How tall was Dean Martin

Duhon said on 13/May/23
@Slamo he is 5'10" average guess is different from Rob's listing.

Arch Stanton said on 10/May/23
You mean his peak height today is average height Slamo, rather than him now being average height today, he died in 1995!

Slamo said on 8/May/23
Was the tallest of the trio. (Sammy and frank). Today he’s just average. 5-9.5.

Arch Stanton said on 8/Jan/23
6'2 Peter Lawford EFB???? Never looked any taller than 6' flat, Rob has him in 5'11 range. I thought Lawford had Dean by about two inches. I've long said Martin's real height was 5'9.5 but he could pass for 5'11-6 ft in many of his films. Funny thing is Karl Malden who was about 3 inches taller than Dean described him as 6 ft 2 in one film!!

Frank Col said on 26/Dec/22
The evidence is clear for Dean's height in many films and TV specials. He seems around 5ft 9.5 and usually wore shoes with a heel if not lifts. Generally this is clearer in the Rat pack movies where he didn't need heels to stand taller than Sinatra and Sammy Davis. Look at Robin and the Seven Hoods for some great elevator shoes worn by Bing Crosby when they sing "Style". Dean is wearing normal looking shoes and looks 5ft 9.5.

Ian Vector said on 12/May/22
He was definitely 5' 9.5". No way he was 5' 11" like he claimed to be.

EFB said on 7/Apr/22
He is clearly in the 5'10"-11 range next to 6'2" Peter Lawford. Look at the classic Rat Pack Sands picture.

Chris Rosato said on 14/Mar/22
Dean had to be taller than 5'-8". That's a bit tooooo low. He and Bobby Darin do a duet which you can see on Youtube and he is three inches taller than Darin. If Martin were only 5-8 that made Dain 5'-5", which is silly. I believe Dean was in the 5-11 range and both Darin and Sinatra were about 5-7, maybe a bit taller.

Nancy RITSKO said on 27/Feb/22
Loved Dean and Frank....never ever will be guys even close..m

Leeann said on 26/Jan/22
The height of Dean Martin is clearly obvious in his movie "Showdown". Rock Hudson is 6'4" and Dean standing beside him, displays Dean's height to be a little less than 6".
No matter, Dean is still the handsome winner as his charm and humor can't be beat by any, no matter how tall or dark.

Rich Paul said on 1/Sep/21
‘’Interestingly, Dean wore dentures. (The source for this is Paul Anka.)’’

Only after his own teeth were yanked when he passed 60. Like many actors of his generation, he had caps which back then when dentists ground down teeth, they weren’t treated properly to stop decay before the cap was glued over them. Eventually, these actors required dentures. Jerry Lewis had them when he was past 60. Both he and Dean ended up with really obvious false teeth. It ended up changing how they sounded when speaking.

Ian C. said on 6/Jul/21
Dean can be seen in a comedy sketch with Dom Deluise, whom Rob has at five foot nine-and-half. Dean is about half an inch taller than Dom. I do remember Dean claiming six foot two. Or possibly that height was claimed for him.

Greg Holston said on 4/Jul/21
In an interview in 2015, Jerry Lewis states both he and Martin were 6ft tall, but wanted Martin to be taller so added a 1/4 " heel to his shoe. If someone claims to be 6ft you can guarantee they are at least 1.5 inches shorter. Actors are expecially height conscious.

Tall In The Saddle said on 9/Apr/21
Here's proof that not all cowboy boots are the same.

Click Here

I've always felt that Westerns allow for some sneaky extra, extra heel for certain actors which gets lost in the false belief that if everyone is in cowboy boots, all things remain equal. Not so. Of course, in his particular case, Lewis said that measures were taken to ensure that good looking straight man Martin always appeared clearly taller than himself. Aside from possible heel advantage, those measures also included goofy, imperfect posture and hunching/cowering on Lewis' part.

Ian C. said on 16/Dec/20
In clips on YouTube, Dean seems a little more than an inch taller than Perry Como. Perry claimed five-eight, which was probably his height with shoes. And Dean in shoes was only a little taller than Perry. So five-nine might be more accurate for Dean.

Arch Stanton said on 24/Nov/20
Siddharth Dwivedi said on 5/Sep/18
Rob I suppose he should be upgraded to atleast 5'10 1/2. Because he doesn't looks more than inch shorter than ronald Reagan in their pic with John Wayne......even if he did wear heels(which he looks to be wearing) he couldn't have been less than 5'10 1/2 atleast..consider it

He was actually at 5'10.5 once but got the downgrade. Stallone could sometimes "look" nearly as tall as big Arnie. "Looks" and "is" are two very different things entirely on guys who are known lift wearers. I've seen all of his 50s and 60s films and trust me on this, he slipped up a few times to look even sub 5'10. I have him at 5'9.5, but agree he could often look a decent 5'11 guy on screen.

Bradley said on 30/Oct/20
As listed for decades

Sinclair said on 6/Sep/20
Rob, how tall do you think Earl Holliman was at peak?

I thought Dean Martin gave a 5'11" impression in The Sons of Katie Elder, Earl Holliman and Martin were very close in height in that film. By the time of The Cannonball Run, Martin could have started to dip under the 5'10" mark. I'd vote 5'10.25" for Martin's peak height.

Mon said on 18/May/20
Dubious he was anything like that if you have seen him in several on set pics in rather big looking shoes next to the barefoot supposedly 5'7'' Nancy Kovack in The Silencers. But then Nancy Kovack's height is probably understated, as she is described as 'tall' in every context, not just movies. An more extreme example is forgotten 60s and 70s British sitcom (For the Love Of Ada ect) actress Barbara Mitchell who was supposed to be 5'7'' but must have been at least 5'10''. Martin had a surprisingly slight overall physique and head.

M.P.R.Stephenson. said on 3/May/20
How can you compare the height of any film star , particularly American ones , they all wear ' lift 'shoes. Using my ability as an artist ,calculating height by their proportion ,given the previous caveat, Dean was, in stocking feet 5 ft 8 1/2 to 5 feet 9 .

VitoCheng said on 25/Mar/20
he is 5'9".75

Ian C, said on 14/Feb/20
Let us assume, as that is where the evidence leads, that Dean lied about his height. You can take this as a dramatic illustration of how much importance people attach to height. Watch Dean sing songs and tell jokes, and he radiates perfect confidence. He seems like the least insecure person on Earth. But he was sensitive about his height (which was taller than average), and he lied about it.

Terry DiPiazza said on 4/Feb/20
There is a famous celebrity television golf match between Sam Snead, who was 5'11", and Dean Martin from about 1960 or so, and Dean is quite a bit taller than Snead. Hard to believe that Martin was wearing lifts in his golf shoes because hitting a golf ball that way would be difficult at best. Perhaps the listed height for Snead is wrong...

Miles Yeargain said on 23/Jan/20
He's 5'11 because frank was 5'8 or 9

Arch Stanton said on 28/Aug/19
SHORTY said on 1/Aug/19
Hey Rob, did you see that he listed his height and weight as 6'0" and 170 pounds on his 1964 California driver's license? An obvious inflation on his height, but less than the 6'1" he claimed on another occasion.

The 2 inch rule, might have been his height in lifts. Def claimed 173 pounds in that film so 170 looks accurate too. No chance of 6 ft. Seen almost all of his films and he slipped up a few times, not impossible he was under 5'10 after a long day's drinkin. ;-)

Was Stack really looking nearer 5'10 in that clip. Funny I saw a film of his recently and thought he could even pull off 184! Did he wear lifts then?

Mark Harrison said on 9/Aug/19
Without the lifts he always wore Dean Martin was only about 5'8".

SHORTY said on 1/Aug/19
Hey Rob, did you see that he listed his height and weight as 6'0" and 170 pounds on his 1964 California driver's license? An obvious inflation on his height, but less than the 6'1" he claimed on another occasion.

Derek H. said on 22/Feb/19
5’10”, 173 lbs.

Rising - 174 cm said on 11/Nov/18
Dean may have looked 5'11", but look at the type of shoes he wore: Click Here You can zoom in if you click on the image.

Siddharth Dwivedi said on 10/Oct/18
By looking at famous photo of him ,John Wayne and Ronald Reagan together..he doesn't look more than an inch shorter than reagan who is listed 6 0.5

He looks 5'11 or so next to him

Ian C said on 18/Sep/18
In Rio Bravo, Dean made no attempt to appear taller than he really was. He had scenes standing next to John Wayne, who towered over him by six inches. That was in 1959. By 1966, when he had his own TV show and a steady gig as the lead in the Matt Helm movies, he was claiming six feet two, as if he thought that being a singing star and a heroic lead required that he be a taller man than he was when he was a supporting player and half of a comedy duo.

