Al Martino (born Alfred Cini, October 7, 1927 – October 13, 2009) was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The Godfather.

Martino`s run of chart success faded after the mid-1960s, although many of his records continued to reach the US Hot 100. Another later hit was a disco version of "Volare", (also known as "Nel blu, Dipinto di Blu"). In 1976, it reached number one on the Italian and Flemish charts, and was in the Top Ten in Spain, The Netherlands and France, as well as in many other European countries. In 1993, he recorded a new studio album with the German producer, Dieter Bohlen (former member of pop duo Modern Talking, producer of international artists like Chris Norman of Smokie, Bonnie Tyler, Dionne Warwick, Engelbert or Errol Brown of Hot Chocolate). The single "Spanish Ballerina" (written in Bohlen`s europop sound) reached #93 position in the German single charts. Apart from singing, Martino played the role of Johnny Fontane in the 1972 film The Godfather, as well as singing the film`s theme, "Speak Softly Love". He played the same role in The Godfather Part III and The Godfather Trilogy: 1901–1980. He later returned to acting, playing aging crooner Sal Stevens in the short film Cutout, appearing in film festivals around the world in 2006. Martino died on October 13, 2009 at his childhood home in Springfield, Pennsylvania, 6 days after his 82nd birthday. Martino was survived by his wife Judi and three children. In December 2009, Al Martino was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Martino

Date of Birth 7 October 1927, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Date of Death 13 October 2009, Springfield, Pennsylvania, USA

Birth Name Alfred Cini

Mini Bio (1)

Al Martino was born on October 7, 1927 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA as Alfred Cini. He was an actor, known for The Godfather (1972), The Godfather: Part III (1990) and The Godfather: Behind the Scenes (1971). He was married to Judith Martino. He died on October 13, 2009 in Springfield, Pennsylvania.

Spouse (1)

Judith Martino (1969 - 13 October 2009) (his death)

Trivia (9)

He was a popular crooner.

His biggest hits as a singer, primarily on the Capitol label in the USA, were "Here in My Heart", "I Love You More and More Every Day", "Spanish Eyes" and "Mary in the Morning".

Was the very first artist to have a number one single in the UK. "Here In My Heart" was at the top of the very first chart compiled on 14 November 1952; it stayed there for a total of nine weeks

Father of Alison Martino.

Mob-related problems forced him to leave the U.S. for England for a time in the 1950s. He returned to the U.S. in 1958. His character in The Godfather (1972), a mob-backed crooner, was supposedly based on Frank Sinatra, yet contained parallels to his own life--he was dogged throughout his life by allegations that his career was due to his connections to mob bosses, and in fact admitted in an interview that he got the part in "The Godfather" due partly to pressure brought about by his "godfather", New York Mafia don Russell Buffalino.

Began performing in post-war nightclubs in Philadelphia before moving to New York in 1948 and winning a contest on Arthur Godfrey's radio talent show.

Served in the U.S. Navy during WWII and was wounded during the invasion of Iwo Jima in the Pacific.

The son of Italian immigrants, he was a childhood friend of famed opera singer Mario Lanza.

Was working on a new album at the time of his death.

Personal Quotes (1)

[on how he secured the role of Johnny Fontane in The Godfather (1972)] Didn't the Don send Tom Hagen to convince Jack Woltz that Johnny Fontane must be in the movie? Isn't it similar to what I did? Woltz didn't want Johnny, and Coppola [Francis Ford Coppola] didn't want me. There was no horse's head, but I had ammunition... I had to step on some toes to get people to realize that I was in the effing movie. I went to my godfather, [Mafia boss] Russ Bufalino.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0553887/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm