Bing Crosby Height, Weight, Age, Body Statistics

Bing Crosby was a multi-talented American megastar of the early 20^th century. He received many accolades during his time including Academy Award for “Best Actor” and was the first recipient of first Grammy Global Achievement Award. Bing’s notable films include Going My Way, The Bells of St. Mary’s, Here Comes the Groom, and The Country Girl. He was also few of the notable celebrities to have received three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was the first person to sing and popularize one of Christmas’ favorite songs of all times, White Christmas.

Birth Date

Bing Crosby was born on May 3, 1903.

Died

Bing Crosby died aged 74 on October 14, 1977, in Alcobendas, Madrid, Spain due to a heart attack. He had spent the entire day playing golf.

Sun Sign

Taurus

Resting Place

Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California, United States

Nationality

Education

Bing Crosby studied at the Gonzaga High School and graduated in 1920. Later, he attended Gonzaga University but did not earn a degree. However, in 1937, the university provided him with an honorary doctorate.

Genre

Traditional Pop, Jazz, Easy Listening

Instruments

Vocals, Drums

Labels

• Columbia Records
• RCA Records
• Brunswick Records
• Reprise Records
• Decca Records
• Capitol Records
• Verve Records

Girlfriend / Spouse

Bing Crosby has dated –

1. Mary Martin – Bing was rumored to have had an encounter with actress Mary Martin in the past.
2. Ginger Mehan – Bing was rumored to be dating Ginger Mehan in the past.
3. Joan Blondell – Bing reportedly dated actress Joan Blondell in the past.
4. Rhonda Fleming – Bing had a brief relationship with actress Rhonda Fleming.
5. Dixie Lee – Bing was in a relationship with actress and nightclub singer Dixie Lee whom he later married in 1930. They had 4 sons together named Gary Evan Crosby (June 27, 1933-August 24, 1995), twins Phillip Lang Crosby (July 13, 1934-January 13, 2004) and Dennis Michael Crosby (July 13, 1934-May 4, 1991), and Lindsay Harry Crosby (January 5, 1938-December 11, 1989). Sadly, Dixie died in 1952 after suffering from ovarian cancer.
6. Miriam Hopkins (1934) – In 1934, Bing had an encounter with actress Miriam Hopkins.
7. Joan Bennett (1934-1935) – In 1934, Bing started an affair with actress Joan Bennett that lasted till 1935.
8. Ingrid Bergman (1935) – In 1935, Bing had an encounter with Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman.
9. Joan Caulfield (1945) – In 1945, Bing briefly dated actress, Joan Caulfield. The pair were cast opposite each other in Blue Skies (1946).
10. Mary Murphy (1953-1954) – In October 1953, Bing began a relationship with actress Mary Murphy, which lasted a year as they broke up in 1954.
11. (1953-1955) – In 1953, Bing started dating actress Grace Kelly. They even appeared together in films like High Society (1956) and The Country Girl (1954). They dated for almost 2 years before separating in 1955.
12. Mona Freeman (1954) – In 1954, Bing briefly dated actress Mona Freeman.
13. Pat Sheehan (1956-1957) – In April 1956, Bing started dating model Pat Sheehan. Their relationship lasted for a year. Pat later married Bing’s son Dennis in 1958.
14. Inger Stevens (1957) – In 1957, Bing had a brief relationship with Swedish actress Inger Stevens.
15. Yvonne Craig (1960) – In 1960, Bing had a brief encounter with actress Yvonne Craig.
16. Kathryn Grant – Bing was in an on and off relationship with actress Kathryn Grant, before finally tying the knot in 1957. He purposely delayed his marriage to Kathryn Grant due to his long affair with Grace Kelly. They have 3 children together – sons Harry Lillis Crosby III (b. August 8, 1958) (Investment Banker, Investor) and Nathaniel Patrick Crosby (b. October 29, 1961) (Golfer), and daughter Mary Frances Crosby (b. September 14, 1959) (Actress). Their marriage lasted until Bing’s death in 1977.

