Frankie Avalon | |
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![]() Avalon in 1959 | |
Born | Francis Thomas Avallone September 18, 1940[1] Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
Years active | 1952–present |
Spouse |
Kathryn Diebel (m. 1963) |
Children | 8 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument(s) | |
Website | www |
Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940),[2] better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol.[1][3] He had 31 charting U.S. Billboard singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" and "Why" in 1959. He is the earliest surviving singer to have scored a solo number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Avalon started appearing in films in the 1960s; he is well-known for having appeared in the Beach party films of this decade and for a supporting role in the 1978 musical film Grease, in which he sings the song "Beauty School Dropout".[3]