Got the role of Pvt. Maggio in From Here to Eternity (1953) after Eli Wallach passed on it to do a Tennessee Williams play on stage, according to Wallach on a June 20th broadcast of "Morning Sedition" on "Air America Radio.".

Host and performer on the NBC Radio show "The Frank Sinatra Show" (1954- 1955).

Brother-in-law of John Charles Farrow, Prudence Farrow, Stephanie Farrow and Tisa Farrow.

In 1960, when he was in the process of forming his own label, Reprise Records, he pointed out the Capitol Tower to a friend, saying, "See that? I helped build that. Now, it's time to build one of my own." A few years later, referring to his label's success, he stated, "We may not be a Cadillac yet, but we ain't no Bug [Volkswagen], neither."

Was the godfather of Linda Thorson's son Trevor.

Thought by many to be the finest American popular singer of our time.

Some three decades late, the Hungarian-born actress Eva Bartok claimed that her daughter, Deana, born in 1957 during Bartok's marriage to the actor Curd Jürgens, was actually fathered by Sinatra, during a brief affair that he and Bartok had had following his breakup in 1956 with the sultry Ava Gardner. Sinatra never acknowledged paternity.

Had numerous #1 albums, and seven #1 singles (or more, depending on whether you include the songs he sang fronting a big-band): "Five Minutes More", "Leanin' the Blues", "Mam'selle", "Oh! What It Seemed To Be" "Strangers in the Night", "All Or Nothing At All" with the Harry James Band, and "Somethin' Stupid", shared with his daughter Nancy Sinatra. He also has four #1 hits singing as the front singer of the Tommy Dorsey Band, although he was not directly credited as the artist. These include "I'll Never Smile Again", "Dolores", "There Are Such Things", "In The Blue Of Evening".

He was voted the 59th Greatest Movie Star of all time by Entertainment Weekly.

Father of Nancy Sinatra, Tina Sinatra, and Frank Sinatra Jr..

Godfather of singer Nikka Costa.

Starred on the CBS Radio musical program "The Frank Sinatra Show" (1945).

Was considered for the role of Nicky Arnstein in Funny Girl (1968). This was vetoed by Barbra Streisand, as she didn't like him. The role was eventually played by Omar Sharif.

Winner of special Academy Award for The House I Live In (1945) and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (1971)

Grandfather of singer A.J. Lambert.

His death is referred to in the Badly Drawn Boy song "You Were Right".

One-time son-in-law of John Farrow and Maureen O'Sullivan.

Was originally signed on to play Billy Bigelow in Carousel (1956), but he walked off the set on the first day of filming after he found out that they were going to shoot each scene twice, using two different lens sizes, and was quoted as saying "I was paid to make one movie, not two".

Member (leader) of the "Rat Pack" - Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. All appeared in Ocean's Eleven (1960) and Sergeants 3 (1962).

He was inducted in the 2007 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services to entertainment industry.

Weighed over 13 pounds at birth, and had to be delivered by forceps; as a result, one of his ears was nearly severed. Showing no signs of life, he was held by his grandmother under cold, running water; and suddenly he began to breathe, and cry. His mother - a Practical nurse - and his father - a Hoboken tavern owner - had been hoping for a girl, and had already chosen the name Frances. So they gave him the masculine form of the name: Francis.

Although the song Sinatra is most identified with is his hit "My Way", he originally didn't want to record it because he thought the song was "self-serving and indulgent.".

Inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1980.

Godfather to Quinn Gonzalez

Co-star of NBC Radio's "Lite Up Times" (1949-1950).

Owned an extensive collection of electric toy trains. He had coveted electric trains as a boy and set up a track that wove through the path of his career. The train started at a replica of the Hoboken train station.

Mentioned in the song 'Its My Life' by Bon Jovi.

On 14 May 1998, his last day of life, his family drove him to the hospital, frantically running stop signs and red lights. However, traffic was unusually light at that time, since many Americans were at home watching the final episode of the TV show "Seinfeld" (1990).

While filming a funeral scene in Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), he learned that his close friend and benefactor, President John F. Kennedy, had been killed in Dallas earlier that day.

Interred at Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California, USA. Specific Interment Location: B-8, #151.

Turned down the role of Paul Kersey in Death Wish (1974). It was eventually given to Charles Bronson, and was the role that made him an international superstar.

Though he had a lot of affairs during his marriage with his first wife Nancy, it was his relationship with Ava Gardner that finally led to a divorce.

