Ol Blue Eyes himself, Frank Sinatra?

5. Dean Martin’s Favorite Food

dean martin nose job — Singer, actor, comedian, and film producer Dean Martin and his beloved friend actor, comedian, singer, film producer, film director and screenwriter Jerry Lewis in 1950. Image by Cassowary Colorizations on Wikimedia Commons.

Dean Martin had a love of Italian food. It makes sense considering his family’s Italian heritage.

And here we thought it would be marshmallows because of his iconic Christmas song, “A Marshmallow World.”

6. Dean Martin’s Cosmetic Change

dean martin love — Dean Martin & Anna Maria Alberghetti – for Ten Thousand Bedrooms, released in 1957 Image by MGM on Wikimedia Commons.

Dean Martin got a nose job when he was 27 years old. Reportedly, actor and comedian Lou Costello paid for the procedure.

7. Dean Martin’s Love of Comic Books

Though he admitted to not being an avid reader, Martin did have a massive love of comic books but was often embarrassed to admit it.

His friend and long-time business partner Jerry Lewis made it easy for him, buying them for Martin and then sneaking them to the Martin and Lewis actor privately.

8. Dean Martin Was an Amateur Boxer

Before he was stealing our hearts as a singer and actor, Dean Martin was a tough-as-nails teenager.

At 15, he was an amateur boxer, fighting under the guise of “Kid Crochet.” Martin said he “won all but 11” of his 12 fights.

9. Dean Martin Had Severe Claustrophobia

dean martin rehearsing — Photo of Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis from the radio and television program The Colgate Comedy Hour. In television’s early days, programs were often broadcast on radio and television. Martin and Lewis were the hosts of the show at this time. Image by ABC on Wikimedia Commons.

Dean Martin was “Scared Stiff” by closed-in spaces.

The claustrophobia was so bad that he had been known to refuse to ride in elevators and instead go out of his way to walk up multiple flights of stairs.

10. Dean Martin Hated Rehearsing

dean martin rat pack — Back in the day, the Rat Pack partied hardy at the Cal-Neva Casino. L-R: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. Underground tunnels led from their rooms to the showroom, so that they could avoid the autograph seekers. Image by inkknife2000 on Wikimedia Commons.

The Dean Martin Show ran for nine years on NBC, releasing 264 episodes in the 60s and 70s.

When the comedic entertainer renewed his contract in 1968 for three more years, it stipulated that he did not have to be at the rehearsals and that someone else would stand in for him.

Therefore, the “My Funny Valentine” singer basically got paid $34 million to play golf instead.

11. Who Was the Sixth Rat Pack Member?

dean martin death — Bob Hope, John Wayne, Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra with Ronald Reagan at a campaign dinner for Reagan’s gubernatorial re-election in 1970. Image by the Los Angeles Times on Wikimedia Commons.

Dean Martin was one of the founding members of the Rat Pack in the 1950s and 60s, along with Frank Sinatra, who was a part of the original group founded by Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Becall.

It’s well-accepted that Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop, were the other members of the informal Las Vegas singing group.

But there was an obscure sixth member – Johnny Spagnotti, a close associate of Sinatra.

12. Dean Martin Died on Christmas

After many years of heavy smoking, Dean Martin was diagnosed with lung cancer in September 1993.

He rejected the surgery that would allow him to live longer and eventually died of acute respiratory failure from emphysema on Christmas Day 1995 at 78.

Did anyone else spend that Christmas listening to The Dean Martin Christmas Album after the news broke?

Which of these Dean Martin facts was new to you?

You May Also Like: