What was Frank Sinatra's first film as a leading actor?

Frank Sinatra's first film as a leading actor was Higher and Higher. Released in 1943, the RKO musical comedy cast Sinatra as Phil Verney, a young singer whose wealthy employers try to solve their financial troubles by arranging a marriage for their daughter.

Sinatra had appeared in films before Higher and Higher, including brief musical appearances connected to his early career as a band singer. Those roles were not substantial leading parts. Higher and Higher marked his first prominent starring opportunity and helped establish him as a screen performer as well as a major popular singer.

A common mix-up is Anchors Aweigh, the 1945 musical in which Sinatra starred with Gene Kelly. That film was more famous and gave Sinatra a much larger Hollywood profile, but it came later. Pal Joey and The Tender Trap were also later Sinatra films, released in 1957 and 1955 respectively.