Gina Martin Wilson surrounded herself with fame coming from her father, Dean Martin as well as her husband of 19 years – singer, songwriter, and musician Carl Wilson. On her own, she made a name for herself appearing in Action Family as Melissa (1987), and The Dean Martin Show (1967).
She is one of the 8 children of Dean, a comedian, actor, and musician famous for songs such as Memories are Made of This and Everybody Loves Somebody. On the other hand, her husband Carl who died in 1998 was a member of The Beach Boys Band alongside his brothers, cousin, and friend. He was notable for songs including God Only Knows, Youngblood album, and Hold Me to mention a few.
Interesting Facts About Gina Martin Wilson
1. Her Early Life
Gina Martin Wilson was born Gina Caroline Martin on December 20, 1956, in Los Angeles, California. She was born to entertainer Dean Martin of Irish ancestry and his 2nd wife Jeanne Biegger.
Gina is one of the 8 children of her father’s 3 marriages. Her father was first married to Betty McDonald in 1941 until they divorced in 1949 after 4 children.
He later married Jeanne in 1949 and divorced in 1973 after 3 children. Her father’s last marriage was with Catherine Hawn. Although they had no child together, Dean adopted Hawn’s child, a daughter, Sasha from a previous relationship.
On the other hand, the younger Wilson was married to Carl Dean Wilson, born December 21, 1946, in Hawthorne, California as one of three siblings.
He was exposed to music at a young age and by the time he was 15, he already had a group that had released a hit song, Surfin. As time progressed, his name in the music industry would continue to take charge of many nooks and crannies of the United States even after his death, he still has not been forgotten.
2. Gina Martin Wilson Hails From a Family of Famous People
Her Father Dean Martin Was a Renowned Singer, Actor, and Comedian
Dean Martins, born, Dino Paul Crocetti was born in 1917. He was best known for being a music act, an actor, and a comedian.
In music, he made a name as the man who although could not read music, was able to take down A Hard Day’s Night by The Beatles with his Everybody Loves Somebody song to claim the number 1 spot in 1964.
His music prowess gained him the attention of many in the United States and along the line, Elvis Presley was said to have been his fan and even influenced his music.
As a singer, her father was famed for songs such as:
- Memories are Made of This
- Ain’t That a Kick in the Head?
- That’s Amore
- Everybody Loves Somebody
- You’re Nobody till Somebody Loves You
- Volare
He was famed for recording a number of songs that count to 600 and about 100 albums throughout his career.
As an actor, Gina’s father is famed for My Friend Ima (1949), Who Was That Lady (1960), The Dean Martin Show (1965-1974), and Half Nelson (1985) among others.
Her mother, Jeanne Martin was a Celebrity Wife and TV personality
Born in 1927, Jeanne was a celebrity wife and although she did not have a career as a professional actress, she appeared in a number of TV shows. They include: I Love You (1951), Dean Martin: The One and Only (2004), and The Dean Martin Show (1967).
Jeanne died in 2016 at the age of 89, in Beverly Hills California.
Her Granduncle Leonard Barr Was a Comedian, Actor, and Dancer
Leonard Barr was the paternal granduncle of Gina Martin Wilson. He was a stand-up comedian, actor, and dancer who also worked with her father, Dean.
As an actor, he is popular for his role in the James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever (1971). He also featured in Under the Rainbow (1981) and Szysznyk (1977-1978).
Barr died at the age of 77 in 1980 after he suffered a stroke.
Her Siblings are into Entertainment of Different Sorts
- Deana Martin (half-sister) – singer and actress
- Dean Paul Martin (brother): was a pop singer and actor. He died in 1987 at the age of 35
- Ricci Martin (brother): He was a musician, singer, and author. He died in 2016 at the age of 62
- Craig Martin (half-brother): was a producer
- Claudia Martin (half-sister): was an actress
- Gail Wilson (sister): is an actress
- John Griffith (half-brother-in-law. Married to Deana): film and music producer
- Olivia Hussey (half-sister-in-law. Was married to Dean Paul): English actress
- Dorothy Hamil (half-sister-in-law. Was married to Dean Paul): a retired skater and Olympic champion
3. Her Late Husband was an Ordained Minister of Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness
Carl Dean Wilson, husband of Gina Martin Wilson led a life of spirituality. He reported taking prayer rituals seriously and would sometimes say prayers before recordings.
At about the age of 42 in 1988, Carl had become an ordained minister in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness (MSIA) – a non-profit religious corporation founded in 1968.
4. Her Husband and Father Died in a Similar Way
The father of actress Gina, Dean Martin died in 1995 at the age of 78 and 3 years later in 1998, Carl died at the age of 51.
Both men were cigarette smokers and were both diagnosed with lung cancer. While the actress’ father was diagnosed in 1993 and 2 years later he died of acute respiratory failure on Christmas day of 1995.
On the other hand, Carl Wilson was diagnosed in 1997 and died a year later in 1998, in Los Angeles. The Youngblood singer died only 2 months after his mother passed.
5. Gina Martin Wilson Was Not The Only Woman That Was Married to Carl Wilson
Before Carl Wilson became married to the actress, he was married to Annie Hinsche, sister of Billy Hinsche, the keyboardist of the Beach Boys.
The former couple had 2 children, Jonah and Justin.
After the failure of the marriage, the Beach Boys frontman married Gina Martin in 1987 and remained in the marriage for 19 years until Carl’s death in 1998.
See Also: kristen Tomassi: 10 Interesting Details About Richard Branson’s Ex-Wife
6. Does She Have any Children?
The former celebrity wife and daughter of Dean does not have children from her relationship with Carl or from any other that the public is aware of.
Nonetheless, she was married to a man, Wilson who had 2 sons, Jonah, born on March 22, 1969; and Justyn who was born on October 19, 1971.
7. A Foundation Was Founded in Memory of Her Late Husband
Following the death of her musician husband, a foundation, The Carl Wilson Foundation was founded in 1999 to help fund cancer research and help those affected by the ailment.
The foundation has worked with other organizations and contributed to a number of foundations aimed at helping those suffering from cancer in a variety of ways.
8. Her Sister Disagrees With John Legend For Altering Their Father’s Hit Song
John Legend may be known for getting a pat on the back for great songs. However, he was met with criticism from Deana Martin, sister to Gina Martin Wilson over his rendition of their father’s hit song, Baby It’s Cold Outside (1959) for his 2018 holiday album.
The song was originally written by Frank Loesser in 1944 before Dean made a rendition that made heads turn.
The song since has been criticized for being controversial, Legend made some changes to the lyrics. Deana thought it was song stealing and would have preferred for Legend to write his own song if he was not cool with the two previous ones.
9. Where is She Now?
Since the death of Carl, Gina, 67 has maintained a low profile. It is not known if she remarried.
In the same light, there is barely anything known about her career in the movie industry where she had a brief career featuring in Action Family as Melissa (1987), and The Dean Martin Show (1967).
10. What is Gina Martin Wilson’s Net Worth?
The former celebrity wife of Heaven Love singer has a net worth that may be above $100,000 in estimation. She earned from a brief acting career and perhaps a career that is not well known to the public.
In any case, she was married to Carl who had a successful career as an American musician, singer, and songwriter who had a net worth estimated at $20 million.
Her 5 foot 10 inches late father was also reportedly worth $30 million at the time of his death.
He made his income from acting, music, and comedy.
