You’ve probably seen the old photos of Bing Crosby leaning against a piano, looking every bit the relaxed, effortless superstar. He had this aura that filled the room, a voice that felt like a warm blanket, and a presence that seemed to tower over the entertainment industry for decades. But if you were to actually stand next to him? Well, you might be surprised.
There is a long-standing debate about exactly how tall Bing Crosby was, mostly because Hollywood in the 1940s and 50s was basically a hall of mirrors. Studios were obsessed with making their leading men look like giants.
Honestly, the "official" numbers and the real-world measurements rarely lined up.
The Mystery of Bing Crosby Height
If you look at the old studio bios, you’ll often see Bing listed at 5 feet 9 inches. That was the magic number for many actors of that era. It was tall enough to be "leading man" material but not so tall that you couldn’t find a leading lady to stand next to you.
But here’s the thing: people who actually met him often told a different story.
One famous anecdote comes from a secretary named Nancy Briggs. She visited Bing at home and noticed that while he was padding around in his slippers—no shoes, no lifts, no Hollywood magic—he was roughly her height. She was 5 feet 7 inches.
Most reliable modern estimates and historical deep-dives put Bing Crosby right at that 5'7" (170 cm) mark. Some even suggest he might have been a fraction of an inch shorter, perhaps closer to 5'7.5".
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Why the discrepancy?
Hollywood was (and still is) a bit of a fabrication factory. Back then, if a star wasn't naturally tall, they used "elevator shoes" or discreet lifts inside their footwear. It wasn't just Bing; it was a standard industry practice. When you’re staring at a screen, it’s hard to judge scale unless you have a reference point.
Think about it.
Bing spent a massive portion of his career standing next to Bob Hope in the "Road to..." movies. Bob Hope was approximately 5 feet 10 inches. If Bing were truly 5'9", they would have looked nearly identical in height. Instead, in many scenes, you can clearly see a visible difference that the cameras couldn't entirely hide, even with the cleverest blocking.
Comparing Bing to the Other Giants
To get a real sense of his stature, you have to look at the men he shared the stage with. Old Hollywood was a small world.
- Frank Sinatra: Often listed at 5'8", but many suspect he was closer to Bing's 5'7" range.
- Gene Kelly: A powerhouse of a man who was also famously about 5'7".
- Humphrey Bogart: Another legend who hovered around 5'8".
- Fred Astaire: Roughly 5'9", giving him a slight edge over Bing.
When you see Bing next to these guys, he fits right in. He wasn't "short" by the standards of the early 20th century—the average height for an American male born in 1903 was significantly lower than it is today—but he certainly wasn't the 6-foot-tall crooner some fans imagined.
The "Lifts" Rumors
Did Bing wear lifts? Probably.
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In the Golden Age of Cinema, image was everything. If a scene required Bing to look more imposing next to a taller co-star, the wardrobe department had ways to make that happen. There are countless stories of actors standing on "apple boxes" (often called "Man Makers" or "Bings" in the industry, ironically) during close-ups to ensure they were at eye level with their partners.
But Bing didn't seem to have the "short man syndrome" that plagued some of his contemporaries. He was famously relaxed. His nickname was "Der Bingle" or "The Old Groaner." He was more concerned with his golf handicap and his racehorses than whether he looked two inches taller in a publicity still.
Stature vs. Status
It’s kind of funny that we care about this.
Bing Crosby sold more than one billion records. He had 41 number-one hits. Between 1934 and 1954, he was essentially the biggest star in the world. When you have that much cultural weight, your physical height becomes an afterthought.
He was a pioneer of the "crooning" style, made possible by the invention of the sensitive ribbon microphone. Before Bing, singers had to belt it out to reach the back of the theater. Bing realized he could just whisper into the mic, and it would sound like he was singing directly into the listener's ear.
That intimacy created a persona that was "larger than life," regardless of what the measuring tape said.
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What This Means for Us Today
If you’re looking for a definitive answer, the consensus among historians is 5 feet 7 inches.
The 5'9" claim was mostly studio fluff. Does it change how we hear White Christmas? Not a bit. If anything, knowing he was an average-sized guy makes his transition from a kid in Tacoma, Washington, to a global icon feel a little more grounded.
Key Takeaways on Bing Crosby’s Stature:
- The Official Lie: Most studio records claimed he was 5'9".
- The Reality: Physical evidence and eyewitness accounts point to 5'7".
- The Comparison: He was roughly the same height as Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra.
- The Impact: His height never hindered his career; his charisma and voice were the real "tall" attributes.
If you want to see the height difference for yourself, go back and watch High Society (1956). Watch the "Well, Did You Evah!" number. You’ve got Bing and Frank Sinatra dancing together. They are almost exactly the same height, and neither of them is particularly tall compared to the set pieces around them.
Yet, they own the screen.
Next time you hear someone mention Bing Crosby's height, you can tell them that while he may have stood at 5'7", he cast a shadow that covered the entire 20th century. For fans looking to dive deeper into the technical side of his career, researching his early adoption of magnetic tape recording—which he used to prerecord his radio shows—gives a much better picture of why he was a giant in the industry.
Check out historical archives or film biographies to see how camera angles were specifically chosen to maintain the "leading man" illusion for stars under 5'9". You'll start noticing the tricks everywhere in classic cinema.