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airasilver · 2 months

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Dean Martin's 8 Children: All About His Sons and Daughters

GET TO KNOW DEAN MARTIN’S EIGHT CHILDREN: CRAIG, CLAUDIA, GAIL, DEANA, DEAN PAUL, RICCI, GINA AND SASHA

By LYNSEY EIDELL  Published on March 10, 2024

Dean Martin was a legendary talent — he rose to fame as part of a comedy duo with Jerry Lewis, left his mark on the world of television with The Dean Martin Show, recorded countless hits and starred in more than 50 movies throughout his decades-long career.

He was also a member of the famous Rat Pack with Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and others, which gained him a reputation as an irresponsible party-goer. But that on-screen and onstage persona was nothing more than a gimmick, according to his children.

"He is not as out-to-lunch as his image makes him. The truth is that he is very complex. If he drank as much as everyone says he does, he would be dead," his son Dean Paul told PEOPLE in 1978. Rather, in real life, his children have said Dean was a dedicated father — reportedly making it home for dinner every night at 6 p.m. when the kids were young.

Dean's eight children came from three different marriages. He had a son, Craig, and daughters Claudia, Gail and Deana with his first wife, Betty McDonald. They divorced in 1949, and Dean married a model named Jeanne Biegger (later known as Jeanne Martin) the same year. The couple, who were married for 24 years, had three children together: sons Dean Paul and Ricci, and a daughter named Gina.

The crooner's third and final marriage was to Catherine Hawn; he adopted her daughter Sasha after their wedding in 1973. The singer died on Christmas Day in 1995 from respiratory failure — but his legacy lives on through his iconic work and his large family.

Here's everything to know about Dean Martin's eight children, Craig, Claudia, Gail, Deana, Dean Paul, Ricci, Gina and Sasha.

Craig Martin, 81

Dean's first child from his marriage to McDonald was a son named Craig, born June 29, 1942. Craig's early childhood was lived mainly out of the spotlight save for his parent's divorce in 1949 when he was around 7 years old. His father gained sole custody of Craig and his three siblings, who were raised by Dean's second wife, Jeanne, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Craig followed his father's footsteps into the entertainment industry, working as a television producer. He began his career in the late 1960s as a production coordinator on The Dean Martin Show. Craig is credited with working as a production supervisor and associate producer on the variety show as well as working as an associate producer in the late 1970s on the show Sha Na Na.

Through his work in television, Craig met Carole Costello — the daughter of another famous entertainer, Lou Costello. They were eventually married and remained together until Costello's death in March 1987 at the age of 48. She died of a stroke, just eight days after Craig lost his younger brother Dean Paul in a plane crash, per the Los Angeles Times.

Since those tragedies, Craig has lived a life of privacy. His sister Deana posted on X (formerly Twitter) in June 2022 to pay tribute to the eldest of the Martin clan. "Happy 80th birthday to my sweet brother Craig," she wrote, alongside an old image of the family.

Claudia Martin

Dean's eldest daughter, Claudia, was born on March 16, 1944.

As a child, Claudia was also bitten by the entertainment bug. She made her big screen debut in the 1956 film Hollywood or Bust, and later appeared in For Those Who Think Young, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini and Ski Fever. Claudia also had roles on the television shows My Three Sons and The Donna Reed Show.

The actress married fellow performer Kiel Martin in 1969 and the couple had one child together, a daughter named Jesse. Following their divorce in 1971, Claudia was married three more times: to actor Vincent Lucchesi, Thomas Brown and lastly, Jim Roberts. She and Roberts moved to Reno, Nevada, where they opened a printing business together.

Claudia remained in Reno until her death in February 2001 from breast cancer — she was 56 years old.

Gail Martin Downey, 78

Dean and McDonald welcomed their third child, a daughter named Barbara Gail, on April 11, 1945. Gail — who goes by her middle name — has shared several recollections of what it was like being a part of such a large, famous family.

