Francis Albert Sinatra (1915-1998) refused to change his last name to something more "American" and went on to record over 1,000 songs and 200 albums. The quintessential entertainer of our time and one of the most influential male singers of all time performed nearly 200 concerts in 17 different countries.

Frank Capra (1897-1991) was born in Bisaquino, Sicily and his father worked as a fruit picker in California. Capra intended to be a chemical engineer but went on to produce "picture poem images" and was eventually hired to make films. He directed Mr. Deeds Goes To Town, It Happened One Night, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life.

Joseph Paul Dimaggio's (born Giuseppe Paolo DiMaggio) (1914-1999) family members were fishermen who came to California in 1902 from Isola delle Femmine, about ten miles outside Palermo, Sicily. Papa DiMaggio would have preferred his son become a bookkeeper. Jolting Joe went on to become one of the greatest players ever to play the game of baseball. The number five centerfielder is in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Vincent Riggio was born in Nicosia, Sicily. At the age of six, he was one of five children who came to the States with his family and settled in the lower east side of Manhattan. In true Horatio Alger tradition, he rose from his beginnings as an errand boy to a salesman and then President of the American Tobacco Company. He established Lucky Strikes as the most popular brand in cigarettes.

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (1936- )was born in Trenton, New Jersey from a Sicilian immigrant father and an Italian-American mother. He is the first Italian-American to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and is known as "Nino" to his friends. A father of nine, a devout Roman Catholic, and a lover of pasta and music, his role on the bench impacts on all American lives.

Salvatore Phillip Bono (1935-1998) was born in Detroit, the only son of a Sicilian immigrant and an American born Italian mother. He became most famous for his marriage and partnership in the 1970s with Cher. He later went on to be elected to Congress.

Arturo Toscanini described Mario Lanza (Arnold Cocozza) (1921-1959) as the greatest voice of the 20th century. As a young boy, Lanza sang along with Enrico Caruso's records and by the age of 16 he decided he was going to be a singer. The South Philly native went on to opera, radio, films and concert tours. Lanza died of a massive heart attack in Rome at the age of 38.

Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (1801-1835) was born in Catania, Sicily and studied music theory at two and the piano at three. By age five, he played the piano very well and wrote his first composition at six. His first opera was Adelson e Salvini, followed by Bianca e Gernando and later Norma. His Il pirata was a resounding success at the music conservatory in Naples. The Sicilian composer died at age 34 and is regarded as the quintessential composer of Bel Canto opera.

Salvatore Quasimodo (1901-1968) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1959. Recurrent themes in his early poetry were about the Sicilian landscape and matters of ancient times. His more recent work was about war, resistance and being lonely in love.

Born in the music trends of New Orleans, Louie Prima (1910-1978) started with a seven-piece New Orleans jazz band in the 1920s. He led a swing and big band combo into the late 40s and 50s and with Keely Smith and saxophonist/arranger, Sam Butera, became the most famous lounge act in Las Vegas. He also appeared in several "La-La" movies.

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