Tommy Leonetti
| Tommy Leonetti | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
Nicola Tomaso Lionetti September 10, 1929 Bergen County, New Jersey |
| Died | September 15, 1979 (aged 50) Houston, Texas |
| Cause of death | Cancer |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter, actor |
| Known for | Songwriter Actor |
Tommy Leonetti (10 September 1929 – 15 September 1979) was an American pop singer-songwriter and actor of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. In Australia his most famous song was "My City of Sydney" (written by Leonetti & Bobby Troup) and was used by the Australian TV channel ATN7 in Sydney for station identification into the 1980s. In America he achieved greater success as a songwriter for movies and Broadway plays.
Tommy Leonetti was born Nicola Tomaso Lionetti in Bergen County, New Jersey in 1929. He married the American actress Cindy Robbins on November 27, 1965, in Beverly Hills, California, and was stepfather to her daughter, Kimberly Beck. They lived in Sydney, Australia, in the 1960s and 1970s before returning to America.
Married in 1958 to Patricia Quinn (later "Alice" in the 1968 film Alice's Restaurant) and divorced in 1964 (no children). Leonetti acted in minor roles in American TV series: Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964-1965 as 'Corporal Nick Cuccinelli'), I Spy (1966), Hawaii Five-O (1977), The Waltons (1978) and The Eddie Capra Mysteries (1978). He had a film role in The Human Duplicators (1965) a science fiction alien invasion movie.
"Free", Leonetti's 1956 single, has been described as a US one-hit wonder peaking at number 23 on Billboard magazine's pop charts. He also had a minor hit with his version of "I Cried" which reached number 30 in 1954. Your Hit Parade (1957–1958), The Steve Allen Show (1958–1959) and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1971–1973) featured performances by Leonetti. He also hit in the US with the only charted version of the spiritual "Kum Ba Yah" in early 1969 which hit No. 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 while topping at No. 4 on the Adult Contemporary chart (Billboard Hot 100 January 1, 1969 and the Adult Contemporary Chart on 12/18/68 (both from Joel Whitburn presents Across the Charts The 1960s). Tommy also hit the Adult Contemporary charts on 12/16/67 with his Columbia single You Knew About Her All the Time and again on 7/27/68 with All the Brave Young Faces of the Night. On 1/4/64 Tommy's recording of Soul Dance (RCA) hit the Bubbling Under the Hot 100 at No. 105 where it remained for 5 weeks (all info from Across the Charts 1960s Joel Whitburn, Record Research, Menominie Falls, WI. While in Australia, Leonetti hosted his own talk-show from 1968 to 1970 for ATN-7, and provided the basis for the parody character Norman Gunston (according to creator Garry McDonald).
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