Dean Martin, the man simply known as “Dino,” was a worldwide success. Martin starred in movies, sang Swing Era classics and also introduced America to Italian classics with a new-age twist, and even hosted a hugely popular variety show, The Dean Martin Show.

These are just a few things that Dino did in his entertainment life. He was “second in command” behind Frank Sinatra during the affluent years of the Rat Pack. Martin's story is the true American dream.

“Dino,” contrary to popular belief, isn't a nickname. Born to Italian immigrants in Steubenville, Ohio on June 17, 1917, Dean Martin was born Dino Paul Crocetti. Steubenville is directly on the Ohio-West Virginia line - not a lot of Italian immigrants had made the trek that far south from New York and New Jersey.

Dino stood out in this environment, only speaking Italian for a lot of his childhood, and quit school at the age of 16 to work in a steel mill. Dino ran liquor for bootleggers and worked as a croupier for the local speakeasy before deciding to follow in his idols' - Bing Crosby's - footsteps.

With so many acts singing the same songs at the time, Dino would experience a slight twist of irony: Not wanting to stand out, everyone noticed him - but needing to stand out, he blended right in.

It wasn't until 1946 - with acts like Sinatra already famous - that Dean picked up a head of steam with his song “Which Way Did My Heart Go?” Dean's star started to rise after, and he met acts such as Jerry Lewis and went on to record a few hit songs and star in Hollywood movies like My Friend Irma.

Throughout the ‘50s, Dino starred in many big budget (for the times) movies, including At War with the Army, Jumping Jacks, and Artists and Models, to name a few. The Martin and Lewis machine had taken over the silver screen for 7 years.

After the duo split in 1956, many questioned whether or not Dino's act - both singing and movies - could recover. Martin silenced critics by starring with Marlon Brando in The Young Lions and starting his own variety show in 1958. Dino also introduced his phenomenally successful hit, Volare, that same year.

In the early 1960s, Dean's fame was undeniable; but for someone who was known the world over, he was rarely seen out like so many stars of the day. At this point in Dean's life, he simply wanted to be an entertainer, but didn't want the ensuing noticeable fame.

He would join forces with Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Frank Sinatra to form The Rat Pack. Martin's fame had grown so much in fact, he even overtook the Beatles' #1 spot on the charts with his song “Everybody Loves Somebody.”

Martin continued to experience enormous success throughout the ‘60s and the early part of the ‘70s. His health then started to deteriorate in the mid ‘70s, and after his son, Dean Paul, died in a plane crash in 1987, Dino became reclusive. No one saw or heard much from Martin for the remainder of his life. Martin died on Christmas Day in 1995.