Bing Crosby
Biography
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, comedian and actor. The first multimedia star, Crosby was a leader in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture grosses from 1931 to 1954. His early career coincided with recording innovations that allowed him to develop an intimate singing style that influenced many male singers who followed him, including Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Dick Haymes, and Dean Martin. Yank magazine said that he was "the person who had done the most for the morale of overseas servicemen" during World War II. In 1948, American polls declared him the "most admired man alive", ahead of Jackie Robinson and Pope Pius XII. Also in 1948, Music Digest estimated that his recordings filled more than half of the 80,000 weekly hours allocated to recorded radio music. Crosby won an Oscar for Best Actor for his role as Father Chuck O'Malley in the 1944 motion picture Going My Way and was nominated for his reprise of the role in The Bells of St. Mary's opposite Ingrid Bergman the next year, becoming the first of six actors to be nominated twice for playing the same character. In 1963, Crosby received the first Grammy Global Achievement Award. He is one of 33 people to have three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the categories of motion pictures, radio, and audio recording. He was also known for his collaborations with longtime friend Bob Hope, starring in the Road to... films from 1940 to 1962. Crosby influenced the development of the postwar recording industry. After seeing a demonstration of a German broadcast quality reel-to-reel tape recorder brought to America by John T. Mullin, he invested $50,000 in a California electronics company called Ampex to build copies. He then convinced ABC to allow him to tape his shows. He became the first performer to pre-record his radio shows and master his commercial recordings onto magnetic tape. Through the medium of recording, he constructed his radio programs with the same directorial tools and craftsmanship (editing, retaking, rehearsal, time shifting) used in motion picture production, a practice that became an industry standard. In addition to his work with early audio tape recording, he helped to finance the development of videotape, bought television stations, bred racehorses, and co-owned the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (49)
Twiggy
as (archival footage)
2025
I Can't Give You Anything But Love: The Jimmy McHugh Story
as Self (archive footage)
2024
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
2023
Grace Kelly – Hollywoods tragische Prinzessin
as Self (archive footage)
2022
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
as Self - C.K Dexter-Haven (archive footage)
2022
Rat Pack
as Self (archive footage)
2022
Dean Martin: King of Cool
as Self (archive footage)
2021
My Music: A Classic Christmas
as Self (archive footage)
2019
Howard
as Jeff Peters (archive footage)
2018
This Is Bob Hope...
as Self (archive footage)
2017
Bing Crosby: Rediscovered
as Self (archive footage)
2014
Michael Bublé: Home For The Holidays
as Self (archive footage)
2012
Bing Crosby: The Television Specials Volume 2 – The Christmas Specials
as Self
2010
The Best of Johnny Carson
as Self (archive footage)
2010
Tim Conway: Timeless Comedy
as Self
2007
"All -Singing All-Dancing" Before And After
as Archive Footage
2006
Grace Kelly: Destiny of a Princess
as Self - Actor (archive footage)
2006
Legendary Christmas Entertainers
as Self
2005
Stan Ridgway's Holiday In Dirt
Thanks (Crew)
2005
'Twas the Night - A Holiday Celebration
as Self
2004
Bing Crosby: Legends in Concert
as Self
2004
Cole Porter in Hollywood: True Love
as Self (Archive Footage)
2003
Biography: Bob Hope: America's Entertainer
as Self (archive footage)
2003
Hollywood Ghosts & Gravesites
as (archive footage)
2003
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.1
as Narrator / Ichabod Crane / Brom Bones (voice) (archive footage)
2003
Edith Head: The Paramount Years
as (archive footage)
2002
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1
as Self (archive footage)
2001
The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 2
as Self (archive footage)
2001
'White Christmas': A Look Back with Rosemary Clooney
as Bob Wallace (archive footage) (uncredited)
2000
Hollywood Musicals of the 40's
as Self (archive footage)
2000
Television: The First Fifty Years
as Self (archive footage)
1999
Classic Commercials: Volume 3
1998
A Bing Crosby Christmas
as Self - Host (archive footage)
1998
Christmas Unwrapped: The History of Christmas
as Bob Wallace (archive footage)
1997
Silent Night
Songs (Sound)
1996
Good King Wenceslas
Songs (Sound)
1996
White Christmas
Songs (Sound)
1995
That's Entertainment! III
as (archive footage)
1994
Shanks for the Memory
1994
Songs That Won the War
as Himself (Archive)
1994
Holiday Greetings from 'The Ed Sullivan Show'
as Self - Vocalist (archive footage)
1992
A Classic Christmas from The Ed Sullivan Show
as Self
1992
The Magic of Bing Crosby
as Self (archive footage)
1991
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
as Self (archive footage)
1990
Happy Birthday, Bob: 50 Stars Salute Your 50 Years with NBC
as Self (archive footage)
1988
Grace Kelly: The American Princess
as Self (archive footage)
1987
Classic Comedy Teams
as Self (archive footage)
1986
Hollywood's Funniest All-Star Bloopers
as Self (archive footage)
1985
Going Hollywood: The '30s
as (archive footage)
1984