Was the first choice to play the title role in Dirty Harry (1971), but broke his finger before shooting started and had to bow out of the production.

Inspired the Johnny Fontaine character in The Godfather (1972).

He had a good sense of humor and loved to laugh, but was not good at telling jokes or witty retorts, so he surrounded himsel

Underwent major surgery for intestinal cancer in 1986.

Star of the NBC Radio show " Meet Frank Sinatra" (1950-1951).

His heritage was entirely Italian.

He was known for his mercurial personality, as all those who were close to him knew, he could be as sweet as a person could be one minute and equally as nasty and violent in the next moment. Some theorized that he was bipolar.

Was in line to star in Dirty Harry (1971) as was noted in several trade papers at the time. Irvin Kershner was slated to direct, but Sinatra had to back out of the project because of some trouble with a broken bone in his hand, although it has been suggested that he wanted to act in something lighter after the recent death of his father.

Served as a mentor to performer Harry Connick Jr., whom he referred to as "The Kid".

Star of the CBS Radio show "The Frank Sinatra Show" (1944).

He asked to sing at Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey's 1978 funeral in St. Paul, MN. The officiating minister refused. The job went to Metropolitan Opera baritone Robert Merrill.

He is nominated for the inaugural 2007 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services and contributions to entertainment.

Former father-in-law of Tommy Sands. His daughter Nancy Sinatra and Sands were married on 11 September 1960 and divorced in 1965.

He was drafted into the Army during World War II but got a 4F because of a damaged eardrum, something that was apparent at birth after a complicated delivery using forceps.

Co-star of CBS Radio's "Your Hit Parade" (1943-1945, 1947-1949 on NBC).

Has sold over 250 million records worldwide.

Host and performer of the CBS Radio show "Frank Sinatra in Person" (1944).

Starred on the NBC Radio show "To Be Perfectly Frank" (1953-1954).

Starred on the CBS Radio musical program "Songs by Sinatra" (1943, 1945-1947).

The epitaph on his headstone reads "The best is yet to come."

The only member of the "Rat Pack" to win an Academy Award

Writer of the songs "This Love of Mine" and "I'm a Fool to Want You."

An accomplished amateur painter, he not only recorded the Grammy-winning album "Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely" (Capitol: 1958), but designed the cover art, as well.

While on a tour in 1974 which included Australia, Sinatra became enraged by his treatment by members of the Australian press. After a brief scuffle at the airport, he appeared on stage and delivered a hateful tirade against the press, calling them "bums and parasites," and calling the female reporters "buck-and-a-half hookers." In retaliation, the aviation union refused to refuel or otherwise maintain his private jet until he apologized. He never did. He was spirited away in the night after intervention by a high-level union leader.

Made no further public appearances after suffering a heart attack in January 1997.

Godfather of Lorna Luft.

Mentioned in the song "Hey Manhattan!" by Prefab Sprout.

Was broke by 1951. Ava Gardner had to pay his plane ticket, so he could accompany her to Africa, where she shot Mogambo (1953).

Played the Stage Manager in a musical version of "Our Town" on a TV special in 1955, with Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint playing George and Emily. In that production, he introduced what would become another of his well-known signature songs: "Love and Marriage."

Was in talks to appear in The Verdict (1982).

In 1997, he was honored by the Motion Picture Academy with a Lifetime Achievement award.

Is portrayed by John Ralston in Power and Beauty (2002) (TV), by Patrick Jude in Sugartime (1995) (TV), by Philip Casnoff in Sinatra (1992) (TV), by Richard Muenz in Love and Betrayal: The Mia Farrow Story (1995) (TV) and by Ray Liotta in The Rat Pack (1998) (TV)

Lee J. Cobb credited Sinatra with saving his life after his career was nearly ruined by his defiance of the House Un-American Activities Committee investigating Communist "subversion" in the film industry. Cobb had defied HUAC for two years, after being named as a supposed Communist by Larry Parks in 1951. During those two years, Cobb's once flourishing career floundered and his wife had to be institutionalized after having a mental breakdown. Finally he agreed to testify as a "friendly" witness, appearing before HUAC in 1953. At the conclusion of his testimony, he praised the committee. Soon after his appearance there he had a massive heart attack. Sinatra--who barely knew Cobb--got him a part in his film The Miracle of the Bells (1948) when no other studio would hire Cobb. In addition, knowing that Cobb was broke, Sinatra paid his hospital bills, then had Cobb stay with him before renting him a luxurious apartment. Cobb believes that Sinatra identified with him as a troubled artist down on his luck, as Sinatra's own career had been in a severe tailspin before he resurrected himself by winning an Oscar for From Here to Eternity (1953). Cobb later said that if it wasn't for Sinatra, he didn't think he would have come through that period alive. Sinatra told Cobb he thought that Cobb was "robbed" when he failed to win the Oscar for his performance as Johnny Friendly in On the Waterfront (1954) (ironically, Sinatra originally had been scheduled to star in the picture, which was filmed in his hometown of Hoboken, NJ, but producer Sam Spiegel gave the role to Marlon Brando when he realized he could raise $1 million in financing for the picture by using Brando versus $500,000 if Sinatra was the star).

