Leonardo DiCaprio Taking Singing Lessons

Leonardo DiCaprio is having singing lessons to sound like Frank Sinatra. The "Titanic" actor is keen to portray the legendary singer in a new biopic but needs to prove to director Martin Scorsese he has the vocal talent to carry it off.

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A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Leonardo has hired a top vocal coach to get him sounding like Sinatra. He is a massive fan of the singer and has always wanted to play him. He would be upset to miss out on the leading role because his singing wasn't up to scratch.

"He is now in intensive vocal coaching lessons to replicate Sinatra's distinctive style."

However, Leonardo faces competition from stars including George Clooney, Justin Timberlake, Harry Connick Jr. and Jamie Foxx.

It was recently claimed Jamie - who played jazz musician Ray Charles in "Ray" - is being lined up to portray the Rat Pack singer after film bosses saw similarities between the two stars' backgrounds.

A source said: "Cool is color-blind. Jamie would seem to be born to the role.

"Magnificent singing voice, totally convincing acting ability, like Frank himself, born the wrong side of the tracks, rags to riches, makes it big against the odds, has his brushes with authority."

Oscar-winning star Jamie is believed to be favorite to land the role because of his upbringing which saw him adopted by his strict Baptist grandparents and raised in a racially-segregated area of Texas.

"My Way" singer Frank - who won 11 Grammy awards and also appeared in several films before his death in 1998 aged 82 - was raised in New Jersey by Italian immigrants.

The FBI were said to have a 2,500 page file on the star because of his rumored links to the Mafia.