Biography for
Rosemary Clooney More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

23 May 1928, Maysville, Kentucky, USA

Date of Death

29 June 2002, Beverly Hills, California, USA (lung cancer)

Height

5' 6" (1.68 m)

Mini Biography

She was the daughter of Andrew and Frances Clooney and grew up in Maysville, Kentucky, where she and her sister Betty Clooney used to sing in her grandfather's mayoral election campaigns, which he won three times. She made her singing debut on Cincinnati radio station WLW in 1941 at 13. On WLW she worked with band leader Barney Rapp, who had also worked with Doris Day and Andy Williams at the same station. She attended high school at Our Lady of Mercy in Cincinnati. In 1946 she appeared with her sister in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the Steel Pier with Tony Pastor's band. In 1949 she went solo and later appeared in White Christmas (1954), co-starring opposite Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye. Her first big hit was "Come On A My House" in 1951. She married José Ferrer in the 1950s and they had five children between 1955 and 1960. Her marriage to Ferrer was a tempestuous one and she had a nervous breakdown in 1968, but went on to resume her career in 1976. Her life was dramatized in a 1982 made-for-television form, which starred Clint Eastwood's then-girlfriend Sondra Locke.

Her son Gabriel is married to singer Debby Boone, daughter of 1950s pop singer Pat Boone. Her brother, Nick Clooney, is an ABC news anchor in Cincinnatti, and her nephew George Clooney has developed into one of the biggest movie stars of the 21st century. In 1968 she was standing in the Ambassdor Hotel in Los Angeles with Roosevelt Grier when Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in the hotel kitchen after she had participated in his campaign rally. Her top hits include "Hey There" in 1954, "Tenderly", "This Ole House" and "Half As Much" in 1952.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Mike McKinley

Spouse

Dante DiPaolo	(7 November 1997 - 29 June 2002) (her death)
José Ferrer	(1966 - 1967) (divorced)
José Ferrer	(13 July 1953 - 1961) (divorced) 5 children

Trivia

When Rosemary recently remarried, her nephew George, according to rumor, did not attend, as he "did not wish to steal away the spotlight" on his aunt's special day.

One-time boyfriends included TV's "Today" show host Dave Garroway.

Singer

The Maysville, Kentucky street where her parents lived when she was born was renamed in her honor.

Sister of actor and AMC host Nick Clooney

She is George Clooney's aunt.

Mother of actor Miguel Ferrer

Mother of actor Rafael Ferrer

Son Gabriel Ferrer is an artist.

Rosemary started out with her sister, Betty Clooney (1931-1976), as a singing duo on radio and in bands before going solo. When Betty died of a brain aneurysm at age 45, Rosie spearheaded a living memorial to her sister with the Betty Clooney Center in Long Beach, California, for brain-injured young adults. She performs annually to raise funds for this foundation.

Mother-in-law of singer Debby Boone.

Winner of the MAC Award.

Performed annually at "Rosemary Clooney Music Festival" in her hometown of Maysville, Kentucky.

Performing once on the same bill with singer/pianist Michael Feinstein at the Hollywood Bowl, they both appeared highly nervous before setting foot on stage. Expecting Rosie to give him words of strength and encouragement, she instead told him, "Don't think this ever gets any easier."

Rosemary hated the derivative Armenian folk song "Come On-a My House" and originally resisted recording the song she considered "dumb" with lyrics that "sounded more like a drunken chant than an historic folk art form." Within weeks of her finally relenting, she found herself with one of the biggest-selling hits in the country, selling more than a million copies. It still did not endear her to the song, however, and she usually tried to squirm out of singing it at her concerts and nightclub appearances when requested.

Appeared on The Edsel Show (1957) (TV) with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Louis Armstrong. The show was aired on October 13, 1957 and introduced Ford's ill-fated Edsel automobile to a nationwide audience.

Buried at St. Patrick's Cemetery near her mother and grandmother in Maysville, Ky.

Her brother, veteran television newscaster Nick Clooney, gave a eulogy at the end of the hour-long traditional Catholic funeral mass. Actor George Clooney, Nick's son, sat with more than three dozen family members and was one of 10 pallbearers. Also in the crowd were singer Debby Boone, Clooney's daughter-in-law; actors Al Pacino and Beverly D'Angelo; and Maysville native and former Miss America Heather Renee French, the wife of Kentucky Lt. Gov. Steve Henry.

Had five children with José Ferrer. Their first son, Miguel, was born in 1955. He was followed by Maria in 1956, Gabriel in 1957, Monsita in 1958 and Rafael in 1960.

Measurements: 37C-24-34 (in 1953), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Is portrayed by Sondra Locke in Rosie: The Rosemary Clooney Story (1982) (TV)

On October 1st, 2005, her Augusta, Kentucky home was partially transformed into the Rosemary Clooney Museum. Current owner/part-time resident Heather French Henry (Miss America 2000) spearheaded the creation of the museum which amasses a large amount of memorabilia from Clooney's film, television and recording career. A re-creation of her red and white gown from "White Christmas" was painstakingly assembled by Henry and her mother by watching the film frame by frame (the original dress is M.I.A.) Some of her other original costumes are on display at the museum. The opening ceremony was attended by Nick Clooney, Rick Dees and Dante DiPaolo among others while her recording of "Bless This House" was played.

Former mother-in-law of actress Leilani Sarelle.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 6325 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Personal Quotes

"I think acting is the most thankless profession in the world."

"In the final analysis, it's true that fame is unimportant. No matter how great a man is, the size of his funeral usually depends on the weather."

[on Bing Crosby] Bing had a brilliant mind and an original wit. That casual delivery combined with an unexpectedly wide vocabulary. It was a great device for comedy -- and also an effective way of communicating with an audience or with a person.

[1978 comment on Bing Crosby] The best way to get along with Bing was to forget first of all that he was Bing Crosby. It was not always easy.

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