Interestingly, Dean wore dentures. (The source for this is Paul Anka.)

Christopher Rosato said on 15/Sep/18
Dean performed next to another suave Italian crooner, Bobby Darin, and looked a good three inches taller. Darin was known to be 5'-7" in bare feet, 5'-8" with a traditional one inch heel. Darin and Sinatra were the same height. Dino looks about three inches taller than Bobby; and in films where Dino and Frank are side by side, again there appears to be a three inch difference. I think Darin and Sinatra were each 5-7, and 5-8 with traditional heels. Dino was 5'10, and 5'11 with traditional heels.

Siddharth Dwivedi said on 5/Sep/18
Rob I suppose he should be upgraded to atleast 5'10 1/2. Because he doesn't looks more than inch shorter than ronald Reagan in their pic with John Wayne......even if he did wear heels(which he looks to be wearing) he couldn't have been less than 5'10 1/2 atleast..consider it

Mark Harrison said on 14/Jul/18
Dean Martin always wore lifts in films.

Robby Harris said on 26/May/18
Certainly looked every bit of 5'10" with guys like Walter Brennan and Frank Sinatra. 5'9.5" minimum.

Thunderfin said on 13/Apr/18
Anyone confused by this photo?

Click Here

zoki said on 27/Feb/18
Dean Martin was always 5ft10 178 cm on screen, and he was always wearing lifts in his shoes because Jerry Lewis was a little bit taller, Dean with his shoes on was about 5ft11 i think but in that age a man to be 5ft10 was very good height for thouse years.

Ben said on 31/Dec/17
On the "Dean Martin Show" John Wayne showed up as a surprise guest. After Wayne departed Dean,comparing himself to the "Duke," said "I'm 6-1 and I look like nothin.'" I suspect Dean was 5'11."

Patrick Heffernan said on 12/Dec/17
Dean Martin was one of my favorite singers and actors .He epitomized the relaxed suave debonair playboy
with a glamorous lifestyle who did not have to work for a living and he had a wonderful singing voice RIP

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 4/Nov/17
I hate 5ft11-6ft guys who claim 6ft1 but 5ft10!

James said on 14/Oct/17
Pat Boone was 5'9" at his peak.

Tom said on 6/Oct/17
I now believe Stack was no more than 5'10''. Click Here And Pat Boone was at least 5'10''. By the way, Boone is the exact same height as Elvis. I'd link the photo, but it's not on the web.

Tom said on 6/Oct/17
But if Boone was really just 5'9'' in his prime, why is he taller than Stack? Boone never seemed to wear lifts. On an episode of Dean Martin's variety show, when Boone appeared from behind the door as a surprise guest, he was as tall as Dean was. And Dean can be seen wearing black velvet shoes with a large heel and I believe a lift inside, probably boosting him an extra inch. Stuff like this drives me nuts!

Tom said on 5/Oct/17
Somebody please explain this video. Click Here

Dean is only three inches shorter than Buddy Ebsen who was reportedly 6'3''. And Michael Landon who was 5'9'' seems within half an inch being as tall as Dean. Then we have Robert Stack who's listed at 6' being slightly shorter than Pat Boone who's listed at 5'9''. Then there's Fred MacMurray who was 6'3'' only looking to be three inches taller than both Stack and Boone. Then look at Charlton Heston with Dean. Heston only looks like he's three inches taller. Lifts? Shrinking? My poor head is spinning on this one!

James said on 20/Sep/17
Dean Martin may only have been 5'8" without lifts.

Tom said on 23/Aug/17
I watched Jumping Jacks and had to laugh because Dean was the only 'soldier' wearing specially made combat boots with lifts. Still, he was visibly shorter than Don Defore who was either 6'' or 6'1''. What got me was Robert Stause who was 5'10'' was slightly taller than Dean.

Forbin said on 22/Aug/17
I would say 5'10" is very accurate. If you look at photos or video of Dino standing next to the 6'1" Karl Malden in the movie Murderers' Row you can see that Dino is just a few inches shorter.

Arch Stanton said on 20/Aug/17
There's a chance on 5'9.5, sometimes you'll catch a scene where he seems to look too short to have been 5 ft 10, but most of the time 5'10 is believable. At times I don't know why it is but he can look barely 5'9 on the odd occasion, like he forgot his lifts for the scene or something!

even said on 8/Jul/17
6'1" - 4 inches = 5'9"

RisingForce said on 19/Jun/17
Sure looks like these black shoes in Cannonball Run could have had lifts: Click Here

Arch Stanton said on 17/May/17
Yes Rising, that';s the thing, Martin wore lifts in most of his films to pull off a decent 5 ft 11. See him with Dick Van Dyke he was barely shorter! Watch Artists and Models there is a scene in which he's in flip flops and compared to Dorothy Malone he really looks nearer 5 ft 8! Barefoot in Ada I thought just under 5 ft 10 is the best shout.

RisingForce said on 16/May/17
Actually, I think Dean still wore lifts in Cannonball Run since he could still look taller than 5'10" assuming Roger Moore was 6'1".

RisingForce said on 11/May/17
It's funny, I would have thought Dean was about 5'11"! Guess it's the shoes, though never 6'1". What was he thinking? Depends on how tall Dom Deluise was. I never believed the 5'11.5" I read in an old article, but the 5'9.5" Rob gives him seems more realistic, while others have guessed 5'10". I do know Burt Reynolds could look 3 inches taller than Deluise in his lifts. Dean looks a bit taller here, perhaps an inch: Click Here But if you see their footwear as the clip goes on, it's clear looking at the back of Dean's shoes that he's got an advantage with either an extra heel or an inch lift inside. I don't think he'd lost height because the difference doesn't look any bigger in this clip: Click Here You see Dean's shoes at the very end when he falls to the ground. I'm not sure, but the back can look funny again. If Dean did have lifts in both clips then it's entirely possible he was the same height as Deluise. 5'10" seems like a good bet, but then a bit under, around the 177 mark doesn't seem impossible either. I'd like to see more good shots of his shoes. He would have been about 63 when Cannonball Run was filmed and I thought he seemed about 3 inches shorter than Burt Reynolds, but I don't remember Dean's footwear. Then again, Burt managed to look taller than Roger Moore in that film!

James said on 1/May/17
Dean Martin was 5'9".

Arch Stanton said on 7/Apr/17
Yuck but then you see 30-31 minutes and Martin is looking no less than 5'10 again!

Arch Stanton said on 7/Apr/17
Lewis looks easily an inch taller there I think.

Arch Stanton said on 7/Apr/17
Rob I don't know if you can access this video where you are but pause at 20:15, it's an early Dean Martin with Lewis and he doesn't seem to be wearing his usual customs. At 20:15 you can see their real heights, I think he was closer to 177 myself Click Here 5'10.5 for Lewis is probably accurate, Just goes to show as in a lot of later films Martin could look comfortably taller at times!

Charlie said on 1/Apr/17
I just saw Dean martins 1967 Drivers License not one of those make believe joke drivers license movie stars make this was a legit license. His height was stated 6-0 ft. His weight was 170. I watched an Interview with Jerry Lewis a recent interview where he was asked how he made himself appear shorter than Dean Martin in a comedy Skit here Jerry plays a little boy.Jerry said because he and Dean were both 6 ft tall dean had to wear extra inches in his shoes the appear taller.Jerry Lewis said with the shoe lifts dean was probably 6 ft 2 inches. This is coming from Jerry Lewis's own words. But then i saw a skit ith Dean Martin and George Kennedy and George towered over him by a good 5 inches and then i saw a photo of George Kennedy and Rob together and George appeared to be the same height as Rob. Who knows with some actors these days.

Arch Stanton said on 16/Mar/17
I doubt DeNiro is even a full 5 ft 8 today too Tom, more 5 ft 7 range last I saw.

Tom said on 10/Mar/17
Studying Martin & Lewis together, it's clear to me Dean was shorter than Jerry by about an inch. With lifts he was the same height. So 5-9 for Dean and 5-10 for Jerry.

Today at 90, Jerry is a lot shorter than 5-8 Robert DeNiro. A number of back injuries caused by pratfalls really destroyed his spine.

Tom said on 2/Mar/17
Jerry Lewis repeatedly claimed he and Dean were exactly six feet. And that he came up with the idea to add a ''quarter of and inch to Dean's heels'' to make him appear taller. Jerry is full of it. Dean wore lefts in films without Jerry. And not just boosting him by a quarter of an inch either. That's not enough of a difference to be noticeable. Both men were no more than 5-10.

Tom said on 2/Mar/17
When Ernest Borgnine guested on Dean's variety show, he was just as tall as Dean and Dean wore shoes with a taller heel. Borgnine claimed to be 5-9. I think he was closer to 5-10. Watch the video clips and you'll see what I mean. There are several on the web.