Growing up, Gail's best friend was Liza Minnelli, she babysat for a young Jamie Lee Curtis and she knew Frank Sinatra as her "uncle." Gail told Vanity Fair in 2009, "Somebody asked me a long time ago, 'So what's it like to be Dean Martin's daughter?' You want to say, finally, 'Compared to what?' I always was, you know?"

Dean's second-born daughter also took her turn in the entertainment industry as a singer, opening for her father's Las Vegas performances and touring around the country. But Gail abandoned her singing career early on to get married and raise a family. In 1968, at the age of 23, she married 42-year-old attorney Paul Polena in her parents' backyard in Beverly Hills. The couple had two daughters, named Cappy and Liza, according to her brother Ricci's book, That's Amore.

Gail and Polena eventually divorced, and she remarried newspaper columnist Mike Downey in Las Vegas in July 1999, per the Los Angeles Times. The pair reside in Rancho Mirage, California.

Deana Martin, 75

Dean's fourth and final child with McDonald was a daughter named Deana, born Aug. 19, 1948. In 2019, Deana told Fox News that her dad missed her birth because he was in Los Angeles performing with Lewis at the famed nightclub Slapsie Maxie's.

The constant presence of Hollywood stars in her life — particularly Rat Pack members Sinatra and Davis Jr. — inspired Deana to pursue an entertainment career herself. "Growing up, I was given tap, ballet and piano lessons. I guess performing was just in my genes. And, to tell you the truth, I think all the Martins are kind of hams," Deana told the Northeast Times in 2014.

She began by frequently performing on her father's variety show in the late 1960s, moving on to theater work and appearing in films including 1969's Young Billy Young and Strangers at Sunrise then Paesano: A Voice in the Night in 1975. Deana has also had an accomplished singing career, recording five albums between 2006 and 2016.

Throughout Deana's career, she's frequently paid tribute to her iconic father. Her first album, Memories Are Made of This, featured covers of several of Dean's most famous songs, including "Everybody Loves Somebody" and "That's Amore." She celebrated what would have been her father's 100th birthday with a show called Deana Sings Dino, which showcased her performing his hit music in Las Vegas and his hometown of Steubenville, Ohio. Deana also published a New York Times best-selling book in 2004 called Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter's Eyes.

"I have to recognize what Dean Martin did for the world, the joy he brought to everyone," she told the Los Angeles Times in 2017.

In her personal life, Deana wed film and music producer John Griffeth in 1990 after meeting on a blind date the year prior. The couple renewed their vows on their 25th wedding anniversary in 2015.

Dean Paul Martin Jr.

The first child from Dean's marriage to Jeanne was a son named Dean Paul Martin Jr., born Nov. 17, 1951. It didn't take long for Dino Jr. (as he was called growing up) to earn himself a reputation as a "golden boy."

"The problem with Dean is that he was too good at too many things," his friend Morgan Mason told PEOPLE in 1987.

Those things included tennis (he played as a child, at the University of Los Angeles and was ranked as a professional), singing (he had a rock band called Dino, Desi & Billy with friends Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy Hinsche) and acting (he received a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the 1979 movie Players).

Dean Paul — as he was called as an adult — also tried his hand as a semi-professional football player, race car driver and pre-med student. The multihyphenate appeared to have found his calling when he became a pilot with the Air National Guard in 1981.

"I’m proud of him," Dean said of his namesake. "I’d be proud even if he didn’t become a jet pilot, because he’s a good boy. He just doesn’t know what he wants to be.”

In his personal life, Dean Paul was married twice. In 1971, when he was 19, he wed actress Olivia Hussey. The couple had a son together, named Alexander, and split after four years. In 1982, he wed Olympic figure skater Dorothy Hamill; they were divorced by 1984.

Tragedy struck in March 1987 when Dean Paul's plane crashed into the side of a mountain during a routine training exercise — he was just 35 years old. The death was said to have crushed his father.

