How tall was Bing Crosby

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 25/Dec/21
Eighty years ago today, Bing Crosby introduced his song 'White Christmas' to the world!

Bing's a-getting 5ft7.5 on this most festive of festive days. 🕯️

😁🎅🎄🎁

Ian C. said on 29/Jul/21
Bing was like Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams and Perry Como. He sounded tall. His voice was a different height than the rest of him.

Try to think of a big guy with a too-little voice. Clint Eastwood should have a stronger voice, to match his size and strength. That's the only one I can think of offhand.

The biggest voice belonged to the biggest guy. Ted Cassidy. That gent had bass notes that could cast a shadow.

Ian Vector said on 18/May/21
This used to say 5' 7" flat. And I'd say that was an appropriate estimate, maybe 5' 7.25" would be more accurate, but 171.5 cm is a bit too much.

Canson said on 2/Jan/21
@Editor Rob: 🤦‍♂️

Editor Rob said on 1/Jan/21
Although as mentioned Bing has claimed 5ft 9, he actually pushed it to 5ft 9.5 on his passport:

click here

M.P.R.Stephenson. said on 20/Oct/20
Bing Crosby was perhaps 5ft 7ins , in his prime , he always looked to be of dapper height and build .

Arch Stanton said on 2/Jul/20
Bing was the Stallone of his generation, extremely height conscious. Literally in every film he was in his high backs. Crosby wore big shoes in High Society, pulled off looking 5 ft 8 range with Sinatra.

Miss Sandy Cowell said on 3/May/20
Bing Crosby was born 117 years ago today.

5ft7.5

Bing Crosby 1903-1977 🕯️

Girvan Paterson said on 26/Oct/19
Bing was at least 5'7" [same height as Tom Cruise] and just as handsome in his heyday, anyway his height didn't matter, he was still the greatest crooner of them all!

Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 6/Sep/19
He could look 5ft8 at times.

Randy King said on 20/Jul/19
In ‘Robin and the 7 Hoods’ (1964) you have Crosby between Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra; Sinatra is listed 5’ 7.5”, on this site, but shows a solid one inch under Mr. Crosby, throughout dance number.

Click Here

Andrew said on 6/Jan/18
Rob, I saw a few pictures of Crosby with Gary Cooper. Crosby looks 8 inches shy of cooper, and Cooper isn't standing quote as straight. Is it possible that Crosby was more 5 foot 6 and a half or a weak 5 foot 7?

Arch Stanton said on 23/Jun/17
5'9 in lifts Bass Singer.

Crosby was a good actor and singer, very watchable but I did get a snooty vibe form him and don't think I'd have liked him much. Incidentally Bob Hope, Joan Collins and the crew from his films hated him. Joan said he was "very cold", I read that he as a bit of an a-hole to Sinatra too and saw himself as superior.

James said on 16/Feb/17
Crosby was never any taller than 5'7". You should downgrade him by half an inch.

Bass Singer said on 4/Feb/17
In my theory, Bing Crosby was five-foot-nine for the majority of his adult life. I think I read he had some spinal injury that was caused by falling on his back in one live performance.
So that injury would most likely have impacted his height more and made him 5'7" at the time of his death.

Tim said on 28/Dec/16
Crosby was exactly 5'7".

Arch Stanton said on 20/Jun/16
@Rob, if you see him in the film his height could vary dramatically from scene to scene. Like the cameraman said to Richard Todd and Sellers and co, in one scene on ship earlier on Bing looked if anything weak 5 ft 7 though I wasn't sure on Lombard's footwear, but there's scenes later in the film where he clearly looks 2-3 inches taller than earlier on!! There were some taller guys in that film which made Bing look real short, so perhaps he bought some new lifts during the production to feel better? I'll have to catch his very earliest films from early 30s and see of he was wearing lifts even then. I definitely think this guy had a massive height complex.

Arch Stanton said on 18/Jun/16
Nope, check out 57-58 minutes Click Here 57 range he barely looks taller than Carole Lombard on the beach and then 58 minutes look at his shoes and trousers, like SImon Cowell there, and then see how he suddenly grows next to Carole at 58:19. So he "was" wearing lifts even in that period. Earlier in the film he barely looks taller than Lombard, and now he's suddenlt looking at least 5 '9 LOL, three inches taller than he looked earlier on!

Arch Stanton said on 25/May/16
Those are great quotes Rob and yes, I think he had to have been the most height conscious celeb of that era. Never a film without lifts. I can well imagine the secretary's shock in seeing him without his lifts haha.