James said on 1/Feb/17
Dean Martin was 5'9" with lifts.

Arch Stanton said on 6/Jan/17
Editor Rob: I can see a 177cm argument for him too. It would have been interesting if a site like this was somehow around in the 50's and 60's era.

A guy like Martin would have regularly sent $$ to have him at 6'1 haha!! I see the average vote reckons 5'9.5 too. It is possible, I wouldn't go under it though seeing him with Balsam. Tall enough to still manage to pass for nearly 6 ft in "footwear".

Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/17
@Rob, in the film Ada, Martin is standing in slippers, no lifts and he looks roughly 2.5 inches taller than Martin Balsam in shoes. Balsam was 5'6 range I think, as you've listed him at so add roughly an inch shoes, 5'7.5, so puts Martin at a weak 5'10 really as his slippers were pretty flat and you could see his feet beneath the pajamas. 5'10 flat is certainly nearer than 5'10.5 I think, 177 is still quite possible still though.

Arch Stanton said on 1/Jan/17
Editor Rob: 5ft 10 at most and 7 probably makes more sense, I watched a bit of that film and he was about 3 inches taller than her at times, but could seem over an inch under Jerry when in shoes.

Yup, but he was wearing lifts LOL. There is a scene later on where they're all doing twister like movements on a bed and you can see his shoes and he was weairng lifts". Generally he didn't look under 5 ft 10, in fact he could often look a strong 5'11, weak 6' kind of guy but you have ot be very **CAREFUL** with taking his height as given in comparisons, much like Sly.

Arch Stanton said on 31/Dec/16
Seriously though, if you really look at it it rules out over 5 ft 10. I've always thought Dorothy looked more 5 ft 7 and should be upgraded, but you can sort of see Martin's real height there and he looks a lot shorter than we think and more like 5 ft 8 haha. Is it possible he was wearing lifts all the time and deceived us into thinking he was 5'10 range? He had to have worn big lifts to pull off 6 ft if he was only 5 ft 8! I did think in Rio Bravo Dean could look just 5 ft 8 or 9 in some scenes with the Duke.

Arch Stanton said on 31/Dec/16
Rob, check out 1 hr 3 minutes. Click Here 5 ft 6 listed Dorothy Malone is barefoot, Martin is wearing a decent flip flop yet only appears about 1.5 inches taller, 2 max. If she was really only 5 ft 6 knock off an inch for his flip flops and that would make him not even 5 ft 7 LOL. Check it out. He looks nowhere near 5'10 let alone 5'10.5 there.

Kel said on 25/Dec/16
Elvis was 6'2"

Arch Stanton said on 2/Dec/16
It's not a case of " If he wore elevators (and it appears he might)", he "did" wear them, in several films in fact you can see his socks and feet coming out of the shoes when he lifts up a leg!!

Arch Stanton said on 2/Dec/16
Have you got any height related quotes to add here? There must be some interesting ones worth mentioning.

Arch Stanton said on 1/Dec/16
@Rob, check out 15-16 min Click Here, he can really reach 6 ft range in lifts, barely shorter than Dick Van Dyke. Dick even makes a joke at 16 that Dean has grown and him shrunk, must be an in joke or something.

James said on 4/Nov/16
Perhaps Wayne and Martin were both wearing lifts in those two films.

Arch Stanton said on 15/Oct/16
Maritn usually wore lifts in his films but in Rio Bravo seemed to have forgotten them. The Duke looked 7 or 8 inches taller than Maritn in that film and made him look 5 ft 8 range!

6ftBen said on 4/Oct/16
Was absolutely dwarfed by John Wayne in Rio Bravo and in any photo you care to look at the two of them. Easily 6 inches height difference.

James said on 12/Sep/16
Dean Martin was 5'8".

Tom said on 16/Jun/16
Dean and Jerry were 5-10. Red Skelton who was 6-1.5 has nearly four inches on Jerry and three on Dean who is obviously wearing his monster lifts. Click Here

Jerry Lewis claiming to be six feet is laughable. He was a lot shorter than both 6-1 Fred Clark and 6-1 John Williams in Visit to a Small Planet.

Garry said on 13/Jun/16
I have recently acquired a Tuxedo dated 1/10/74 which was made for Dean Martin.I am 6.0 ft tall and the sleeves of the jacket are only halfway up my forearms.Proportionately he couldn't have been more than 5.7/5.8.

Tom said on 6/Jun/16
If you see the size of the lifts Dean wore, you'll realize what Jerry claimed was nonsense. Martin wore huge lifts boosting him by an extra inch and a half over normal shoes. Click Here

Arch Stanton said on 6/Jun/16
Rob, do you have some quote boxes to add here? I'm sure there's some shocking ones from the Rat Pack members, I wouldn't have been surprised if a guy like Martin claimed 6'2 at one point!

Arch Stanton said on 6/Jun/16
Maritn was taller than Lewis when in his lifts but when not I think Lewis edged him out. Maritn looked about 6 ft in lifts, I think he was around 5 ft 10, could look nearer Rob's height at times with John Wayne though!

Tom said on 3/Jun/16
Jerry Lewis claims it was his idea for Dean to wear lifts to look taller since both men were six feet. Utter make believe. Both men were never more than 5-10. Dean might have been slightly shorter because with lifts he still looked no taller than Lewis. And Dean continued to wear lifts long after he and Lewis parted ways. So much we hear and read turns out to be exaggeration. In some cases pure bunk.

cHARLIE said on 4/Feb/16
Many give Height of Dean as 5" 8 With Elevator Shoes 6ft We never will find the truth out but we do know he was a top Singer and Actor.

Steve said on 20/Oct/15
Larry, you might be right.

Looks like Dean forgot his lifts. Next to 5'10" Johnny Carson he appears to be an inch shorter. Click Here

Larry said on 15/Sep/15
Dean Martin was 5'9".

Steve said on 21/Aug/15
Even with lifts, Dean was an inch shorter than Peter Lawford in the original Ocean's 11.

Arch Stanton said on 19/Aug/15
Wore big lifts. In 5 Card Stud he only looked about 3 inches shorter than Yaphet Kotto!!

Arch Stanton said on 20/Jul/15
Nah actually in some scenes in Kate Elder Wayne can look easily 6 inches taller than him.

Arch Stanton said on 20/Jul/15
The funny thing is that in Rio Bravo he looked as low as 5 ft 8 range at times but in Sons of Katie Elder could look almost 6 ft 1!
If you compare him to John Wayne in both there's massive lifts at play in Sons of!

Arch Stanton said on 7/Jul/15
Might have been close to 6 ft 1 in his biggest lifts. He could certainly pull off 6 ft in his standards.

hijopotamus said on 28/Jun/15
When he was referred as a 6'1" guy it means with shoes on? Was he really 5'10"? 3 inch difference is way too much for that era. Today maybe Stallone, Pitt, Cruise etc wear a 3 inch surplus but I dont even think they go THAT far.

RAY MARTIN said on 27/Jun/15
HI I WAS BEST FRIEND AND RELATIVE I AM 5FT 5 AND DEAN MARTIN WAS 5FT 6 INCHES AND WORE ELEVATORS 6INCHES IN HIS SHOES . LONG LIVE DEAN MARTIN , VIVA LA DEAN MARTIN VA VIVA ITALIA ONLY .

Arch Stanton said on 9/May/15
It's not a question of "if" he wore elevators, he was a regular lift wearer and in some of his films you can see them as clearly as Bing Crosby's! Watch Artists and Models and pause in the places I said. There's a scene in it in which he's briefly in flip flops and Mallone barefoot I think and he doesn't look much taller!

Arch Stanton said on 9/May/15
Rob I still think the 0.5 is generous here. The barefoot/flipflip scene in Artists and Models with Dorothy Malone or Shirley MacLaine, can't remember which, pretty much rules out over 5 ft 10! I think he was more likely in 177-8 range and wore lifts to pass for 6 ft. I reckon Jerry Lewis might have edged him but Deano usually wore lifts and passed for looking taller.

Arch Stanton said on 11/Jan/15
Later on perhaps Steve but I think he looked 12 stone range in the 50s and 60s. And compare him to the Duke in Rio Bravo and it's difficult to call him very broad shouldered! He frequently wore lifts, I've spotted those brown customs in a number of his films.

Steve said on 11/Jan/15
Looks like Dean is wearing lifts.

Click Here

Steve said on 10/Jan/15
I think Dean weighed more. He had very broad shoulders and a big chest.

As far as height, 5'10" sounds about right. Maybe even 5'9 &1/2". But no more than 5'10".