Ricci Martin

Dean's sixth child and youngest son, Ricci, was born on Sept. 20, 1953. Like many members of his talented family, Ricci took to performing from an early age. "I grew up with it. Not that we would ever walk into the house and hear Dad's songs playing on the stereo. Or even Frank's. It was always someone else. But there was always music," he told the Deseret News in 2007.

Ricci released an album in 1977 titled Beached, in collaboration with Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys, and had a hit song called "Stop Look Around." By the late 1990s, Ricci began performing alongside his late brother Dean Paul's former bandmates Arnaz Jr. and Hinsche in the group Ricci, Desi & Billy — an homage to his older brother's former rock band.

In 2002, Ricci wrote a memoir titled That's Amore: A Son Remembers about growing up with his famous family in Beverly Hills. In the book, he recounted his 21st birthday party that was attended by the likes of John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Elizabeth Taylor, David Bowie and Elton John, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Ricci was married to Annie Rasmussen and the pair had three daughters, Pepper, Montana and Rio. In August 2016, the performer was found dead in his home at the age of 62.

At the time of his death, Ricci's older sister Deana posted a tribute on Facebook. "My family and I are devastated. He was one of the sweetest souls I have ever known," she wrote. "Ricci's kindness, sweetness and loving nature will be missed more than words can say."

Gina Martin, 67

The youngest child from Dean's marriage to Jeanne was a daughter named Gina, born on Dec. 20, 1956. Compared to her siblings, Gina has led a life relatively out of the spotlight. She appeared with her family on a holiday episode of The Dean Martin Show in 1967; 20 years later, Gina acted in a television movie called Action Family.

She wed Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys in 1987 after seven years of dating, according to Ricci's memoir, That's Amore. The wedding was "a nice glimmer of sunshine in what had been a gray season for our family" after the passing of Dean Paul earlier in the year, Ricci wrote.

Gina remained married to Wilson until his death from lung cancer in 1998, per the Los Angeles Times.

Sasha Martin

Dean married his third wife, Catherine, in 1973. She was a receptionist at a Beverly Hills hair salon and had a daughter named Sasha whom Dean adopted after their wedding.

"I never referred to her as my step-sister or adopted sister," Ricci wrote in That's Amore. "Through three marriages and eight kids, we were always one family. The Martins."

Catherine and Dean would eventually divorce in 1976, but the father-of-eight always made sure Sasha "was taken care of," according to Ricci's memoir.

Sasha would go on to have a brief career in acting, playing Marina Cooper on the soap opera Guiding Light from 1997 to 1999 and appearing in the 1997 film Private Parts as Howard Stern's daughter.

#dean martin #children #family

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papermoonloveslucy · 4 years

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DEAN MARTIN

June 7, 1917 - December 25, 1991

Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti in Steubenville, Ohio and became one of the most popular and enduring entertainers of the mid-20th century. A singer, actor, and comedian, Martin’s career breakthrough came in 1946 through his partnership with comedian Jerry Lewis, billed as Martin & Lewis. They performed in nightclubs and later had numerous appearances on radio, television and in films.

Lucille Ball’s first appearance with Dean Martin was on his NBC radio show with Jerry Lewis in December 1948. Lucy was then the star of her own radio show, “My Favorite Husband” on CBS.

Following an end to their partnership in 1956, Martin established himself as a notable singer, recording numerous contemporary songs as well as standards from the Great American Songbook. His hit singles, including his signature songs "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?" and "Volare".

He became one of the most popular acts in Las Vegas and was known for his friendship with Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., who together formed the Rat Pack. Throughout his career, Martin appeared in 85 film and television productions. In the above photo at the Sands Casino, the Rat Pack is joined by Lucy and Danny Thomas (top) and Gary Morton (right).

In “Lucy and Wayne Newton” (HL SS2;E2) the Carters are driving down the Las Vegas strip when Craig notices that Dean Martin is playing at the Riviera. Kim says “He’s one of my favorites!”

