Jeanne Biegger, born Dorothy Jean Biegger, was Dean Martin’s second wife. Before marriage, she worked as a Miami model and became the 1947 Orange Bowl Queen, then married Martin in 1949. They had three children, Dean Paul, Ricci, and Gina. Jeanne also helped raise his four older children. The couple separated in the late 1960s, and their marriage officially ended in the early 1970s. She died from cancer in 2016 at age 89.
In this article, we’ll look at Jeanne Biegger’s life before and after Dean Martin. You’ll learn how they met, how their large family grew, and why she appeared on TV. We’ll also look at their divorce, her later link to Dean’s music, and the losses that shaped her final years.
From Coral Gables to the Orange Bowl
Jeanne was born on March 27, 1927, in Coral Gables, Florida. Her birth name was Dorothy Jean Biegger, and as a young woman, she worked as a model in Miami.
In 1947, she was chosen as the Orange Bowl Queen.
That title gave her local recognition before Hollywood entered her life. She was known as Jeanne by the time she began modeling.
The Night She Met Dean Martin
Jeanne met Dean Martin in Miami in 1948. She went to the Beachcomber Club to see Martin and Jerry Lewis perform.
An obituary published by The Dallas Morning News says Jeanne had not known who the pair were before that night. She later recalled an instant bond with Dean.
Dean was still married to Betty McDonald when Jeanne first met him. Jeanne and Dean married the following year, on September 1, 1949.
Jeanne was 22. Dean was already rising in show business, but his biggest years were still ahead.
She Was There as Dean Martin Became a Star
Martin and Lewis were becoming one of America’s top comedy teams. They moved from clubs into radio, TV, and movies before the duo split in 1956.
Dean then built a huge solo career. He had hit songs, film roles, Las Vegas shows, and his own TV series, while Jeanne lived through that rise at his side.
She joined him at premieres and public events. Yet she did not chase the same level of fame.
Photos from the 1950s and 1960s often showed them as a polished Hollywood couple.
Jeanne Helped Raise Seven Children
Family became a major part of Jeanne’s daily life.
Dean had four children from his first marriage: Craig, Claudia, Gail, and Deana. Jeanne helped raise them after Dean gained custody.
Jeanne and Dean then had three children of their own. Dean Paul was born in 1951, Ricci in 1953, and Gina followed in 1956.
The home now included seven children. Dean’s work kept him busy with films, music, travel, and TV, while Jeanne’s role reached beyond her three birth children.
Her 2016 obituary also named children from Dean’s first marriage among the family who survived her.
Dean Paul, Ricci, and Gina Martin
All three of Jeanne’s children grew up close to show business.
Dean Paul first found fame in the pop group Dino, Desi & Billy. He later acted and became a pilot in the California Air National Guard.
Ricci became a musician and later wrote about his father. Gina also spent some time around the entertainment world.
Each child took a different road, but music and film were never far from the family.
Jeanne Had TV Credits of Her Own
Jeanne was more than a face beside Dean at premieres.
The Television Academy lists her as an actress and model. In 1955, she appeared as herself in the I Love Lucy episode “The Fashion Show.” The scene featured wives of well-known stars.
She also appeared on The Jack Benny Program, The Dean Martin Show, and the live television broadcast of the world premiere of A Star Is Born.
These were real credits, but she did not turn them into a long acting career.
The Marriage Ended in the Early 1970s
Jeanne and Dean separated in the late 1960s. Their split was announced in 1969, and their marriage officially ended in the early 1970s.
Sources do not all give the same final divorce year, so an exact date is best treated with care.
Later stories often give one simple reason for the breakup. The public record does not offer a clean one-line answer.
Dean’s life had changed a great deal since 1949. His work was huge and his social life was public, but Jeanne did not make the split into a long press battle.
Dean Married Again, but Jeanne Did Not
Dean married Catherine Hawn after his marriage to Jeanne ended. Jeanne never remarried.
She remained connected to the Martin family through their children, but she was no longer at the center of Dean’s public life.
A 2009 Lawsuit Put Her Royalty Rights Back in View
The divorce did not end every financial connection between Jeanne and Dean’s music.
In a 2009 lawsuit covered by Courthouse News Service, Jeanne alleged that their divorce agreement entitled her to half of the royalties from records Dean made before the divorce.
Her complaint said Dean’s talent agency could deduct its commission before her share was paid. The lawsuit later challenged commissions that continued after Dean’s longtime agent died.
The case shows that Jeanne still had a documented financial connection to Dean’s earlier recordings. It does not establish a complete picture of her personal wealth.
Dean Paul’s Death Brought His Parents Closer Again
The family faced a huge loss in 1987.
Dean Paul Martin was a captain in the California Air National Guard. His F-4C Phantom crashed during a training mission near San Gorgonio Mountain. He was 35.
The Los Angeles Times reported that Dean Paul and fellow officer Ramon Ortiz died when the jet struck the mountainside.
Jeanne and Dean had been apart for years by then. Their son’s death brought them back into closer contact.
They rebuilt a friendship and stayed on good terms until Dean died in 1995, but they never remarried.
Jeanne’s Life After Dean Martin
Dean Martin died on Christmas Day in 1995.
Jeanne spent her later years mostly out of the public eye. Her time as a model and a star’s wife was long behind her, and she also faced more loss.
Claudia Martin, one of the children she had helped raise, died in 2001.
Family remained central to Jeanne’s later life.
Ricci Died Only Weeks Before Jeanne
August 2016 brought another painful loss.
Ricci Martin died on August 3 at age 62. CBS Los Angeles, reporting an Associated Press story, identified Jeanne as his mother and one of the family members who survived him.
Jeanne died on August 24, only three weeks later, at age 89.
Her family said she had cancer. Reports did not name a specific type.
Her death came almost seven decades after she first met Dean in Miami.
Why She Is Called Jeanne Biegger and Jeanne Martin
Readers often see two names for the same woman.
Her birth name was Dorothy Jean Biegger, and she went by Jeanne. After marrying Dean, she became widely known as Jeanne Martin.
That is why old TV credits and obituaries often use Jeanne Martin, while newer searches may use Jeanne Biegger.
What Was Jeanne Biegger’s Net Worth?
No strong public source gives Jeanne Biegger an exact net worth.
Her documented financial connection to Dean Martin’s music included the royalty rights she discussed in her 2009 lawsuit.
That does not support a made-up dollar estimate.
Jeanne Biegger’s Life Beyond Dean Martin
Jeanne’s life was about more than being Dean Martin’s wife.
She came from Florida modeling and an Orange Bowl title. She made documented television appearances, helped raise a blended family of seven children, and later pursued a legal claim tied to royalties from Dean’s early recordings.
She also lived through the deaths of Dean Paul, Claudia, Ricci, and Dean himself.
Her story gives a family view of a period usually remembered through Rat Pack photos, Las Vegas shows, movies, and hit songs.
From Miami Model to Martin Family Matriarch
Jeanne Biegger met Dean Martin before he became the star remembered today.
She married him in 1949, helped raise his older children, and they had three children together. She also made a few TV appearances of her own, and after their marriage ended, she stepped away from most public attention.
Yet the family bond did not vanish. The death of Dean Paul later helped Jeanne and Dean become friends again.
Jeanne died in 2016, only weeks after Ricci. Her life stretched from 1940s Miami to the height of Hollywood fame and far beyond it.
Read next: For another story about a woman who knew a famous musician before the world knew his name, read our profile of Margie Washichek, Jimmy Buffett’s first wife.