He did wear lifts to boost him to 6'. I think he was shorter by a half an inch to an inch than Jerry Lewis.

Later on because of severe spinal injury caused by a combination of two many pratfalls compounded by a bad fall off a stage in Vegas, Jerry lost at least two inches. From then on he usually wore boots with big heels.

When Frank Sinatra got Dean and Jerry back together on Jerry's telethon, Dean wore regular shoes while Jerry wore his usual boots with what looked like at least two and a half inch heels making him the same height as Dean.

Arch Stanton said on 31/Dec/14
Rob can you mention that in the film Kiss Me, Stupid his character his weight was given as 173 pounds. Dino tries to guess Kim Novak's weight and he says guess mine and she says 173 and a half pounds and he says "you guessed right on the nose" or something. His fan site gives 175 pounds. I think 173 pounds might be the precise one, that was in 1964. You could add something like "in Kiss Me, Stupid (1964) his character was mentioned as being 173 pounds".

Arch Stanton said on 28/Nov/14
For once he forgot his lifts in Ocean's 11 as in one scene he had his feet up on the bed and they looked normal albeit with a heel. Sinatra's looked normal too. It's hard to believe Dino had a full 3 inches on Sinatra.Seems more like 2-2.5 inches max. 5 ft 10 peak I'd say, but his height really has been all over the shop, he can look anything from 5'8.5 to 6'1!!

Arch Stanton said on 28/Nov/14
For once he forgot his lifts in Ocean's 11 as in one scene he had his feet up on the bed and they looked normal albeit with a heel. Sinatra's looked normal too. It's hard to believe Dino had 3 inches on Sinatra. Maybe 2.5 inches. 5 ft 10 peak I'd say, but his height really has been all over the shop, he can look anything from 5'8.5 to 6'1!!

Arch Stanton said on 23/Nov/14
Burt Reynolds had him by like 2 or 3 inches in Cannonball Run. I'd guess a mixture of height loss and Reynolds in lifts!!

Arch Stanton said on 23/Nov/14
By Cannonball Run the years of heavy partying and drinking took its toll. He looked awful by then.

Sam said on 4/Aug/14
You could make an argument that Sinatra had a handsome face but he was quite short and slight which run contrary to typical ideal looks. Yeah, I have a lot of admiration for them and, in addition to being gifted singers, both Martin and Sinatra were solid actors.

Arch Stanton said on 2/Aug/14
I watched two Sinatra concerts from 1965 and 1978 last night and the 78 one at Caesar's Palace in Vegas before the show he was admiring himself in the mirror in a tux, with a super orange tan. He was looking pretty good but didn't he know it! He was stood next to some guys a head taller than him but he still stood out as "the man". One of the stand up comedians made a joke about Sinatra's ridiculously skinny weight when he was younger and being able to walk between harp strings or something!! Sinatra reminds me of a guy I was in school with who was always the most popular, his dad was a luxury car dealer so he used to drive around in Lamborghini Countach and Ferrari Testarossas when he was younger and thought he was the s**t. I saw him not too long ago driving an Audi convertible with orange sunglasses on, still like it, a classic poser, but bald now like his dad. Like Sinatra he's not tall or particularly good looking but he has that super ego and presence which most people, especially women, are allured to. They must have had a whale of time though performing on stage in Vegas and partying all through the night and pulling any woman they wanted though. There are many reasons why we should hate them but you can't help but admire the status that they achieved in life and their level of confidence.

Sam said on 1/Aug/14
Yeah, both Martin and Sinatra dressed and groomed very well, but it was due to their charisma and fame that they each probably got more tail then all of the commentors on celebheights combined, haha, sorry. I like that Dino was never afraid to put Frank in his place, because Sinatra could become a bit of a ego-monster at times and the other Rat Packers were too afraid to not fall in line.

Arch Stanton said on 31/Jul/14
Sinatra wasn't the best looking either but I'm sure women considered both men handsome, and with the charisma that went with it, especially so. Martin wasn't "pretty" but he definitely had the classic dark and suave thing going on with his expensive suits and dark hair and skin. I wouldn't have minded being him but it that way!!

Sam said on 19/Jun/14
I think he's a classic example of a non-handsome guy who was considered very attractive due to his talent, charisma and self-confidence.

Arch Stanton said on 19/Jun/14
Although in Rio Bravo I think he just had on normal cowboy boots and it's the shortest I've ever seen him look.

Arch Stanton said on 19/Jun/14
Got a good glimpse of his footwear in The Young Lions and they looked almost as thick as Rob's 4 inches Don's. Really thick and suspicious looking. To date the too big lift wearers I've discovered are Bing Crosby and Dean Martin. I've only spotted a couple of films where Sinatra looked as if he was wearing lifts. Martin and Crosby literally every film I've seen they're clearly wearing them.

Arch Stanton said on 19/Jun/14
Nice one. Somehow he manages to look nearer 2 inches taller than Monty Clift in The Young Lions and barely more than 2 inches shorter than Lee Van Cleef! So he's somehow managing to look almost 6 ft at times. His height is all over the place. I've seen him look anything from 5'8" range - almost 6'1!!

Arch Stanton said on 17/Jun/14
Thanks Rob, can you add a photo? Also a comma needed after Bandolero!

Arch Stanton said on 12/Jun/14
Rob can you update this one too?

Arch Stanton said on 11/Jun/14
Rob can you update this with "American singer and actor, best remembered for songs like "Memories Are Made of This", "Everybody Loves Somebody" and "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", and for roles in films like Ocean's 11, Rio Bravo, Artists and Models, Airport, The Young Lions, Bandolero!, You're Never Too Young, Toys in the Attic, and Who Was That Lady?. He was also known for hosting the The Dean Martin Show and The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.

Arch Stanton said on 11/Jun/14
Rob can you update this with "American singer and actor, best remembered for songs like "Memories Are Made of This", "Everybody Loves Somebody" and "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", and for roles in films like Ocean's 11, Rio Bravo, Artists and Models, Airport, The Young Lions, Bandolero! You're Never Too Young, Toys in the Attic, and Who Was That Lady?. He was also known for hosting the The Dean Martin Show and The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast.

Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/14
In Bad day at Black Rock Brennan did only look 5'11 range, 2.5-3inches shorter than Lee Marvin but he was really old by 1955 and I think would have lost height by then. Brennan looked minimum 6 ft peak to me. 3 inches shorter than strong 6'3" Gary Cooper in 1940.

Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/14
Yeah dead on 1 hr 15:29-35 the light even glints off the hidden lift and line of it inside the shoes! Is that just me Rob?

Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/14
Earlier in the film Martin was wearing black customs but at 1 hr 15 range, especially around 1 hr 15.35 you can see the slope of the lift inside those brown shoes too when his leg is up and the high back on them.

Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/14
Now did they put her in heels to look nearer his height or was that actual barefoot? You can't see but the way they spring up it looks as if it was still her barefoot and him in flip flops!

Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/14
Rob I've found something major I think. Dean Martin in flips flops next to a barefoot Dorothy Malone in Artists and Models. Click Here Click the usual brown link underneath. Watch from 1hr:05:30 and compare them at around 1 hr 05:52 onwards. Malone was listed at 5 ft 6! Even if she was 5 ft 7 which I think she looked nearer he isn't much taller and he has a little advantage in flip flops! He really looks nowhere near 5'10.5" in comparison! Earlier in the film he was pulling off looking 6 ft in his shoes and now suddenly looks way shorter.

Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/14
Definitely wearing lifts in Artists and Models. Not only a fair heel on his dresses shoes but when he's dancing you can see the high back on the shoes and his foot almost popping out of them. Given the already quite big heel and the left I reckon he' was getting minimum 2 inches from them and explains why he looks 6 ft range in the film next to a heeled Shirley MacClaine!

Arch Stanton said on 10/Jun/14
Brennan was about 6 ft, but he looked 6'1" in Rio Bravo, that's what I was saying. He was three inches shorter than Gary Cooper in The Westerner. Martin is really difficult to guess because his height seems to fluctuate. In Artists and Models I thought he looked a bit taller than Jerry Lewis actually.

Tom Hughes said on 19/Mar/14
Brennan certainly didn't look 6'1" next to 6'3" James Stewart in "The Far Country".

Burt said on 18/Mar/14
Also I've just read that Skelton said he was 6'1".

Burt said on 18/Mar/14
Walter Brennan was 5'11". Dean Martin was 5'9".

Knowitall said on 17/Mar/14
Walter Brennan was at least six feet. He was almost as tall as six-two Red Skelton on Skelton's program.

Ciaran said on 16/Mar/14
Brennan was 5'11". Martin was 5'9".

Zediah said on 14/Mar/14
Walter Brennan wasn't 6'1"!

