Al Martino

An expressive crooner with panache to spare, Al Martino earned a place in the vocal canon for hits like "Here In My Heart," "I Love You Because," and "Spanish Eyes," but may be best known to the masses for his connection to the iconic gangster movie trilogy, THE GODFATHER. In addition to providing the vocals for its memorable theme, "Speak Softly Love," Martino portrayed the loosely Sinatra-based night club singer Johnny Fontaine in the films. Martino shot to stardom in the early 1950s with the encouragement of fellow Italian-American Mario Lanza, and faded out of U.S. stardom for almost a decade before forging a remarkable comeback in the '60s. Martino continued to perform until his death in 2009 at age 82.