Fabian Forte became a teen idol of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
39 Facts About Fabian Forte
2.
Fabian Forte is the son of Josephine and Dominic Forte; his father was a Philadelphia police officer.
3.
Fabian Forte is the eldest of three brothers and grew up in the South Philadelphia's Lower Moyamensing neighborhood.
4.
Fabian Forte was discovered in 1957 by Bob Marcucci and Peter DeAngelis, owners of Chancellor Records.
5.
One day, Fabian Forte's father had a heart attack, and, while he was being taken away in an ambulance, Marcucci spotted Fabian Forte.
6.
Fabian Forte comes up and says to me, 'So if you're ever interested in the rock and roll business.
7.
When Fabian Forte's father returned from the hospital he was unable to work, so when Marcucci persisted, Fabian Forte and his family were amenable, and he agreed to record a single.
8.
Fabian Forte was given an allowance from the record company of $30 a week.
9.
Fabian Forte kept working part-time at a pharmacy as well as studying at South Philadelphia High School, while practicing his singing.
10.
In 1959, Fabian Forte told a judge he was earning $250,000 a year.
11.
Fabian Forte spent the next thirteen years concentrating on acting.
12.
Fabian Forte's first leading role was Hound-Dog Man, based on the novel by Fred Gipson and directed by Don Siegel.
13.
Fabian Forte co-starred with the more experienced Stuart Whitman and sang several songs, including the title track.
14.
Fabian Forte was cast by director Robert Altman as a psychotic killer in "A Lion Walks Among Us", an episode of the television series Bus Stop.
15.
However, the series was good for Fabian Forte's acting career, and saw him regarded with more respect.
16.
Fabian Forte later said he regarded this as his best performance.
17.
Less popular, though still widely seen, was Five Weeks in a Balloon, Irwin Allen's take on Jules Verne; Fabian Forte sang one song but again it was a supporting role.
18.
When Fox temporarily shut down following cost overruns on Cleopatra, Fabian Forte was one of the first actors whose options were exercised after the studio re-opened.
19.
Fabian Forte was to have supported Stewart again in Take Her, She's Mine but did not appear in the final film.
20.
Fabian Forte had not become a film star but was in demand as an actor, appearing in episodes of series like The Virginian, Wagon Train, The Greatest Show on Earth and The Eleventh Hour.
21.
However, that film was not made and Fabian Forte made no further films for Fox.
22.
Fabian Forte returned to racing car dramas with The Wild Racers, partly financed by Roger Corman and shot in Europe.
23.
Fabian Forte's seventh and final film for the studio was A Bullet for Pretty Boy.
24.
Fabian Forte played Josh Ashley in Little Laura and Big John for Crown International Pictures.
25.
Fabian Forte performed in John Loves Mary in summer stock in 1962.
26.
Fabian Forte later admitted the pressures of his career and home life caused him to start drinking in the 1960s.
27.
Fabian Forte was managed at this stage by Allan Carr.
28.
Fabian Forte often performed in Las Vegas in the mid 1970s until he fell into difficulties with the authorities after attacking a Las Vegas district attorney, and resultant bankruptcy.
29.
Fabian Forte retired once more in 1977, then resumed performing in 1981.
30.
Fabian Forte never regained his teenage popularity, but has continued performing.
31.
Fabian Forte appeared in a 1982 television commercial for The Idols of Rock n' Roll and in the documentary film The Bituminous Coal Queens of Pennsylvania.
32.
Fabian Forte was drafted, but rejected, for military service during the Vietnam War.
33.
In 1978, Fabian Forte was participating in a charity racing event in Watkins Glen, New York.
34.
Fabian Forte was practicing at Willow Springs International Motorsports Park under the instruction of professional driver Bill Simpson when he rolled his car and suffered minor cuts and bruises.
35.
Fabian Forte received $32,000 in an out-of-court settlement.
36.
In October 1975, Fabian Forte was arrested after an argument with Regan in which he was accused of hitting her.
37.
Fabian Forte married Kate Netter in 1980; they divorced in 1990.
38.
Fabian Forte relocated from Los Angeles to Fayette County, Pennsylvania, to be closer to his wife's family; he and his wife were sued by the builder of their house, for unpaid bills.
39.
Fabian and Andrea Forte are actively involved in the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association and Forte has helped raise money for veterans with his Celebrity Golf Tournament in North Carolina.