His album "Frank Sinatra Conducts Tone Poems of Color" (Capitol: 1955) not only was rare in the sense that he conduced an orchestra as opposed to singing, but was also the first album to be recorded at the Capitol [Records] Tower, today a prominent landmark at Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles.

Second cousin of composer/arranger/conductor Raymond Sinatra. Ray Sinatra's father was a cousin of his father.

Mentioned in the Marillion song "Sugar Mice" (from their 1987 album "Clutching at Straws").

Turned down the lead role in The Pajama Game (1957), which would have paired him up with Janis Paige, who played the role on Broadway. As a result, Paige lost out on playing the part to Doris Day, who was considered a bigger box- office draw.

Named Humanitarian of the Year by the Variety Clubs of America in 1983.

Was a great admirer of John F. Kennedy, campaigning for him in the 1960 presidential election and organizing his inauguration ball on 20 January 1961. In August 1962, Kennedy decided not to stay with Sinatra in Palm Springs, due to recent allegations of Mafia ties, and instead stayed with Bing Crosby - Sinatra's original rival and an active Republican.

Portrayed Rocco "Rocky Fortune" Fortunato on NBC Radio's "Rocky Fortune" (1953- 1954). Every episode featured Fortune with a new job (and new troubles). Sinatra quit the show when he got the part of Pvt. Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity (1953).

Was played by Dennis Hopper in The Night We Called It a Day (2003).

In On the Town (1949), he co-sang "New York, New York". Years later, he used the song "Theme From New York, New York" (first performed by friend Liza Minnelli, and commonly referred to as simply "New York, New York") as a showstopper in his live performances.

Briefly lost the ability to sing after his vocal chords hemorrhaged in 1953. When his voice returned, it had an extra dimension which many fans believed made his singing better than before.

In 1964 his close friend Serbian/American actor Brad Dexter saved him from drowning, during the filming of None But the Brave (1965) on location in Hawaii, after an undertow pulled him from shore while he was swimming.

Suffered from dementia in his final years.

On 20 May 1998, his funeral service was held at the Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California. Stars in attendance included Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck, Robert Wagner, Jack Lemmon, Sidney Poitier, Jack Nicholson, Nancy Davis, Jerry Lewis, Wayne Newton, Johnny Carson, Milton Berle, Bruce Springsteen, Debbie Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Bob Dylan, Tom Selleck, Tony Bennett, Shirley MacLaine, Robert Stack, Mia Farrow, Bob Newhart, Don Rickles, Sophia Loren, Diahann Carroll, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gormé, Joey Bishop, Tony Danza, Quincy Jones, Dom DeLuise, Tim Conway, Cuba Gooding Jr., Anthony Quinn, Tony Curtis, Jack Paar, Angie Dickinson, Paul Anka, Ben Vereen, Ed McMahon, Red Buttons, Marlo Thomas, Phil Donahue, Suzanne Pleshette, Dionne Warwick, Suzanne Somers, James Darren and of course, his children, `Frank Sinatra Jr` and Nancy Sinatra. Over a thousand Sinatra fans lined the streets outside the church during the funeral, and gave him one final round of applause as his flower-draped coffin was carried out of the church. Overhead, a skywriting plane flying created a giant heart in the sky. Ironically, Sinatra had attended Gary Cooper`s funeral at the same church, almost to the day of his own, some 37 years before.

He was instrumental in reuniting Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin after their decades of estrangement. During an appearance on Lewis` annual telethon for Muscular Dystrophy, Sinatra said that he had a friend who wanted to say hello; then, he escorted Martin onto the stage to a flabbergasted Lewis. The two remained reunited until Martin`s death.

