Tony Martin

Working his way through college as a saxophonist/singer, Tony Martin spent his first professional years as a band vocalist. The handsome, wavy-haired singer began appearing in films in 1936 and remained very popular for quite some time. Unfortunately, many latter-day movie fans judge Martin only by his insipid leading-man stint in the Marx Bros.' The Big Store, in which he had the dubious honor of introducing that pseudo-classic piece of claptrap "The Tenement Symphony." He served with valor in World War II, then returned to a successful radio, TV and concert career. During the late 1930s, Tony Martin was married to his frequent co-star Alice Faye; his last wife was Cyd Charisse, who appeared with Martin in his nightclub act of the 1960s and 1970s. Martin died of natural causes at age 98 in July 2012.