Frankie Avalon
Biography
Frankie Avalon is an American singer and actor who started as a teen idol and became known for 1960s beach party musicals. Born in Philadelphia, he first gained notice as a trumpet player and made his network television debut in a 1952 sketch on The Jackie Gleason Show. He landed 31 singles on the Billboard chart between 1958 and late 1962, among them the number one hits Venus from 1959 and Why from 1960. His film work began with a brief spot in Jamboree, followed by The Alamo (1960) and a science fiction adventure from 1961 in which he sang its title song and took a small part. He became well known for the Beach Party series, including Beach Party (1963), Muscle Beach Party (1964) and Bikini Beach (1964). Later he played Teen Angel in Grease (1978), singing Beauty School Dropout, and appeared as himself in Casino (1995). He also toured with Fabian and Bobby Rydell as the Golden Boys.
86years old
Turns 87 on September 18in 349 days
- Born Philadelphia
- Star sign: VirgoThe sign runs August 23 to September 22
- Francis Thomas Avalone (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 14
- Career span
- 35 years1960 to 1995
First and latest
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First role
Avalon's first film role was a brief appearance in Jamboree (1957), where he played trumpet and sang the song "Teacher's Pet."
Big break
John Wayne saw rushes for Timberland while seeking a young actor for the made-up part of Smitty in The Alamo, his passion project, and Avalon was cast in that 1960 film.
A first
In 1959, Avalon's "Venus" held the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks in a row, and "Why" also reached number one. "Why" was the 1960s' first chart-topping hit.
First role
Avalon's first appearance on American network television came in December 1952, when he played trumpet in a Christmas sketch on The Jackie Gleason Show.
Behind the camera
Avalon came up with the plan to return to beach party films with Funicello. After hiring screenwriters and pitching the screenplay around town, he got the project set up at Paramount Pictures, and Back to the Beach (1987) did moderately well.
Beyond film
For the English-language release of the Japanese musical anime Alakazam the Great (1960), Avalon supplied the singing voice of the lead character. American International Pictures, the US distributor, had asked for this, and it launched a long association between Avalon and the company.
Frankie Avalon movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
William Asher directed four of these films. Annette Funicello appears in six of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Annette Funicello's page
Don Rickles's page
John Ashley's page
Harvey Lembeck's page
Jody McCrea's page
Salli Sachse's page
William AsherDirector, 4 films, 1963 to 1966
All films by William Asher
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.