Dean Paul Martin
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| Dean Paul Martin | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dean Paul Martin November 17, 1951 Santa Monica, California |
| Died | March 21, 1987 (aged 35) San Gorgonio Mountain, California |
| Spouse(s) | Olivia Hussey (1971-1978) Dorothy Hamill (1982-1984) |
Dean Paul Martin (November 17, 1951 – March 21, 1987) was an American singer and actor.
The son of the performer Dean Martin, he was "Dino" in the pop group Dino, Desi, & Billy. He was only thirteen when he, Desi Arnaz Jr., and William "Billy" Hinsche formed the trio. Oriented toward teenage girls, the group had a few minor hits between 1965 and 1968, landing in the Top 30 twice.
Martin later began to go by his given name Dean Paul instead of the nickname "Dino". He became a successful tennis player (he competed in a junior competition at Wimbledon) and actor. He appeared in the 1979 film Players, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Best New Star of the Year — Male, and later starred in the TV series Misfits of Science which aired during the 1985-1986 television season.
Martin was also an avid pilot. He obtained his pilot's license at age 16 and earned his wings with the California Air National Guard in 1981.
Martin met an untimely death in 1987 when his National Guard F-4 Phantom fighter jet crashed in California's San Bernardino Mountains during a snowstorm, killing him and his WSO (Weapons Systems Officer), Ramon Ortiz. The singer Dean Martin never recovered from the loss of his son, retiring from show business a few years later.
Dean Paul Martin was the former husband of both actress Olivia Hussey and Olympic skating gold medalist Dorothy Hamill. Martin's twelve-year-old son, Alexander, had watched his father take off on the ill-fated flight.
He is buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