He and the other members of the Rat Pack were banned from Marilyn Monroe`s funeral by Joe DiMaggio

Was active in Democratic Party politics from the 1944 presidential election until the late 1960s. In 1970 he supported Ronald Reagan`s re-election campaign for Governor of California, and in 1972 he attended the Republican National Convention for the first time.

Campaigned for Ronald Reagan in the 1980 and 1984 presidential elections.

Is one of only five actors/actresses to have both a #1 single and an Oscar for acting. The others are Cher, Barbra Streisand, Jamie Foxx, and Bing Crosby.

Sinatra saw Steve McQueen in his western TV series "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1958) and requested him to take Sammy Davis Jr.`s role in Never So Few (1959). Davis had said in an interview he thought he was bigger than Sinatra in the entertainment world at that time. Since Davis` role in the film was originally written as a sidekick, it had to be re-written somewhat for McQueen. During filming they got along so well that Sinatra wanted McQueen to appear in Ocean`s Eleven (1960) as the cowboy Louis Jackson. McQueen was all for it but was convinced otherwise by critic Hedda Hopper, who told him it would not be a wise career move to be known as a Sinatra flunky. McQueen passed on the film, and although there were no hard feelings his brief friendship with Sinatra came to an end.

In 1963, his son, Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped. The kidnappers told Frank Sr. to call them from pay phones. During one call, he ran out of coins, and briefly feared that the loss had cost him his son (the kidnappers gave him another chance). He paid the $250,000 ransom, Frank Jr. was returned, and the kidnappers were eventually caught. However, as a result of the payphone scare, Sinatra swore never to be caught without dimes again, and carried a roll of dimes with him constantly until his death.

Was such a big fan of Chicago`s song, "Colour My World" that he offered to write a second stanza to it.

Called "Something", written by George Harrison and performed by The Beatles, one of his favorite songs.

Was offered the role of "Don Altobello" in The Godfather: Part III (1990). Even though he had been a vocal critic of the first "Godfather" film, which featured a character based on him, he was intrigued by the offer, reportedly because the first two "Godfather" films had been so successful. Ultimately, he declined the offer and The part was played by Eli Wallach, whom Sinatra competed with for the role of Maggio in From Here to Eternity (1953).

He had a good sense of humor and loved to laugh, but was not good at telling jokes or witty retorts, so he surrounded himself with funny people

When Bela Lugosi died virtually penniless, Sinatra quietly paid for his funeral.

Was best friends with Dean Martin. Of all the members of the Rat Pack, he considered Dean his closest confidant and best friend.

While filming a kidnapping scene for the film Robin and the 7 Hoods (1964), he learned that his son, singer Frank Sinatra Jr., had been kidnapped from his hotel room in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. For obvious reasons, the scene was never used in the completed film.

Received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1971 Academy Awards for his many contributions to charity over the years. Bob Hope, who hosted the Oscars that year, remarked, "It`s interesting how Sinatra announced his retirement, and they gave him a humanitarian award". Sinatra himself hosted or co-hosted the Academy Awards four different times, in 1963, 1969, 1975 and 1985.

Was, at one time, part owner of the Sands Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the Cal-Neva Lodge in Lake Tahoe. As the name implies, the latter was bisected by the California-Nevada borderline.

Permanently injured one of his fingers while shooting a fight scene in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). In the scene, Sinatra threw a Karate chop and his hand went through a solid wooden table, breaking several bones in his little finger. The footage was left in the final cut.

Reportedly kept a picture of Ava Gardner on his mirror long after their break up.

According to Mia Farrow`s biography, `What Falls Away`, he offered to have Woody Allen`s legs broken when he was found to be having an affair with her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn.

Divorced his third wife Mia Farrow after she refused to quit filming the classic thriller Rosemary`s Baby (1968) in order to co-star with him in Rat Pack crime drama The Detective (1968). He had the divorce papers delivered to her on set.

Named Entertainer of the Century in 2000.

Became estranged with Dean Martin during the final years of their lives, ever since Dean quit `The Together Again Tour`.

A forcep delivery at his birth left permanent scars on his cheek and ruptured an eardrum. The latter is the reason most often given for his being exempted from service during World War II.

At his funeral, friends and family members placed items in his coffin that had personal references. These are reported to include ten dimes, several Tootsie Roll candies, a pack of Black Jack chewing gum, a roll of wild cherry Life Savers candy, a ring engraved with the word "Dream", a mini bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey, a pack of Camel cigarettes and a Zippo cigarette lighter.

A provision in his will is that if anyone contests it, they are automatically disinherited.