Knowitall said on 24/Feb/14
Dean was around five-nine & 1/2. He never left home without his lifts. With them he stood a little over five-eleven.

Walter Brennan was at least six feet tall. He could have been six-one peak.

Arch Stanton said on 11/Jan/14
It is very difficult to see him over 5'10" next to Wayne and Brennan. In most later photos Martin looks a LOT taller which can only be explained by lifts I think. In all honesty Martin can even look a weak 5'9 at times in Rio Bravo but 5'10" I think would at least be more realistic I think. Click Here He looks 5'10" ish next to Sinatra too I think.

Arch Stanton said on 5/Jan/14
Rob have you seen Rio Bravo? I'm pretty sure if you see it again you'll also come back here and be puzzled at how he could have been almost 5'11!

Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/14
There really aren't too many photo captures which show the true height difference but although Wayne is nearer the camera here you can sort of see Martin in the background had typical 5'9" proportions. Click Here

Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/14
I mean see the comparison with John Wayne here Click Here . Now go watch Rio Bravo!!

Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/14
Definitely a lift wearer because in photos outside of Rio Bravo Martin is looking nearer 6 ft in comparison!! You could see his true height in the film and The Duke made him look like a little dark fella!

Arch Stanton said on 4/Jan/14
Rob any chance of a downgrade at least to 5'10? Honestly he looked short in Rio Bravo and looked a good 3-4 inches shorter than Walter Brennan who was I'd guess a strong 6'0, and Wayne looked about 7- 8 inches taller. He certainly looked no more than 5'9" range in it. I hadn't realized that he was reportedly a lift wearer but in Rio Bravo they're all in cowboy boots which give about the same and he looked nowhere near 5'11 next to Wayne.

Arch Stanton said on 24/Dec/13
Yeah he was 5'10 ish. Like Sinatra he exuded charisma and had that special thing. He's the sort of guy who could have had any woman he ever wanted and every guy respected him. He was super slick even as the airline pilot in Airport who got to kiss Jacqueline Bisset, lucky git! Obviously had some issues though with his height which isn't surprising given how many film stars were over 6 ft during that period.

Mr. Kaplan said on 14/Dec/13
He looked 5'10" in 'Kiss Me, Stupid'. Meanwhile, Cliff Osmond looked gigantic -- at least 6'5".

longtime old movie buff said on 16/Nov/13
Theres a great photo of Dean ,Lawford and Frank, outside walking together at the premiere of Oceans 11. Dean is about an inch less than Peter.Of course ,Dean may have lifts at the time.After doing much research, Lawford was about 5'11 or a bit more.

Knowitall said on 1/Oct/13
Why do you make excuses such as camera angles? Watch the movie. Dean is always at least three inches shorter than Ralph Meeker. So was Dean always standing in a hole?

I say Dean wore lifts because he did. They can be easily spotted in many of his films

Carolyn said on 26/Sep/13
@Knowitall- photos based on camera angles are deceiving. Why do you mention lifts all the time?How do you know Dean wears lifts all the time? A solid
5' 10" to 5' 11" is about right barefeet.

Knowitall said on 23/Sep/13
For some reason that link failed to work.

Try this one then click on the photo to enlarge it:

Click Here

Dean is three inches shorter than six foot one Ralph Meeker. And Dean was wearing lifts in that film.

Knowitall said on 21/Sep/13
Dean next to six foot one Ralph Meeker:

Click Here

There is no way that Dean was over five ten. And he wore lifts in Ada!

Knowitall said on 20/Sep/13
That's nonsense. If Dean was five eleven in his bare feet, he would have appeared to be three inches taller than Ray Walston in Kiss Me Stupid. In reality he was only about an inch taller. Ray Walston was five eight.

And if Dean was five eleven he wouldn't have appeared shorter next to Rick Nelson in Rio Bravo. Nelson was five eleven.

I believe Dean was under five ten. He wore lifts to boost him to where he looked like he was five eleven. But he didn't always wear them. In Kiss Me Stupid he wore normal loafers.

Ray said on 2/Sep/13
I actually knew the golddigger girls that worked for the Dean Martin Show and they told me that Dean is actually 5 ft 11 inches on his barefeet. The lifts is another story that made him look over 6 ft. But remember Dean slouches like the rest of us.

Manny said on 1/Sep/13
5 ft 11 inch in his prime without shoes and a BIG Hollywood star!

Robert said on 1/Sep/13
100% truth - Dean is 5ft 10" to 5ft 11" Flat (5ft 11" in his prime). @knowitall: according to Bobby Darin, John Wayne wore lifts too!
see "Bobby Darin". Big John Wayne is also conscious of his height in films.
If you see movie "El Dorado" with Robert Mitchum, 6' 1" Mitchum's head was on Wayne's chin while walking together on flat ground. Yep!!! John Wayne was an honest fella with lifts in them boots!!!!

@RBC: that's correct. I don't think Dean would wear too much shoe lift because it may affect his golf stance or swing. Perhaps 1 inch more in lifts or NO lifts at all in his golf shoes. Note: golf shoes are like regular shoes.

RBC said on 30/Aug/13
Met Dino once at a charity golf tournament in New Orleans.. I am 6' tall and I looked him almost directly eye to eye.

D'RatPack said on 26/Aug/13
100% - 71 inches in Dean's Prime

Dominic said on 26/Aug/13
A solid 5' 11".

Carol said on 26/Aug/13
To be 100% be truthful - a good, slender well-proportioned 5' 11" bare feet in his prime (1960's). It's a big lie to think he's 5' 7" - 5' 9". The above height posted above is reasonable.

truth to the max said on 26/Aug/13
100% 5' 11" flatfooted in his prime. And a big, big star!

marilyn said on 25/Aug/13
In his prime, 5'11" on his bare feet.

Dino4ever said on 25/Aug/13
Dino is a VERY handsome man and one of Hollywood's biggest stars. He looks great with his actual height/physique flat footed. There are plenty of tall Hollywood stars that doesn't come close to his wonderful charisma - and good looks even.

Ian C. said on 5/Aug/13
I was a big fan of The Dean Martin Show in the sixties, and I remember a segment when Dean did a standing and singing number with Buddy Ebsen, who credibly claimed to be six foot three. Dean introduced Ebsen as "one of the tallest men I've ever met," and then blithely announced that he himself was six foot two. Well of course, it was obvious that Ebsen was quite a bit taller than Dean. So Dean was pretty touchy about his height, and willing to lie about it.

cicciuzzu said on 5/Jul/13
I was 5' 11" and I ran into Martin on Broadway. He towered over me so he must have had fantastic lifts in his shoes.

Knowitall said on 29/Jun/13
"Doc Holliday says on 2/Aug/12 
If you watch the ending of Rio Bravo, Dino and Walter Brennan are walking together down the street, both in their cowboy boots. Brennan was a good four or five inches taller than Martin... and Brennan is officially listed as having been 5'11". That makes Martin no more than 5'7... 5'8 at tops."

Doc, I was reading a couple of books where Walter Brennan was described as being six foot one. Then I watched on youtube a clip of the Red Skelton show where Brennan guested. He was about the same height as Skelton which surprised me. Skelton was supposedly six foot two. I believe he was more six one so Brennan was much taller than five eleven. That explains why he's taller in Rio Bravo than Dean Martin as well as Ricky Nelson who was just under six feet tall. Brennan looks to be two inches taller than Nelson when he stands up straight.

So with lifts, Martin was still about three inches shorter than Brennan.

And for the goofballs over in the John Wayne thread who keep claiming Wayne wasn't six four and wore gigantic lifts, Brennan was about three inches shorter than Wayne when his character stood up straight which was rare in that film since Brennan's Stumpy walked with a decided limp. Looking at the film I've never noticed Wayne wearing lifts. Just regular cowboy boots.

I believe Martin was around five nine. With lifts he stood a close to or at five eleven. With lifts he was the same height as Jerry Lewis who was five ten.

Knowitall said on 21/May/13
One more time. John Wayne NEVER wore lifts. That's ludicrous.

Just because some people who didn 't care for the man pushed this ridiculous lie doesn't mean it can be accepted as truth.

If we took all the lies and distortions that came out of Hollywood, they would easily fill the Hollywood Bowl with a spill over into the LA Memorial Colosseum.

Knowitall said on 21/May/13
In Murderer's Row, Dean was several inches shorter than six foot one Karl Malden. And as usual, Dean was wearing lifts in the film.

I'm beginning to think that Dean was no more than five nine.

Here Dean appears to be an inch shorter than five foot ten Johnny Carson:

Click Here

Knowitall said on 20/May/13
John Wayne never wore lifts. That bogus story started when Robert Mitchum spread it around. Mitchum didn't get along with Wayne, possibly because the two men were at opposite ends of the political spectrum.