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Long chin
• Wide eyes

Brand Endorsements

Bing Crosby had either endorsed or appeared in commercials for brands like –

• Chesterfield cigarettes
• Oldsmobile Starfire (1961)
• Ford Thunderbird (1956)
• Shell gasoline
• Travel Nevada
• Minute Maid orange juice

Best Known For

• Being a multimedia star and achieving great success in record sales, radio ratings, and motion picture gross earning between 1931 and 1954
• Popularizing the song White Christmas
• Achieving 3 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Motion Pictures, Radio, and Audio Recording, all in 1960

First Album

In 1939, series of compilation albums were released by Decca Records, and it featured songs performed by Bing Crosby and other artists. The albums were Music of Hawaii, Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. 1, Patriotic Songs for Children, Cowboy Songs, Victor Herbert Melodies, Vol. 2, and George Gershwin Songs, Vol. 1.

First Film

In 1930, he made his theatrical film debut in the musical comedy film King of Jazz as One of the Rhythm Boys.

In 1943, he made his theatrical film debut as a voice actor by lending his voice for the character of the Music Box in the musical war comedy film, They Got Me Covered. However, he was uncredited for his role.

In 1949, he made his credited theatrical film debut as a voice-over artist in the animated family comedy film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

First TV Show

In 1948, he made his first TV show appearance on the drama series Repertory Theatre.

In 1951, he lent his voice on the musical TV series The Show.

Bing Crosby Favorite Things

• After School Pastime – A game of “Cops and Robbers”
• Performer – Al Jolson

Source – ,

Bing Crosby Facts

1. He got his nickname “Bing” from a comic strip titled Bingville Bugle after a character named “Bingo”.
2. He was a member of the baseball team while at the university.
3. As Bing had large ears, it was often pinned back up until the film She Loves Me Not (1934).
4. He had been a partial owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates baseball team from the 1940s to the 1960s with 15% share.
5. His first wife Dixie Lee was more famous than Bing when they married in 1930. However, Dixie retired to raise their 4 sons.
6. He considered Louis Armstrong as one of his earliest influencers.
7. As he started to get bald, he hated wearing toupee while filming and looked out for scripts that had more outdoor or bed scenes so he could wear a hat or a nightcap instead.
8. For more than 50 years, his version of the White Christmas became the bestselling single until it was overtaken by ‘s tribute song to the late , Candle in the Wind in 1997.
9. In March 1950, he had an operation to remove his appendix.
10. In late 1973, he suffered from severe chest pains and respiratory problems and had to be hospitalized where a large tumor and three-fifths of the left lung were removed.
11. He is one of the few actors to have received an Oscar nomination twice for playing the same role in two separate films like Father O’Malley in Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945).
12. For 5 years, Bing was the #1 box office attraction. The record for it was broken by who was #1 for 7 years.
13. He had a great day of golf just before his death in Madrid where he played a full 18 holes of golf winning the match with a score of 85.
14. In 1940 Presidential election as a supporter of the Republican Party, he campaigned for Wendell Willkie against President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
15. Bing was self-conscious about his height and wore lifts while maintaining that he was 5’9″. However, in reality, he was just 5’7″ tall.
16. Bing became the first recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1962.
17. He was the first person to sing one of the most popular Christmas choruses of all time, White Christmas.
18. He was an avid golfer and in 1978 was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.
19. Many of the songs that Bing sang won Oscar awards including Sweet Leilani (1937), White Christmas (1942), Swinging on a Star (1944), and In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening (1951).
20. On December 8, 2006, the Met Theater in downtown Spokane, Washington, was renamed the Bing Crosby Theater.
21. In a poll taken in 1948, Bing was voted the most admired man in the world, ahead of President Harry S. Truman, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Jackie Robinson, and Pope Pius XII.
22. Alex Fallis portrayed his character in the film Dash and Lilly (1999).
23. As a person who spent much time in a golf course, Bing was eager in buying his own 18 holes golf course in Kent, England just before his death.
24. In 1948, he was captivated by Joan Caulfield that he nearly filed for divorce from his first wife, Dixie Lee.
25. There is a street named after him in Iowa City, Iowa.
26. His first son, Gary Crosby, was named after a friend and fellow Paramount contractee, Gary Cooper.
27. Bing started losing his hair as early as his high school days, making him completely bald by his 30s.
28. An attempt in kidnapping one of Bing’s children was thwarted by Larry Hovis outside of the El Capitan/Hollywood Palace Theater in 1965, during the filming of the Christmas show.
29. Visit his official website @ bingcrosby.com.
30. He wasn’t active on social media.

Featured Image by CBS Radio / eBay / Public Domain