Martin, Deana 1948-

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MARTIN, Deana 1948-

PERSONAL: First name is pronounced "Dee-na"; born 1948, daughter of Dean Martin (an entertainer) and Betty MacDonald; married John Griffeth; children. Education: Attended Darlington College of Arts.

ADDRESSES: Home—Beverly Hills, CA. Office—Dean Martin Committee, 300 Market St., Steubenville, OH 43952.

CAREER: Actor, singer, writer, and philanthropist. Deana Martin Foundation, director; Dean Martin Festival, producer; founder and owner, Bodies by Deana (fitness company). Actress in films, including Young Billy Young, 1969; Strangers at Sunrise, 1969; and A Voice in the Night. Television appearances include Dating Game, Dean Martin Show, Deana Martin Show, The Monkees, Merv Griffin Show, Mike Douglas Show, Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, Music City U.S.A., Nuts & Bolts, Woody Woodbury Show, Entertainment Tonight, Geraldo, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, Larry King Live, and The World's Most Powerful Money Markets. Stage credits include Star-spangled Girl, As You Like It, Hamlet, The King and I, The Owl and the Pussycat, Romeo and Juliet, A Shot in the Dark, Six Rms RIV VU, Taming of the Shrew, A Taste of Honey, Tunnel of Love, and Wait until Dark. Vocal recordings include Girl of the Month Club and When He Remembers Me.

WRITINGS:

(With Wendy Holden) Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin through His Daughter's Eyes, Harmony Books (New York, NY), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS: Actress, author, and philanthropist Deana Martin is the daughter of famed singer, actor, and entertainer Dean Martin, a man known for his comedy partnership with Jerry Lewis and his role as a member of one of the 1960s' icons of cool, the Rat Pack.

Martin began her entertainment career on her father's television show in 1966, performing in a variety of musical and comedy numbers. She has gone on to appear in numerous film, theatre, and television productions and has performed at nightclubs on recordings. Her own television program, The Deana Martin Show, was broadcast on cable television throughout California. As an entrepreneur, she founded the fitness company Bodies by Deana, and created a workout video, The Deana Martin Total Body Workout.

Martin is also involved in a variety of charitable and philanthropic causes, including serving as spokesperson for the Roosters, a California organization that supports children's charities throughout the United States. She is also a prominent member of the Dean Martin Festival, an annual event held in Steubenville, Ohio that raises money to fund the Dean Martin Music Scholarships given to talented youth in the Steubenville area.

In Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin through His Daughter's Eyes, Martin offers an "evenhanded biography of her famous father," commented a Publishers Weekly reviewer. As the youngest child of four from Dean's first marriage to Betty MacDonald, Deana has few memories of her largely absentee father and his impressive career. Instead, she focuses on those aspects of her father that she does recall well, including his Las Vegas acts, his hit songs, and his association with the Rat Pack. She describes her own childhood, growing up in constant contact with the most prominent celebrities of the day, as well her tragic alcoholic mother, Betty, whose condition deteriorated following her divorce from Dean. Betty's mental and physical state became so bad that Deana and her siblings were eventually taken in by their father and his new wife, Jeanne. Dean's work schedule kept him away a great deal, but "when he was around, he was affectionate and even indulgent," noted Booklist reviewer Ray Olsen. Ultimately, Martin admits that Dean Martin "wasn't a good father, but he was a good man." As a child "who could have been embittered by her sometimes rocky relations with her father" she instead "displays remarkable understanding of his complex temperament," observed a Kirkus Reviews critic.

Memories Are Made of This serves as "a fascinating and honest read, albeit from a daughter's sympathetic point of view," concluded Chicago Sun-Times reviewer Dave Hoekstra. The Publishers Weekly reviewer called Martin's work "a heartfelt and honest portrait of a mysterious father."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

BOOKS

Martin, Deana, with Wendy Holden, Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin through His Daughter's Eyes, Harmony Books (New York, NY) 2004.

PERIODICALS

Booklist, September 1, 2004, Ray Olson, review of Memories Are Made of This, p. 37.

Chicago Sun-Times, December 12, 2004, Dave Hoekstra, "A Daughter Recalls 'The King of Cool'; Dean Martin Lives on in Memories Are Made of This," p. 16; December 14, 2004, Dave Hoekstra, "Everybody Loves the Same Guy One Time," p. 41.

Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2004, review of Memories Are Made of This, p. 851.

Library Journal, September 1, 2004, James E. Perone, review of Memories Are Made of This, p. 153; September 1, 2004, James E. Perone, interview with Martin, p. 155.

Publishers Weekly, September 6, 2004, review of Memories Are Made of This, p. 57.

Washington Post Book World, November 7, 2004, John DiLeo, "Stars, Crooners, and Seducers," review of Memories Are Made of This, p. T08.