Just look at Wayne's cowboy boots in his films. It's quite obvious they're regular boots with 2" heels.

Dean was the one who wore lifts. And they are obvious.

Sam said on 15/May/13
tex, by that time (after around 1960) Wayne wore lifts all the time on-screen which could make him easily look 6'6" range. Sure, Martin wasn't the 6'1" he claimed to be but I doubt he was less than a strong 5'10".

tex said on 13/May/13
In "Son's of Katie Elder" Martin is a good half foot shorter than Wayne. If Wayne was 6'4" (around) then Martin was no more than 5'9".

Jeannie said on 11/Nov/12
I met Dean Martin in 1965 in Maui. I have a photo of him standing next to me and he had on golf shoes (probably no lifts). He was just coming in from another island playing golf with Nicki Hilton. I am 5'7" and had 1 1/2" heels on and he is considerably taller than I was. I would say he was at least 6'

leonari said on 4/Aug/12
Doc Hollywood + Doug: Hahaha! Dean Martin my height? WOW...how eye opening. Get lost. Your posts are based on fiction

Doc Holliday said on 2/Aug/12
If you watch the ending of Rio Bravo, Dino and Walter Brennan are walking together down the street, both in their cowboy boots. Brennan was a good four or five inches taller than Martin... and Brennan is officially listed as having been 5'11". That makes Martin no more than 5'7... 5'8 at tops.

JC Parker said on 14/Jun/12
Click Here Look how tall John Wayne looks next to Dino! How many inches was there between those two?

Doug said on 9/Jun/12
I saw a video on You Tube with Games Garner (who towered over Martin..Garner was
6'2 and Bing Crosby who was also taller then Martin. I's day more like 5'7-5'8
with lifts.

Eddie said on 28/Dec/11
As reported by Jerry Lewis in the book "Dean and Me" both Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were 6 feet tall on the button. Jerry claims to have had lifts added to Deans shoes to make him appear taller while Jerry would work in a "crouch" to maintain the apperance of being the "little guy." I don't see any reason for Jerry Lewis to make this up and so I therefore believe that Dean Martin was exactly 6 feet tall.

Frank Cannonito said on 3/Dec/11
I once ran into Martin on Broadway in NY and he seemed taller than I am. I pegged him over 6 ft because I am 5 11.

jwwjr said on 10/Nov/11
On perry como show may 1957. Dean is only 2 and half in or so, taller than Perry.Wow,that would make Dean, 5'8 to 5'9"?!!Maybe he forgot his lifts.

Sabine said on 24/Sep/11
I just read that Dino was 6' tall! I swear he was 5'10. 5'11 at the most!

jake said on 7/Jun/11
I believe Lee J. Cobb was 5' 10.5 (179 cm) actually. He was towered by 6' 4" Eastwood in Coogan's Bluff but did look tall on occasion in front of the camera (for that era). Cobb was substantially shorter than 6' 1.5 Henry Fonda however, maybe 3 inches, hence my 179 cm guess for him.

Sam said on 8/Apr/11
I didn't get the impression that he towered over Judy Holliday in Bells Are Ringing. He definitely wasn't wearing lifts in most of their scenes together (with many dancing & full-body shots). He did look close to 5'10.5"

Russ said on 15/Mar/11
Dean Martin was never tall. Tall average maybe. Only a couple of inches taller than Frank Sinatra, who was a little guy, around 5'6. So I'd say no taller than 5'9.

Anonymous said on 28/Nov/10
An inch shorter than peter Lawford. at 6' So, 5'11" seems right.

Frank2 said on 3/Jul/09
Check out the lifts on ol' Dino:

Click Here

Must have boosted him by nearly three inches.

adam said on 22/Jun/09
Dean was 6-1 and he made me look like nothing.

RisingForce said on 9/Jun/09
Too bad a lot of the older links don't work. I'd love to see those elevator shoes. I can't believe that Dean claimed 6'1" several times! You'd think that at 5'10", claiming 6 feet would be enough of a stretch.

Frank2 said on 7/Jun/09
I posted a photo of Dean wearing huge lifts while kneeling next to Sinatra. It used to be here on this thread.

RisingForce said on 7/Jun/09
Thanks, 5'10" for Dom makes more sense than his 5'11.5" listings. I was always curious about Carson too so I'm glad you mentioned his height. He's usually listed at 5'10.5" on most web sites.

I'd love to see a picture of Dean's elevator shoes. Since you say they're obvious I'm expeccting something like the ones Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone and Robert Downey Jr. wear....well maybe not like Downey's shoes.

Frank2 said on 6/Jun/09
Dom was around 5'10."

When Dean got older, he lost about an inch in height. I saw him show up one night on a Tonight Show with Johnny Carson where Dean appeared to be an inch shorter than 5'10" Carson. In a much earlier show, Dean was as tall or slightly taller than Carson. But Dean went to bed wearing lifts. Each time I saw him he wore obvious lifts.

RisingForce said on 5/Jun/09
He didn't look any taller than Dom Deluise and if Dean wore lifts then 5'10" does make sense. Frank2, do you know how tall Dom was?

Frank2 said on 4/Jun/09
"He used too be 6-6.1 at his peack height"

Nope. Never more than 5'10". Watch any of the movies Dino is in with Peter Lawford. Dino is always at least two inches shorter. Lawford is listed at 6' even. When I met him we were eye to eye the same height. That was in the late 1960's. So I suspect Lawford was really 5'11" or had shrunk a bit. In the original OCEAN'S 11, Caesar Romero towered over Lawford and Romero was about 6'2".

RisingForce said on 24/May/09
pasquele difabrizio? i think burt reynolds had shoes made by him as well.

Brad said on 24/May/09
He used that same guy Stallone used except in westerns.

RisingForce said on 24/May/09
a 5-10 guy who consistently claimed 6-1? i hope he had some really good elevator shoes.

erling said on 1/Apr/09
He jused too be 6-6.1 at his peack height

mcfan said on 26/Nov/08
Same height as Johnny Carson at 5'10. Carson was listed as 5'10.5, but I've seen guests at only 5'10 and he was the same height.

Frank2 said on 16/Aug/08
Dean (wearing lifts) with 6'3" Buddy Ebsen:

Click Here

Frank2 said on 1/Aug/08
Thanks Rob.

Frank2 said on 31/Jul/08
Thanks. It's good to be back.

To answer your question:

George Sanders 6'3"
John Wayne 6'4"
Curt Jurgens 6'3"
Rock Hudson 6'5" then, later on towards the end of his life, 6'4"

Yes, they were all great.

I believe Dino was more talented than Jerry Lewis. He was also a much nicer person.

adam said on 31/Jul/08
Frank2! Im glad you are back.

How tall were these fellows in their peak if you know: George Sanders, John Wayne, Curt Jurgens, Rock Hudson, etc.. Back in the old days movie stars were something weren`t they, Frankie?

Mr. R said on 31/Jul/08
Good to see you back Frank2. I always like to hear your stories about historical Hollywood. Maybe we should write a book together!

Frank2 said on 30/Jul/08
I'm back too!

Dean was never more than 5'10". Same height as Jerry Lewis. Same as a number of famous celebs including Johnny Carson, Bob Hope (in his prime), Jackie Gleason, Jonathan Winters and Milton Berle,

Check out a youtube clip of Dino with 6'1" Jack Jones. He's three inches shorter. In OCEAN'S ELEVEN Dino is shorter than 5'11" Peter Lawford who I met and was my height. In the same film, 6'2" Caesar Romero towers over Lawford. But then, 6'5" Robert Foulk makes Romero look short!

Frank Sinatra was only 5'7" so Dean looked tall. And remember that back then, 5'10" was relatively tall.

Oh, Walter Brennan was about 5'11". And by the time of THE YOUNG LIONS, Monty Clift had lost some height. He was seriously injured in that car accident and never fully recovered.

Justicejayant said on 29/Jul/08
He was really of 5'10, I have never think more or less for him.

sf said on 6/Jul/08
So, Brad is back?

Brad said on 6/Jul/08
His hands are indeed huge. That's boxing. Cigarettes look small in his grasp. He probably smoked 3 packs a day.

Cherilyn said on 2/Jul/08
This is surprising to me...I always thought Dean was 6'0"....when Frank Sinatra died in a tribute magazine it mentioned him(Dean) as the 6 footer Martin and Sammy Davis as the tiny Davis...I always thought Dean was 6'0" where did the 5'10" 1/2 come from??????!!!!!!!!! tell me.

ed said on 29/Jun/08
im shocked by this always thought he was at least 6

Mr F said on 28/Apr/08
Just read the entire page of comments - very interesting, as well as funny. :-) Given what's been offered so far, plus what I've seen on TV and in movies its pretty clear Dean was no taller than ~5'10"...at least, when not wearing those ubiquitous 'cheater' boots. If you disagree, try this: Who's the tallest guy in this old Rat Pack clip? And by how much? Get ready - its not exactly the foursome you're expecting! Click Here

Adrian said on 26/Mar/08
Did Cesar Romero have his own label on his clothing?