PetePro said on 24/Dec/15
Crosby, Kelly & Sinatra:
Just seen a 1971 Christmas TV show with Sinatra and Gene Kelly and a 1957 one with Sinatra and Bing Crosby. I am assuming their shoes were very similar in heel height.
They are all very close, though Kelly looked up to an inch taller, whereas Crosby was possibly just half an inch taller than Frank Sinatra.
All three men just below the average for Americans of their generation (circa 5ft 8.5in).

Arch Stanton said on 24/Dec/15
Literally every film he wore lifts. Even White Christmas.

Arch Stanton said on 3/Jun/15
Rob can you add a photo of him in his lifts to complete the package ;-)

Arch Stanton said on 1/Jun/15
Rob the film is actually The Bells of St. Mary's I always get the name wrong LOL.
I'd loved to have been on set on Bells. I reckon Bing ordered the RKO film execs, "either you make her wear daps and make me look taller or my contract is done and I go to MGM"! Amazing how he managed to look taller in it!

Arch Stanton said on 1/Jun/15
Literally every film like clockwork he was in his lifts. He's right up there with Stallone, Vin and Downey in height consciousness!!

Arch Stanton said on 1/Jun/15
Remove "the" from before The Emperor Waltz, cheers.

Arch Stanton said on 1/Jun/15
Rob can you update with American singer and actor, best remembered for songs like "White Christmas", "Silent Night", "Swinging on a Star, "You Are My Sunshine" and "Don't Fence Me In" and roles in films like the Road to... series, Going My Way, The Bells of St Trinians, High Society, The Country Girl, White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Blue Skies, Pennies from Heaven and the The Emperor Waltz.

Arch Stanton said on 10/Dec/14
I mean The Bells of St Mary's.

Arch Stanton said on 10/Dec/14
Somehow they made him look 1.5-2 inches taller than Ingrid Bergman in Bells of St Trinians!!!

John said on 2/Oct/14
Crosby was 5'7", but looked 5'9" in films due to his lifts.

Arch Stanton said on 4/May/14
I think he's hitting 5'9" range in lifts, he looks about that next to Holden and Grace Kelly in The Country Girl. Barefoot, yeah 5 ft 7 is possible, no more than 5.7'5 barefoot anyway.

Arch Stanton said on 4/May/14
I think he's hitting 5'9" in lifts, he looks about that next to Holden and Grace Kelly in The Country Girl.

Arch Stanton said on 4/May/14
He lived in lifts Knowitall! Watching The Country Girl right now and again he's in his big built up shoes. I cannot think of another film star who more obviously wore lifts than Bing.

Knowitall said on 4/Feb/14
In this photo you can easily make out Crosby's lifts:

Click Here

Hope is wearing regular shoes.

Hope at his peak was five-ten.

Crosby at his peak was five-seven. Lifts added about an inch and three quarters so with lifts Crosby was just under five-nine or a little over two inches shorter than Hope.

Later on, Hope drastically shrank ultimately down to around five-six.

Arch Stanton said on 26/Dec/13
leonari says on 17/Feb/13
Sinatra looks 2 cm shorter in the movie they made together.

You're forgetting Bing's expensive customs!!! I don't accuse many actors of wearing lifts but trust me on this, Bing consistently wore lifts!

Arch Stanton said on 26/Dec/13
Bing definitely has something in his shoes in High Society. He's wearing white golf type shoes which have quite high backs on them and his feet have that "popping out" sort of look. They don't look like massive lifts but they definitely look like they could be customs with a moderate sized lift in them. Every film of Bing's I've seen his footwear looks suspicious.

Arch Stanton said on 17/Dec/13
Rob any idea how tall Barry Fitzgerald was? In Going my Way he makes Bing look tall. I see a 5'4' listing on the database. He'd have been near 60 when that came out but he surely looks easily 5 inches shorter than Bing, although Bing might have been in his "shoes".

Arch Stanton said on 5/Nov/13
Looks about 3 inches taller than Joan Collins in Road to Hong Kong accounting for Joan probably having an inch advantage in her heels and him in the usual lifts.

Arch Stanton said on 30/Oct/13
Rob I've found a quote

Click Here

"According to footwear historian William A. Rossi, wearers of elevator shoes have included Winston Churchill, Thomas E. Dewey, Robert Kennedy, Bing Crosby, and Humphrey Bogart."

Can you mention it here?

