About Wayne Newton
Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942), also known as Mr. Las Vegas, is an American singer and actor. One of the most popular singers in the United States from the mid-to-late 20th century, Newton remains one of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas and has performed there since 1958, headlining since 1963. He is known by other nicknames such as "The Midnight Idol" and "Mr. Entertainment". One of the city's most popular performers and at his peak more prominent in Las Vegas than both Sinatra and Presley, Newton has been called by The Washington Post "America's number one night club act." Newton is the highest-grossing entertainer in Las Vegas history. Newton has also appeared in a number of movies and television shows, quite often playing himself or a character associated with Las Vegas. His well known songs include "Danke Schoen" (1963), "Summer Wind" (1965), "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (1965), "Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast" (1972) and "Years" (1980). "Danke Schoen" is Newton's signature song and was notably used in the 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Impressed by Newton's performance, Gleason told Newton "don't go on any other television show before you go on mine." On September 29, 1962, the brothers first performed on The Jackie Gleason Show. Over the next two years, Newton would perform on Gleason's show 12 times, which were his first appearances on national television. During the filming of Bonanza, Newton first met Elvis Presley (who was filming another show on the same set) and they went on to become good friends. There Newton first met Bobby Darin.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.