“I'd hate to be a teetotaler. Imagine getting up in the morning and knowing that's as good as you're going to feel all day.” ~ Dean Martin

Part of Dean’s act involved his affection for alcoholic beverages. Jokes about Dean Martin’s drinking were common, even when Dean was not part of the show.

In “Lucy the Disc Jockey” (TLS S3;E26) Lucy tries to see the title of the song on a spinning turntable and gets dizzy, she says

“No wonder. It’s a Dean Martin album.”

In “Lucy the Stockbroker” (TLS S3;E25) Lucy discovers that Mr. Mooney is really hypnotized, not faking. Viv says

“He’s stiffer than Dean Martin.”

In “Lucy and Lawrence Welk” (HL S2;E18), Viv returns from the Universal Studios Tour and tells Lucy

“I saw...Dean Martin’s bartender.”

Lucille Ball adored working with Martin, despite the fact that their working styles were polar opposites. Ball was committed to rehearsals where Martin preferred to ‘wing it.’ Due to her great affection for him, she put up with it.

The first time Lucille Ball and Dean Martin appeared on the same television show (though not at the same time) came in 1950 on “Show of the Year: Telethon for United Cerebral Palsy” hosted by Milton Berle on NBC. It was broadcast from New York City with remotes from Philadelphia. (Photo, left to right: Gabby Hayes, Roger Clipp, UCP Poster Child, Jane Pickens, and Dennis James.)

Dean Martin never appeared on “I Love Lucy,” but his second wife did! Former Orange Bowl Queen Jeanne Biegger (billed only as Mrs. Dean Martin) appeared as herself wearing a Don Loper dress in 1955’s “The Fashion Show” (ILL S4;E19). The couple divorced in 1973. Martin then married Catherine Hawn, but the unioni lasted only three years. Martin’s first wife was Betty McDonald, who he married in 1941 and divorced in 1949. Martin had eight children.

“The three words you hear most around my house are 'hello,' 'goodbye,' and 'I'm pregnant.'" ~ Dean Martin

Dean Martin was one of the performers at the Friar’s Club Roast of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz on November 23, 1958. The event, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, was not telecast.

It would be ten years before Lucy and Dean again appeared on the same show (again, not at the same time) with “The Bob Hope Buick Sports Show Awards” in 1961. The show primarily took place in Los Angeles, but Lucille Ball’s segment took place in New York City, where she was appearing in Wildcat.

Two years later, Bob Hope presented the “TV Guide Awards.” Lucille Ball is nominated for Favorite Female Performer, but is not present. A still photo of her is shown instead.

Starting in 1964, Martin was the host of the television variety program “The Dean Martin Show”, which was characterized by his relaxed, easy-going demeanor. Lucille Ball appeared on the show in 1966 along with singer Kate Smith.

In return, four days later Dean appeared on “The Lucy Show,” playing himself and his own stuntman, Eddie Feldman. Lucille Ball said that this was her favorite episode of “The Lucy Show.”

Both Lucy and Dean were part of “Jack Benny’s Carnival Nights” in 1968, although once again they do not share screen time. Martin does a quick cameo playing the Amazing Sleeping Man! The opening of the show was performed on the set of “The Dean Martin Show” complete with fire pole and sexy assistants!

Martin was in attendance at the “20th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards” where Lucille Ball won her fourth (and final) competitive acting Emmy,along with Bill Cosby (”I Spy”) and Don Addams (”Get Smart”).

In 1968, Lucille Ball (and many other stars) makes a cameo appearance on “The Dean Martin Christmas Show” to announce the donation of toys to children in hospitals. The cameos are filmed without Martin present.

A year later, the two were also on the bill for “Ann-Margret: From Hollywood With Love.” Dean Martin and Dean Martin sing a medley of country western songs and then do a sketch where the gender roles are reversed. Lucy, appearing in a separate segment, plays herself and an autograph hound named Celebrity Lu.

Lucille Ball (and dozens of other stars) make guest appearanced on “The Dean Martin Show’s” sixth season opener in September 1970.