Mel Cooksey said on 6/Feb/08
Dean was likely abut 5' 10", In the movie Rio Bravo, he apparently did not
wear elevator shoes. He appears to be at least 2-3 inches shorter than Walter Brennan when they walked together in a couple of scenes. I think Walter was about normal height.

Anthony said on 20/Jan/08
One of my favorite entertainers ever. 5'10 looks right.

Cynna said on 25/Sep/07
Jerry Lewis has lost considerable height because of age & tremendous weight gain. People who met him used to be surprised at how tall he was, since he gave the impression of being a little guy onstage.

Yes, Dino boxed -- when people asked him about it, he'd say he'd won all but 11 bouts. Invariably they'd ask how many he had fought, to which he'd usually answer, "A dozen." But when the records were checked, they showed Dino Crocetti had fought 36 bouts & won 25. It was when he was about 16 -- most of his opponents were older & more mature physically. Dino had several damaged knuckles, since he had little money for proper tape for his fingers & his manager didn't seem to know how to wrap them anyway. The broken cartileges didn't stop him from becoming a sleight-of-hand artist and a well-known card sharp (the prevailing wisdom around Hollywood was, don't bet much when either Dean Martin or Johnny Carson is dealing!)

A friend & I saw "Rio Bravo" a few nights back--Dino was 4 to 5 inches shorter than John Wayne, who was supposedly 6'4-1/2", and according to some, had a heightened heel on his cowboy boots (& possible build-up inside them) so he'd be taller than most of the villains, who were often played by giants -- guys like George Kennedy & Claude Akins & Jack Palance.

The S said on 12/Aug/07
I've heard Jerry Lewis say not long ago that him abd Dean when working together were both 6' Then on the internet it said Jery Lewis was 5'11" And I guess Dean was the same. But neither is taller than 6' And I definitely think Dean was taller than 5'10 1/2" But whatever.

DAN said on 8/Apr/07
IN THE MOVIE RIO BRAVO DEAN MARTIN LOOKED A FOOT SHORTER THAN JOHN WAYNE WHO WAS SIX FOUR

chris said on 31/Mar/07
Dean looked to have a good inch on a 5'10" Montgomery Clift in The Young Lions

marlon said on 2/Mar/07
dean martin looked a full 5ft 10 in the film the young lions.
he wasnt a full 6ft though.

footballed28 said on 8/Feb/07
it is clear to see from the picture that this guy had some height to begin with but favored special shoes to make himself look 5'11+..I say he is about 5'10 barefoot

footballed28 said on 25/Jan/07
I swear people in the olden days measured their height with shoes on...how is it that virtually all male actors who dont look tall to me on AMC movies be 5'11 - 6'2??? mismeasurement perhaps

sf said on 25/Sep/06
Didn't realize Frank2 was still her, sluggin it out over Dean...

sf said on 25/Sep/06
Rob, that's a great pic - "lifts ahoy" for Dean...

George H said on 25/Sep/06
rofl, check out Sinatra's shoes! They got some layers going on, too. Bunch of cheaters, rofl.

Charlie said on 2/Sep/06
I watched Showdown with Dean and Rock Hudson tonight. I agree with Frank2's observation that Martin and Hudson resembled one another. Though Hudson was 7 or 8 inches taller, they both had similar physiques. Big chests and both very nicely built. Both had very dark hair. When you see both Martin and Hudson unshaven in the movie, the resemblance is even more apparent. The black stubbly growth makes it hard to tell them apart if you're not sitting close to the television. Obviously, Hudson looks enormous when the two are standing next to each other, as he did with all his costars. When I see him standing next to normal sized guys, Hudson always looks astoundingly tall.
Interestingly enough, Hudson also knew how to box. Learned for the filming of Iron Man.
I read the review of Showdown and learned that Hudson and Martin did not get along for some reason. It didn't say what the problem was though. They both usually got along well with fellow actors and actresses, so it's a bit surprising.
Would have loved to see Martin and Hudson in a boxing match. I'd put my money on the big guy- Hudson.

Rut said on 15/Aug/06
Frank2: with all due respect: You only assume what you think what is right, it still is speculation in some cases (heights)

Larry said on 15/Aug/06
Yes, I think I read that Dean had boxed.

Frank2 said on 14/Aug/06
You're right. Dean had big hands. I noticed that when I shook one of them. He also had big shoulders. Dino had been a boxer and supposedly had broken a few of his fingers. It's easy to see a couple of them are slightly crooked when you watch his TV shows.

Viper652 said on 13/Aug/06
That Fess Parker clip proves Dean is no more than 5-10. Also noticed that Dean has some unusually massive hands for a 5-10 guy.

Frank2 said on 12/Aug/06
Here's an interesting observation I made. I was just watching Man's Favorite Sport starring Rock Hudson and noticed that he strongly resembeled Dean Martin! With the exception of being a lot taller (how about 7 to 8 inches!), Hudson had basically the same hairline, same profile and a similar smile. His torso was also similar. Dean was a big man when it came to his chest. He probably wore at least a 46 regular coat. Hudson also had a big chest as well. Both men were what I would refer to as husky with thin legs which is why Dean looked taller than he was. I met both over the years and Hudson was enormous, probably at least 6'5" possibly 6'6". He was at least two inches taller than John Wayne. Only Clint Walker was a little taller.

Frank2 said on 11/Aug/06
By the way, for those who still argue that Johnny Carson was nearly 6' tall, here's Johnny! with the late Buck Owens: Click Here
In his two inch cowboy boots, Buck was about 6'1".

Frank2 said on 11/Aug/06
Speaking of goombahs, I've seen a few tall goombahs. One was in NYC's "Little Italy" when I was there with a friend after we saw a Broadway show. This guy looked like the typical goombah portrayed in a Hollywood film. He had two extraordinarily beautiful, albeit slightly sleazy women, one on each arm. He wore a beige cashmere overcoat and a beige fedora. His block-long limo awaited him outside the bakery. I noticed at least two other rather large men, both looking like Jr. goombahs standing outside by the car. This was back in the early 1990's when I would travel to NYC once a year on business. Like me the fellow I was with worked back in Hollywood in the biz. He was always the friendly type, too friendly for his own good, so he struck up a conversation with the chief goombah letting him know he worked in the entertainment business. Well, this goombah was truly impressed and invited us both to his home. I passed. Maybe it was the fact that the guys outside were obviously armed or maybe it was just 'cause I was scared s***less!

Brad said on 11/Aug/06
All them goombah italian saloon singers are 5' 10" or less. I bet Frankie Valli is 5' 3".

Larry said on 11/Aug/06
At 6'5" myself, BUT I KNOW 5'10" isn't short. I saw Fess Parker twice in San Antonio. He was my height: 6'5". Didn't get to meet him though. Ever notice Dean's hands? They surely seemed large for his size. Wonder if he ever boxed?

Frank2 said on 10/Aug/06
What makes you think his son would admit to Dean not being at least 6' tall? Dean's ex, Jeanne still claims he was six feet. My mom claims my dad was 6' when in fact he was barely 5'10". I know many of examples where family members refuse to admit to the tue height of their loved ones. Go by all the photos and clips I've provided. There is no way that Dean was any taller than 5'10". I know. I stood right next to the guy!

Ye gods and little fishes!!!!

Brad said on 10/Aug/06
Somebody asked Ricci Martin, lay this to rest.

Frank2 said on 9/Aug/06
Here's Dean with 5'8" Liberace and 5'10" Art Carney: Click Here
In this clip it doesn't appear that Dean is wearing lifts.

Brad said on 9/Aug/06
The Gilford-Dean video did it for me. 5' 10" for Dean is about right. My father as V.P. of Playbill Magazine knew Jack and 5' 9" is correct. Dean just beats him by an inch or two.

Frank2 said on 6/Aug/06
I met Fess and he was a solid 6'5". Wonderful man, one of the nicest people to ever work in Hollywood.

Larry said on 6/Aug/06
The photograph with Parker shows (to my eyes) about 6-7" difference. I saw Fess Parker in San Antonio a couple of times at the Alamo Festival on March 6. I wasn't really close (maybe 30 feet away), but Fess looked my height (6'5").

Frank2 said on 4/Aug/06
Notice how tall Burt Reynolds is next to Carson in this clip from The Tonight Show: Click Here
Reynold's is 5'10" barefoot, but his custom boots with two inch heels and lifts inside make him several inches taller than 5'10" Carson.

