Crosby, Bing, 1903-77, American singer and film actor, b. Tacoma, Wash., as Harry Lillis Crosby. He sang with dance bands from 1925 to 1930 and in 1931 began work in radio and films. Crosby gained enormous popularity for his "crooning" style and was an important influence on the development of American popular singing. In 1944 he won an Academy Award for his performance in
Going My Way. Crosby's other notable films include numerous "Road" movies costarring Bob
Hope,
The Country Girl (1955),
High Society (1956), and
Stagecoach (1966).
See his autobiography, Call Me Lucky (1953); K. Crosby, Bing and Other Things (1967); G. Giddens, Bing Crosby: A Pocketful of Dreams, The Early Years, 1903-1940 (2001).
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