American crooner and actor (1904-1977). Probably one of the most popular celebrities prior to the 1950s, in radio, TV, and movies. Born Harry Lillis Crosby in Tacoma, Washington, he was nicknamed "Bing" or "Bingo" after one of his favorite comic strips. He put together a vocal trio called the Rhythm Boys with some friends at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Bing had a beautiful, mellow baritone voice that both men and women enjoyed listening to and that sounded really good both in person and on the radio. When the Rhythm Boys got fairly popular and appeared in the film "The King of Jazz" in 1930, Crosby left the group.
Bing sang just about everything in a very laidback, swingy manner. He sang jazz, pop, show tunes, hymns, ballads, and much more. His persona was very easygoing and stylish -- fatherly without seeming like a hardass. And he was able to communicate that style both through the radio and onto film.
He appeared in several publicity shorts, singing to actress Mary Pickford. Bing got signed to a bunch of short films by Mack Sennett. Though the producers considered taping his ears to his head so they wouldn't look so big, Crosby was a natural in front of the camera, and his popularity kept growing. Crosby appeared in his first feature film in 1932 -- "The Big Broadcast," the first in a long string of successful movies.
In 1940, Crosby made "The Road to Singapore" -- his first movie with Bob Hope. The movie was extremely successful, leading to a series of "Road" films, featuring Crosby, Hope, and co-star Dorothy Lamour. A few years later, Crosby starred in "Holiday Inn" with Fred Astaire, and the crooner's version of "White Christmas" was, until Michael Jackson's "Thriller" came along, the best-selling album in history. Bing won an Oscar for his role as Father O'Malley in 1944's "Going My Way" and got another nomination a year later for the sequel "The Bells of St. Mary's." He received another Academy Award nomination in 1954 when he played an alcoholic singer in "The Country Girl" in 1954. Most of his remaining musicals were undistinguished, though "White Christmas" was a hit at the box office, and "High Society" (with Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Grace Kelly) remains a lot of fun to watch.
Crosby's popularity began to diminish with the rise of rock and roll -- his last major hit album was "Now Is the Hour" in 1948. Afterwards, he experimented with his music a little more, moving away from pop music and toward collaborations and even hot jazz, earning some of his greatest critical acclaim in years. Bing also starred in a sitcom ("The Bing Crosby Show") in 1964-65 and financed research into the development of videotape. He died in 1977 of a heart attack in Madrid, Spain.
Research dug up on the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) and the All Music Guide (www.allmusic.com)