Frank2 said on 4/Aug/06
Dean with 5'10" Johnny Carson as his surprise guest: Click Here
Dean's definitely wearing his two inch lifts while Johnny wears normal shoes.

Frank2 said on 3/Aug/06
I'm looking for the clip where Bob Mitchum shows up on Dean's show and Dean says "I'm 6'1" and he makes me look like nothin'!" 6'1" Mitchum towers over Dean.

Frank2. said on 3/Aug/06
Here's Dean claiming he's 6'1" to 6'5" Fess Parker: Click Here
Anyone who sees only a four inch difference is in dire need of glasses!

Frank2. said on 3/Aug/06
From the shape of the shoe, but more importantly from the height of the ankle bone. That's the key.

George H said on 3/Aug/06
Frank2, maybe I wasn't making myself clear enough. What I meant was. How can you distinguish from the outside if an inside lift is 1 or 2 inches high?

Frank2 said on 2/Aug/06
Dean wore custom made black suede boots that had an inch built up inside along with a normal inch-high heel. Down earlier somewhere in this thread is a photo of Dean wearing them while on his NBC TV show. I emailed it to Rob to post for me. You can easily tell his ankle bone is higher than normal.

George H said on 2/Aug/06
Frank2, just curious. How do you know Dean's lifts were 2 inches high? I mean, I don't doubt that he wore lifts, but how do you know how high his lifts were? Is there a way to tell?

Frank2 said on 1/Aug/06
Here's Dean with Michael Landon:Click Here
Landon at best was 5'9". He always wore lifts and the times I saw him with his lifts he was still at least two inches shorter than me. He could have even been 5'8" barefoot.

Frank2 said on 1/Aug/06
Here's Dean with 5'9" Jack Gilford & 5'11" Orson Welles: Click Here
I worked with Orson and believe me, by the 1960's (at well-over 300 lbs.) he had packed down to 5'11".

You know, these shows were far better than the usual crap we see today on the tube.

Frank2 said on 1/Aug/06
Dean with 5'7" Juliet Prowse (wearing high heels) and Bob Hope who by the time of this clip had lost about an inch and was roughly 5'9": Click Here
Dean was wearing his two inch lifts.

Frank2 said on 1/Aug/06
Here's Dean with Eddie Albert: Click Here
Albert was my height or 5'11". In the clip, Dean is wearing two inch lifts and is still shorter than Albert. I knew Albert and he and I were the exact, same height.

Frank2 said on 1/Aug/06
Check this out: Click Here
It's a clip of Dean with 6'3" Buddy Ebsen. Dean is obviously five inches shorter.

Frank2 said on 30/Jul/06
That film was The Young Lions. Brilliant movie! One of the best!

By the time of that film's production, clift had lost about an inch after his awful auto accident in 1958. Before, he stood about 5'10". After the accident he was in a lot of pain and was drinking quite a bit as well as using prescription pain killers. In fact he'd be so drunk that it would interrupt filming. He was also mixing dangerous barbiturates with alcohol. For what it's worth, it was Dean Martin who unlike the rest of the cast decided to help Monty get back on his feet. Dean was very supportive while others where quite abusive. I learned all this from talking with people who worked on that film. And unlike his screen persona, Dean was no drunk. It was mainly an act.

The more I've delved into Dean's life, the more I'm convinced he was a terrific guy. So what if he wasn't a six footer. He stood tall by his actions.

D. Ray Morton said on 30/Jul/06
"What was the war movie with Dean & Montgomery Clift?"

The Young Lions. Yeah, Dean and Clift looked pretty close there.

Larry said on 30/Jul/06
Frank2 - Feel like I'm GETTING kicked! :-) I'm primarily doing the therapy on my own, but I do it EVERY day. The roughest part is stairs. Our house is one story, so we drive to the mall & I walk (trudge?) up & down those stairs. Bet I've been called some bad names? :-) What was the war movie with Dean & Montgomery Clift? I think Brando was in it too. Anyway, Dean & Montgomery looked about the same height (though Dean was MUCH larger built).

Frank2 said on 29/Jul/06
I'm still kicking. Glad to hear you're improving.

I just happened to come by the story posted by Roy's Nephew and had to comment. Dean was no more six feet than Tom Cruise is 5'10". Over the years I've met a lot of celebs including Jimmy Stewart and you're correct. Dean was about five inches shorter. With 6'5" George Kennedy he was even shorter. On youtube I believe they have several clips showing Dean next to Stewart and he's always five inches shorter. There's a telling clip showing him with Rowan and Martin. I met both. Dan Rowan was a solid six footer and Dick Martin was my height or 5'11". Both are taller than Dean. When bob Mitchum shows up, Dean looks quite small which prompted Dino to quip, "I'm six-one and he makes me look like nothin'!" Well, Dean wasn't anywhere near being 6'1", but Bob Mitchum was and it's easy to see how much shorter Dean is standing next to Bob.

Larry said on 29/Jul/06
Frank2 - You're back! Hi fella! Or are you? My therapy is coming along, but my leg still hurts like the very devil.
In BANDELERO, Dean looks 4-5 inches shorter than Jimmy Stewart to me & about 1/2 foot shorter than George Kennedy.

Frank2 said on 27/Jul/06
Oh, pleeeeze! Six feet my.....

Check this out: Click Here
Dean is at least two inches shorter than six foot Glen Campbell. I'm 5'11" exactly and when I met Dean and he was not wearing his lifts he was shorter than me by an inch. With his lifts he was my height.

While you're at youtube, type in Dean Martin and you'll see there's quite a lot of clips of his old TV show, many showing that he was no more than 5'10".

That's it for me. Bye, Bye

Roy-s Nephew said on 23/Jul/06
Hey, Editor Rob--

The discussion of Dino's height only seems to go back to Jan. '06, but several references are made to letters that appeared before that. Where are the earlier letters? Are they still accessible? Some of your other pages go back much further than that.

Roy's Nephew said on 22/Jul/06

I was introduced to this site a few days ago-- imagine, a whole site devoted to the heights of famous people!! -- and read with interest & amusement the arguments about the height of Dean Martin. For those interested I can contribute two pieces of information---

ITEM # 1-- When they first married, my Aunt Helen & her husband Roy stayed with my parents for several months. We all had our heights marked on the kitchen door frame, grownups included. Uncle Roy's mark (stocking feet -- I still remember he had holes in his sox) -- was [& still is] 5 ft 10 and 3 quarter inches high. I called my Aunt Lou who lives there now & had her double-check last night. (My final line is a scant 5 ft 10 & I always thought Roy seemed about an inch taller than me.)

ITEM # 2--- In the early '50s Roy worked at a large hotel in Las Vegas where, after playing around in the swimming pool, he had his picture taken with Dean Martin, who was performingg there with Jerry Lewis at the time. (No Jerry in the pic.) There are 2 shots taken from this photo ---the original is full-length, showing both men from head to toe. The other is an enlargment of the top third or so showing Dean & Roy from about the midriff up, dripping wet and grinning like two old buddies (they had only met a half hour earlier) with Dean's hand on Roy's shoulder and Roy sporting a mark on his opposite cheek that Dean had given him earlier. Uncle Roy had several stories about this mark, but the real one was that in the pool they had jumped after the same beachball & Dino's elbow had caught Roy in the face and toppled him. (Dean was powerful & there are many stories about his physical strengh.) Dean was concerned and contrite, which may be why he took pains to give Roy a fun photo.

I searched out copies of both views and studied them last night. The two men are standing in front of a wall & are both the same distance from the camera -- (this is very important!!) Both men are nearly nekkid [swim trunks only, Dean's holding a towel or somethig in right hand] and neither is wearing lifts, or for that matter, shoes.

AND ... Dean Martin appears to be at least 1 inch taller than Uncle Roy. Both are standing flat on their heels, no tippy-toes, & it certainly can't be because of Dean's hair--- it is flat, wet & very curly.

So. Between the doorway marks and this barefoot photgraph, Dean Martin's height must have been right around 6 feet tall, and possibly a shade over. It can't have been much less.

Uncle Roy had pics taken with quite a few celebrities in Vegas (including Dino again, years later, both of them clad and shod & Dino still looking at least an inch taller) but this was his favrite story & he showed the photos to everybody. Several family members had copies, and Roy's, of course, was framed & on the wall. And Dean Martin was a big family favorite, and still is.

PS-- I can provide elaboration on the pool episode and anecdote or 2, if anyone wants. He was a charming & humorous man.

Frank2 said on 12/Jun/06
Yes, several times. He was 5'9" in his prime.

Nolifts81 said on 12/Jun/06
Frank,have you ever met Tony Curtis? How tall was Tony Curtis?