Arch Stanton said on 30/Oct/13
Haha there's a scene in Road to Bali where they're in pajamas and he was even wearing lifts with his pajamas. He only took his shoes off when the camera wasn't on them and he didn't have to stand up again next to Hope and sat on the bed. I'm yet to see Crosby in shoes which didn't have a high back. There is also a scene in the movie where they're in kilts and you could even see his feet were almost popping out of the shoes. I'd say he had an inch wedge at least in the shoes, definitely not normal. He could look 1-2 inches shorter than 5'10.5" listed Bob Hope depending on the footwear.

Arch Stanton said on 30/Oct/13
Watching Road to Bali now. He looks about 2 inches shorter than Bob Hope but again his shoes look high. They're the same design as Hope's but when they dance you can see they're built up at that back. Serial lift wearer.

Arch Stanton said on 29/Oct/13
Half the male cast of Casablanca wore lifts LOL.

Arch Stanton said on 22/Oct/13
Rob was he ever known to wear lifts? His shoes look real sus in Holiday Inn and he actually looks no much than an inch shorter than 5'9" Fred Astaire in the film. But his shoes look high at the back.

Knowitall said on 25/Jul/13
Bing Crosby was five seven and never left home without his lifts which is why he appears taller than Sinatra. Frank was known to wear lifts, but not all the time like Bing.

Check out the lifts on Crosby in the second photo down:

Click Here

Notice Frank is wearing regular shoes.

Here's another photo, this time with Bob Hope showing Crosby's gunboats:

Click Here

Will said on 22/Jul/13
Bing Crosby stood 5'8". Yes, Bing was taller than Sinatra.

leonari said on 17/Feb/13
Sinatra looks 2 cm shorter in the movie they made together.

Philip Alan said on 16/Dec/11
Of course lifts were around in Bing Crosby's day. As a teen in the late '60s I was a theatre usher, and my manager had been in Hollywood in the 20s, had seen Rudolph Valentino while filming, then poolside, and realized in seeing him poolside that (being much shorter) he had to wear lifts. So lifts have been used all along in Hollywood. Heck, even tall people, like John Wayne, wore lifts.

John Lee, Sr. said on 13/Mar/11
Crosby is 5'7" flat. But with him wearing lifts he was 5'9" to be exact.

mcfan said on 15/Jan/11
I think 5'7.5 is correct for Bing, but Sinatra at 5'7.5 is incorrect. Frank was 5'7.

Mr. Kaplan said on 4/Nov/10
Yes, Bing wore lifts. Here's an interesting story about it: "Mary Carlisle, who worked with him in films, noticed he was self-conscious about his height, and he wore lifts. Crosby once told Alan Ladd how pleased he was that Ladd was shorter than him at 5'5". Bing maintained he was 5' 9", but an office secretary named Nancy Briggs recalled a visit to his home when he wore slippers and she realized he was her height - 5' 7"."

maximus meridius said on 2/Nov/10
Bing Crosby was 5ft 7in no taller he never wore life i don't think lifts were around in his hey day

Doug said on 1/Apr/09
Yeah that is more accurate, definately wasn't 5'9".

ralf said on 7/Jan/09
T.J, voice doesnt mean anything with height. frank sinatra was 5'7.5" too

T.J. said on 19/Dec/08
wow. i'm shocked. judging by his voice, i would have thought he was 6'4. He's got a really really deep voice.

Frank2 said on 3/Aug/08
More like 5'7". Same as Sinatra and Gene Kelly.

GPM said on 26/Apr/06
Bing Crosby was 5'6", and wore lifts, this height needs to be brought down.

Editor Rob said on 8/Mar/06
Dixie Lee was supposedly (according to herself) 5ft 3.

Frank2 said on 4/Mar/06
I know Mary quite well. She's married to James Blakely, the oldest person to still work in the film industry. James is about 92 and works at Fox cutting down features for airlines. Mary and my mom did a play together during WW II. Bing was about 5-7 and always wore lifts. I think he wore them to bed! Check out all the Road pictures with Bob Hope and you'll clearly see that "der Bingle" has custom-made elevators on in just about every scene.

Editor Rob said on 2/Mar/06
A quote from Gary Giddins book, A Pocketfull of Dreams:
Talking about Mary Carlisle, who worked with him in films, "Carlisle noticed he was self-conscious about his height...and he wore lifts...he once told Alan Ladd how pleased he was that Ladd was shorter...Bing maintained he was 5ft 9, but an office secretary Nancy Briggs, recalled a visit to his home when he wore slippers and she realized he was just about her height - 5ft 7"

Kyle said on 29/Jul/05
This guy is 6'4 tops