In “Jack Benny’s 20th Anniversary Show” (November 1970) Lucy plays Jack’s maid, Janet, while Dean plays himself. Martin knocks on Jack’s dressing room door to wish him a happy anniversary and dance “The Anniversary Waltz” with him. The bit lasts less than 30 seconds.

Later in November 1970, “John Wayne’s Swing Out Sweet Land” featured Dean Martin as Eli Whitney (of cotton gin fame) and Lucille Ball as the voice of Lady Liberty.

In February 1975 “Dean Martin’s Celebrity Roast" was dedicated to Lucille Ball. On the dais, Martin presents Lucille’s friends and colleagues Bob Hope, Gale Gordon, Milton Berle, Henry Fonda, Ginger Rogers, Jack Benny, and Vivian Vance.

A year later it was Lucille doing the roasting, this time of her friend Danny Thomas. Also on Martin’s dais are Orson Welles, Milton Berle, and Gene Kelly.

Two year after that, in 1978, Lucille returned for yet another Dean Martin Roast, this time for her Beverly Hills neighbor, Jimmy Stewart.

In 1975, on of the Lucille Ball CBS Specials was “Lucy Gets Lucky” starring Dean Martin. Ball plays Lucy Collins, who travels to Las Vegas to see her favorite star perform. To get into the sold out show she must work a variety of casino and hotel jobs!

“NBC: The First 50 Years” (1976) was a four and a half hour extravaganza that naturally included clips of Dean Martin (who’s show was on the network) but also included Lucille Ball on “The Danny Kaye Show.”

“CBS Salutes Lucy: The First 25 Years” (1976) includes Dean Martin talking about how much he loves working with Lucille Ball.

At the start of 1980, Lucille Ball and Dean Martin are just two of the many guests in “Sinatra: The First 40 Years” celebrating his 64th birthday and 40th year in show business.

“Bob Hope’s Unrehearsed Antics of the Stars” on September 28, 1984 featured Lucy talking about her audition for Gone With The Wind and Dean Martin in a clip of a sketch with Hope about airline pilots.

In 1984′s “An All-Star Party for Lucille Ball” Dean Martin sings “When You’re Smiling” with special lyrics to suit the occasion: “When you’re Lucy, When you’re Lucy, You’re never off TV.”

Their last on-screen collaboration was to celebrate the opening of the Bob Hope Cultural Center at Palm Springs in “America’s Tribute to Bob Hope” in March 1988. Dozens of friends gather and offer comedy and musical performances to honor the building’s namesake including Lucille Ball, Dean Martin, George Burns, Ann-Margret, Dinah Shore, and Danny Thomas.

A further connection came offscreen when Lucille Ball’s son Desi Aranz joined with Dean Martin’s son Dino and Billy Hinsche to form a rock band known as Dino, Desi and Billy.

“I want to be remembered as a damn good entertainer, nothing spectacular. A good entertainer who made people enjoy themselves and made them laugh a little. I want them to think 'He was a nice guy. He did pretty good and we loved him.'" ~ Dean Martin

#Dean Martin #Lucille Ball #I love lucy #The Lucy Show #Dino Desi & Billy #bob hope #jack benny #Ann-Margret #Frank Sinatra #Las Vegas #Jimmy Stewart #Danny Thomas #Kate Smith #Bill Cosby #Don Addams #NBC #CBS #TV

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elcinelateleymickyandonie · 4 years

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Deana Martin α:19 de agosto 1948

