Dean Paul Martin

Dean Paul Martin (17 November 1951 – 21 March 1987) was an American entertainer, noted as a tennis player, a singer and actor, and a military pilot.

Early life and career

Martin was born to performer Dean Martin and his second wife, Jeanne Biegger. Dean Paul was the fifth child of Dean Martin's seven children. He was Jeanne's eldest son.

As a youth Martin was encouraged toward a singing career. At age thirteen he joined Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy Hinsche in the pop group Dino, Desi, & Billy, which had a few minor nationwide hits between 1965 and 1968, landing in the Top 30 twice.

Martin began to go by his given name of Dean Paul instead of the nickname "Dino" in his late teens. He became a successful tennis player (he competed in a junior competition at Wimbledon) and an actor. He co-starred with Ali MacGraw in the 1979 film Players, starring as a professional tennis player, for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe Award as Best New Star of the Year — Male.

He later starred in the TV series Misfits of Science which aired during the 1985-1986 television season. The series co-starred Courteney Cox.

Aviation career and Martin's death

Martin was an avid pilot. He obtained his pilot's license at age 16. He became an officer in the California Air National Guard in 1981. He died 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.

His father, Dean Martin never recovered from the loss of his son, retiring from show business a few years later. His death rekindled the friendship of his father and former partner Jerry Lewis, who attended Dean Paul's funeral.

Martin is buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Personal life

Dean Paul Martin married actress Olivia Hussey in 1971. They had one child, Alexander. They divorced in 1978. He married Olympic gold medalist ice skater Dorothy Hamill in 1982. They divorced in 1984.

References

United States Air Force portal

• Dean Paul Martin at the Internet Movie Database