person

Dick Haymes

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Gender

Male

Birthday

1918-09-13

Place of Birth

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Dick Haymes

Biography

Arguably one of the best singers of the twentieth century, Dick Haymes was born in Argentina to a Scots/Irish father and Irish mother, but brought to the U.S. as an infant. Dick inherited his vocal gift from his mother who made ends meet during the Depression as a singer and voice teacher. A music gig in 1931 caught the eye of a local band leader and soon Dick was moving up, but it was slow-going. In 1939, while Dick was trying to pitch his songwriting talents to band leader Harry James, he ended up his featured vocalist, instead. During the war years Dick hooked up with the Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey orchestras before deciding to go solo. Nabbing his own radio program in addition to a Decca recording contract, Twentieth Century Fox soon expressed interest in his musical talents. Among his many film leads were State Fair (1945) opposite Jeanne Crain and Vivian Blaine, Diamond Horseshoe (1945) and The Shocking Miss Pilgrim (1947) both paired with Betty Grable, One Touch of Venus (1948) with Ava Gardner, and All Ashore (1953), a second string version of On the Town (1949), with Mickey Rooney and Ray McDonald as his shore-leave buddies. For such a pleasant and unassuming man, Dick's personal life certainly was a shambles aggravated by alcoholism and financial debt. Five marriages came and went (including actresses Joanne Dru, Nora Eddington, Rita Hayworth, and Fran Jeffries) before his sixth one finally stuck. By the 1960s, his life was all but ruined. He managed to travel to Europe and picked up the remnants of his career. His reputation had not tarnished there, and he enjoyed some renewed popularity; he never regained, however, the foothold in the business that he once had. Dick died of lung cancer in 1980. Though not as well remembered as other crooners of his time (Frank Sinatra, Tony Martin, Vic Damone), and not a particularly charismatic performer on film, this rich baritone's legacy IS his music. Some of Dick's more popular recordings include "The More I See You," "How Blue the Night," "For You, For Me, Forever More," "Speak Low," and "Another Night Like This."

Also Known For

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70

Under Jakob's Ladder

Jul 25, 2011

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65

State Fair

Aug 29, 1945

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66

One Touch of Venus

Aug 01, 1948

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60

All Ashore

Mar 03, 1953

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48

Do You Love Me

May 17, 1946

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40

Diamond Horseshoe

May 02, 1945

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85

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim

Jan 04, 1947

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50

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Oct 19, 1944

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70

Up in Central Park

Jul 09, 1948

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60

Carnival in Costa Rica

Mar 28, 1947

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62

Dramatic School

Dec 09, 1938

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50

St. Benny the Dip

Aug 24, 1951

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57

Words and Music

Dec 31, 1948

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57

Four Jills in a Jeep

Mar 17, 1944

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NA

Cruisin' Down the River

Aug 02, 1953

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73

Mutiny on the Bounty

Nov 22, 1935

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65

Fallen Angel

Nov 15, 1945

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52

Betrayal

Dec 03, 1974

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32

Let's Do It Again

Jun 16, 1953

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61

Du Barry Was a Lady

Aug 13, 1943

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66

Real Life

Mar 02, 1979

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53

I Am an American

Dec 23, 1944

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85

Rita

Sep 09, 2003

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41

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

Jul 26, 1976

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68

The Colgate Comedy Hour

Sep 10, 1950

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62

The Merv Griffin Show

Oct 01, 1962

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68

The Ed Sullivan Show

Jun 20, 1948

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73

The Saint

Oct 04, 1962

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63

Lux Video Theatre

Oct 02, 1950

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71

McCloud

Feb 17, 1970

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49

Suspense

Jan 06, 1949

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NA

Music For A Summer Night

Jun 03, 1959

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50

The Eddie Capra Mysteries

Sep 08, 1978

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55

The Dick Clark Show

Feb 15, 1958

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73

The Ford Television Theatre

Oct 02, 1952

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69

What's My Line?

Feb 02, 1950

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68

McMillan & Wife

Sep 29, 1971

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65

Screen Director's Playhouse

Oct 05, 1955

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68

McMillan & Wife

Sep 29, 1971

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70

Adam-12

Sep 21, 1968

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70

Tonight Starring Jack Paar

Jul 29, 1957

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73

The Ford Television Theatre

Oct 02, 1952