Tina Sinatra Biography

Christina Sinatra - Tina, in short – was born on June 20, 1948 in Los Angeles, California. She was the third and youngest child of the 20th century American doyen Frank Sinatra and his first wife Nancy Barbato Sinatra. She had an elder sister Nancy Sandra Sinatra and a brother, Francis Wayne Sinatra. She was only three when her parents separated and obtained a divorce.

Being born and brought up in an environment that was steeped in music it was only natural that Tina Sinatra would take up music as her launch vehicle. Her musical debut happened in 1968 with the album ‘The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas’ in which she sang five tracks including the popular ‘Santa Claus Is Coming to Town’. She collaborated with her sister Nancy for the track ‘O Bambino (One Cold and Blessed Winter)’ but simultaneously, took acting classes with Jeff Corey.

She made a television appearance with her own siblings and the children of Dean Martin, on the latter’s show. She appeared in the 1969 television mini-series ‘Romeo und Julia 70’ opposite Hampton Fancher. This was in Germany where she had been living for a while. She eventually returned to the U.S. and continued with her acting classes with Corey. Some of her subsequent appearances included episodes in ‘Adam-12’, ‘It Takes A Thief’ and ‘Mannix’.

Tina always received positive reviews for her acting skills but she lacked the determination and the enterprise to carry it forward and buoy it up to greater heights. She became a theatrical agent and worked with Arnold Stiefel. She also represented the American actor and TV star Robert Blake, at one point.

She forayed into film and television production and was featured in the 1977 television movie ‘Fantasy Island’ which became the pilot programme for the subsequent TV series ‘Fantasy Island’ which had a fairly long and successful run. The CBS television mini-series ‘Sinatra’ (1992), based on Frank Sinatra’s life and career, saw Tina step in as its executive producer. The 2004 remake version of Sinatra’s celebrated 1962 film ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ had Tina on board as the producer.

She was nominated for one Primetime Emmy Award.

‘My Father’s daughter: A Memoir’ originally published in 2000, is a stark, unabashed account of the deeply personal and human side of the pop icon Frank Sinatra, penned by none other than his own daughter, Tina. Co-authored by Jeff Coplon, it’s a startling departure from the much hyped public life of Frank, his enviable, glitzy life on the fast lane and his numerous romantic liaisons which had always been fodder to the tabloids. This is a sincere and heartfelt account of her father’s emotional loneliness, his failed relationships, his insecurities, his incorrect choices in life, his bouts of inner conflict as an artist, and most importantly, his essentially human nature with all its highs and lows, its positives and negatives. The memoir received rave reviews and is considered a very insightful document on the life and personality of Frank Sinatra.

Tina Sinatra got married to Wes Farrell, a musician, on January 26, 1974. The marriage was solemnised in her father’s house at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It ended in a divorce on September 3, 1976.

Her second husband was Richard Cohen and the marriage lasted from January 30, 1981 to January 11, 1983.

She is an animal activist and dog lover and started a petition in 2015, urging the authorities to build the Beverley Hills Community Dog Park.