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Born Władziu Valentino Liberace on May 16, 1919, in West Allis, Wis., in suburban Milwaukee, Liberace, known as Walter to his family, was the third of four children. One of a pair of identical twins, Liberace's brother died at birth.

The son of immigrant parents, Liberace was of Italian-Polish descent. His Italian father, Salvatore Liberace, came from the fishing village of Formia near Naples. A professional musician, Salvatore instilled a love of music in his son. Liberace's mother, Frances Zuchowska Liberace, hailed from Poland and had been a concert pianist before marriage. Despite her musical background, Frances discouraged her children's pursuit of music lessons as an extravagance too expensive for the cash-strapped family. As documented in Darden Asbury Pyron's 2000 biography, Liberace: All American Boy, Liberace's parents fought constantly about their finances, but Frances' main complaint was over the expense of music. "Frances groused bitterly about spending money on luxurious music lessons," Pyron writes. According to the author, Frances felt her children would be better served in life by learning a "practical" trade like the family's struggling grocery business. Nevertheless, the tyrannical Salvatore's single-minded insistence on his children becoming professional musicians won out.

A fragile child, young Liberace was plagued with bouts of pneumonia, and his mounting medical bills worsened the family's precarious financial situation. Despite his illnesses, Liberace's talents manifested early. At age 4, he was already pecking out popular tunes on the piano by ear. At 7, he could play Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

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