Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, to Italian immigrantsNatalina Della (Garaventa), from Northern Italy, and Saverio AntoninoMartino Sinatra, a Sicilian boxer, fireman, and bar owner. Growing upon the gritty streets of Hoboken made Sinatra determined to work hardto get ahead. Starting out as a saloon singer in musty little dives (hecarried his own P.A. system), he eventually got work as a band singer,first with The Hoboken Four, then withHarry James and thenTommy Dorsey. With the help of George Evans(Sinatra's genius press agent), his image was shaped into that of astreet thug and punk who was saved by his first wife,Nancy Barbato Sinatra. In 1942 he started his solocareer, instantly finding fame as the king of the bobbysoxers--theyoung women and girls who were his fans--and becoming the most popularsinger of the era among teenage music fans. About that time his filmcareer was also starting in earnest, and after appearances in a fewsmall films, he struck box-office gold with a lead role inAnchors Aweigh (1945) withGene Kelly, a Best Picture nominee atthe 1946 Academy Awards. Sinatra was awarded a special Oscar for hispart in a short film that spoke out against intolerance,The House I Live In (1945).His career on a high, Sinatra went from strength to strength on record,stage and screen, peaking in 1949, once again with Gene Kelly, in theMGM musicalOn the Town (1949) andTake Me Out to the Ball Game (1949).A controversial public affair with screen sirenAva Gardner broke up his marriage toNancy Barbato Sinatra and did his career little good, and his record salesdwindled. He continued to act, although in lesser films such asMeet Danny Wilson (1952), and avocal cord hemorrhage all but ended his career. He fought back, though,finally securing a role he desperately wanted--Maggio inFrom Here to Eternity (1953).He won an Oscar for best supporting actor and followed this with ascintillating performance as a cold-blooded assassin hired to kill theUS President inSuddenly (1954).Arguably a career-best performance--garnering him an Academy Awardnomination for Best Actor--was his role as a pathetic heroin addict inthe powerful dramaÔgon no ude (1955).

Known as "One-Take Charlie" for his approach to acting that strove forspontaneity and energy, rather than perfection, Sinatra was aninstinctive actor who was best at playing parts that mirrored his ownpersonality. He continued to give strong and memorable performances insuch films asGuys and Dolls (1955),Hôyô (1957) andSome Came Running (1958). Inthe late 1950s and 1960s Sinatra became somewhat prolific as aproducer, turning out such films asA Hole in the Head (1959),Sergeants 3 (1962) and the verysuccessfulRobin and the 7 Hoods (1964).Lighter roles alongside "Rat Pack" buddiesDean Martin andSammy Davis Jr. were lucrative,especially the famedOcean's Eleven (1960). On theother hand, he alternated such projects with much more seriousofferings, such asKage naki sogekisha (1962),regarded by many critics as Sinatra's finest picture. He made hisdirectorial debut with the World War II pictureNone But the Brave (1965),which was the first Japanese/American co-production. That same yearDassotokkyu (1965) wasa box office sensation. In 1967 Sinatra returned to familiar territoryinSidney J. Furie'sHadaka no ran'nâ (1967), onceagain playing as assassin in his only film to be shot in the U.K. andGermany. That same year he starred as a private investigator inTony Rome (1967), a role he reprised inthe sequel,Semento no onna (1968).He also starred withLee Remick inKeiji (Deka) (1968), a film daringfor its time with its theme of murders involving rich and powerfulhomosexual men, and it was a major box-office success.

After appearing in the poorly received comic westernDirty Dingus Magee (1970),Sinatra didn't act again for seven years, returning with a made-for-TVcops-and-mob-guys thrillerContract on Cherry Street (1977),which he also produced. Based on the novel byWilliam Rosenberg, this fable offed-up cops turning vigilante against the mob boasted a stellar castand was a ratings success. Sinatra returned to the big screen inThe First Deadly Sin (1980),once again playing a New York detective, in a moving and understatedperformance that was a fitting coda to his career as a leading man. Hemade one more appearance on the big screen with a cameo inCannonball 2 (1984) and afinal acting performance inMagnum, P.I. (1980), in 1987, as aretired police detective seeking vengeance on the killers of his granddaughter,in an episode entitledLaura (1987).