Deana Martin (nacida el 19 de agosto de 1948) es una cantante y actriz estadounidense. Ella es la hija del cantante Dean Martin Martin nació en Manhattan de Dean Martin y su primera esposa, Elizabeth (Betty) MacDonald. Se mudó a Beverly Hills, California con su familia a la edad de un año. Más tarde se fue a vivir con su padre y su segunda esposa, Jeanne Biegger. Durante su infancia, no era raro que sus amigos de Rat Pack , Frank Sinatra y Sammy Davis Jr. , visitaran. Estar cerca de ellos la convenció para seguir una carrera en el entretenimiento. Martin se formó profesionalmente en el Dartington College of Arts en el Reino Unido. Sus créditos teatrales incluyen Romeo y Julieta , The Taming of the Shrew , Hamlet y A Taste of Honey . Ella co-protagonizó la gira National Broadway de la obra Star Spangled Girl de Neil Simon con George Hamilton y Jimmy Boyd. Otros papeles protagonistas incluyen Wait Until Dark, 6 Rms Riv Vu , A Shot in the Dark y The Tunnel of Love. Hizo su gran debut cinematográfico en Young Billy Young con Robert Mitchum , David Carradine., y Angie Dickinson . Este debut condujo a papeles protagónicos en las películas Strangers at Sunrise con George Montgomery y A Voice in the Night con Vito Scotti . Hizo su debut en televisión en 1966 en The Dean Martin Show. Era una invitada frecuente, actuando en números musicales y de comedia con una amplia gama de artistas, incluido Frank Sinatra.

FILMOGRAFIA ACTOR AÑO TÍTULO PERSONAJE 1984 Los locos del Cannonball, segunda parte Jamie Blake 1981 Los locos del Cannonball Jamie Blake 1975 Desafío Joe Ricco 1973 Amigos hasta la muerte Billy Massey 1971 La primera ametralladora del Oeste Joe Baker 1970 Aeropuerto Vernon Demarest 1968 Bandolero Dee Bishop 1968 Cómo salvar a un matrimonio David Sloane 1968 El póker de la muerte Van Morgan 1968 La mansión de los siete placeres Matt Helm 1967 Emboscada a Matt Helm Matt Helm 1967 Noche de titanes Alex Flood 1966 Texas Sam Hollis 1966 The Silencers Matt Helm 1965 Los cuatro hijos de Katie Elder Tom Elder 1964 Bésame tonto Dino 1964 Ella y sus maridos Leonard Crawley 1963 4 tíos de Texas Joe Jarrett 1963 Consejos a medianoche Jason Steel 1963 Gallardo y Calavera The Bum 1962 Dos frescos en órbita Astronauta 1962 Los tres sargentos Sgt. Chip Deal 1962 Something's got to giveCorto Nicholas Arden 1962 Who's Got the Action? Steve Flood 1961 All in a Night's Work Tony Ryder 1960 La cuadrilla de los once Sam Harmon 1960 Suena el teléfono Jeffrey Moss 1960 ¿Quién era esa chica? Michael Haney 1959 Los ambiciosos Maurice 'Maury' Novak 1959 Río Bravo Dude (Borachon) 1958 Como un torrente Bama Dillert 1958 El baile de los malditos Michael Whiteacre 1957 Ten Thousand Bedrooms Ray Hunter 1956 Juntos ante el peligro Slim Mosely Jr. / Slim Mosely Sr. 1956 Loco por Anita Steve Wiley 1955 Cómicos en París Rick Todd 1955 Un fresco en apuros Bob Miles 1954 El Circo de 3 pistas Pete Nelson 1954 Viviendo su vida Dr. Steve Harris 1953 El jinete loco Herman Nelson 1953 Una herencia de miedo Larry Todd 1953 ¡Qué par de golfantes! Joe Anthony 1952 Camino a Bali Él mismo 1952 Locos del aire Chick Allen 1952 ¡Vaya par de marinos! Al 1951 El cómico Bill Miller 1951 That's my boy Bill 1950 Colosos de la armada Vic Puccinelli 1950 Mi amiga Irma va al Oeste Steve Baird 1949 Mi amiga Irma Steve EQUIPO TÉCNICO AÑO TÍTULO TRABAJO 1987 Hechizo de luna Intérprete (Banda sonora)

#DeanaMartin #actoresyactrices #elcinelateleymickyandonie

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