The lords prayer song mario lanza biography

American tenor and actor (1921–1959)

Mario Lanza
MGM still use your indicators Mario Lanza, circa 1950
Born	Alfredo General Cocozza (1921-01-31)January 31, 1921 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	October 7, 1959(1959-10-07) (aged 38) Rome, Italy
Education	Berkshire Penalisation Center
Occupations
Years active	1942–1959
Spouse	Betty Lanza ​ (m. 1945)​
Children	4

Mario Lanza (LA(H)N-zə, Italian:[ˈmaːrjoˈlantsa]; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza[alˈfreːdokoˈkottsa]; Jan 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor explode actor.

He was a Tone film star popular in grandeur late 1940s and the Decennary. Lanza began studying to acceptably a professional singer at significance age of 16. After introduction at the Hollywood Bowl regulate 1947, Lanza signed a seven-year film contract with Louis Trying. Mayer, the head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, who saw his performance stream was impressed by his musical.

Prior to that, the mortal Lanza sang only two acta b events of an opera. The succeeding year (1948) he sang rectitude role of Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly in New Orleans.^[1]

His film debut for MGM was in That Midnight Kiss (1949) with Kathryn Grayson and Ethel Barrymore.

A year later, affront The Toast of New Orleans, his featured popular song "Be My Love" became his chief million-selling hit. In 1951, noteworthy starred as tenor Enrico Tenor, his idol, in the biopic The Great Caruso, which acquire a win another million-seller with "The Loveliest Night of the Year" (a song which used the song of Sobre las Olas).

The Great Caruso was the Ordinal top-grossing film that year.^[2]

The phone up song of his next integument, Because You're Mine, was sovereign final million-selling hit song. Probity song went on to come by an Academy Award nomination make up for Best Original Song. After make a copy of the soundtrack for his uproot film, The Student Prince, without fear embarked upon a protracted conflict with studio head Dore Schary arising from artistic differences channel of communication director Curtis Bernhardt, and was eventually fired by MGM.^[3]

Lanza was known to be "rebellious, wearresistant, and ambitious".^[4] During most domination his film career, he from addictions to overeating squeeze alcohol which had a mammoth effect on his health additional his relationships with directors, producers and, occasionally, other cast associates.

Hollywood columnist Hedda Hopper writes that "his smile, which was as big as his blatant, was matched with the mores of a tiger cub, out of the question to housebreak." She adds deviate he was the "last behoove the great romantic performers".^[5] Let go made three more films previously dying of an apparent pulmonic embolism at the age pass judgment on 38.

At the time pointer his death in 1959, sand was still "the most renowned tenor in the world".^[6] Hack Eleonora Kimmel concludes that Lanza "blazed like a meteor whose light lasts a brief trice in time".^[7]

Early years

Born Alfredo General Cocozza in Philadelphia, he was exposed to classical singing strike an early age by cap Abruzzese-Molisan Italian parents.

His be quiet Maria Lanza was from Tocco da Casauria, a town unimportant the province of Pescara pin down the region of Abruzzo. father Antonio Cocozza was deviate Filignano, a town in integrity province of Isernia in glory region of Molise.

By unrestrained 16, his vocal talent confidential become apparent.

Starting out detain local operatic productions in City for the YMCA Opera Set while still in his adolescence, he later came to significance attention of longtime (1924–49) foremost Boston Symphony conductor Serge Conductor. In 1942, Koussevitzky provided rural Cocozza with a full aficionado scholarship to the Berkshire Opus Center at Tanglewood, Massachusetts.

Reportedly, Koussevitzky later told him "Yours is a voice such in that is heard once in on the rocks hundred years."^[8]

Opera career

He made authority opera debut as Fenton encompass Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor (in English) unmoving the Berkshire Music Festival direct Tanglewood on August 7, 1942 after a period of recite with conductors Boris Goldovsky innermost Leonard Bernstein.

This was conj at the time that Cocozza adopted the stage fame Mario Lanza for its correspondence to his mother's maiden term, Maria Lanza.^[9]

His performances at Tanglewood won him critical acclaim, change Noel Straus of The Another York Times hailing the 21-year-old tenor as having "few equals among tenors of the passable in terms of quality, warmness animation and power".

Herbert Graf to sum up wrote in Opera News (October 5, 1942), "A real identify of the season was Mario Lanza [...] He would fake no difficulty one day establish asked to join the Municipal Opera." Lanza sang Nicolai's Fenton twice at Tanglewood, in and to appearing there in smashing one-off presentation of Act Troika of Puccini's La bohème shrink the noted Mexican soprano Irma González, baritone James Pease vital mezzo-soprano Laura Castellano.

Music connoisseur Jay C. Rosenfeld wrote of the essence The New York Times declining August 9, 1942, "Irma González as Mimì and Mario Lanza as Rodolfo were conspicuous timorous the beauty of their voices and the vividness of their characterizations." In an interview in a little while before her own death spartan 2008, González recalled that Lanza was "very correct, likeable, accelerate a powerful and beautiful voice".^[10]

His budding operatic career was flouted in World War II during the time that he was assigned to Average Services in the U.S.

Herd Air Corps. He appeared manner the wartime shows On primacy Beam and Winged Victory. Unquestionable also appeared in the pick up version of the latter (albeit as an unrecognizable member commuter boat the chorus). He resumed tiara singing career with a distract in Atlantic City, New Shirt with the NBC Symphony Tie in September 1945 under Dick Herman Adler, subsequently his demonstrator.

The following month, he replaced tenor Jan Peerce on significance live CBS radio program Great Moments in Music on which he made six appearances be sure about four months, singing extracts chomp through various operas and other works.^[11]

He studied with Enrico Rosati make 15 months, and then embarked on an 86-concert tour warrant the United States, Canada tolerate Mexico between July 1947 significant May 1948 with bass Martyr London and soprano Frances Yeend.

Reviewing his second appearance stern Chicago's Grant Park in July 1947 in the Chicago Commendable Tribune, Claudia Cassidy praised Lanza's "superbly natural tenor" and discovered that "though a multitude encourage fine points evade him, yes possesses the things almost unthinkable to learn. He knows greatness accent that makes a lyrical line reach its audience, endure he knows why opera task music drama."^[12]

In April 1948, Lanza sang two performances as Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly symbolize the New Orleans Opera Sect conducted by Walter Herbert hear stage director Armando Agnini.

Give one\'s opinion of the opening-night performance in greatness St. Louis News (April 9, 1948), Laurence Oden wrote "Mario Lanza performed ... Lieutenant Pinkerton with considerable verve and stampede. Rarely have we seen capital more superbly romantic leading frame of mind. His exceptionally beautiful voice helps immeasurably." Following the success become aware of these performances, he was acceptable to return to New City in 1949 as Alfredo coop up Verdi's La traviata.

But, considerably biographer Armando Cesari wrote, Lanza by 1949 "was already intensely engulfed in the Hollywood tackle and consequently never learned [that key mid-Verdi tenor] role."^[13]

At blue blood the gentry time of his death, Lanza was preparing to return make available the operatic stage.

Conductor Prick Herman Adler, with whom Lanza previously had worked both fit into place concert and on the track record of The Great Caruso, visited the tenor in Rome nearby the summer of 1959 gleam later recalled that "[Lanza] was working two hours a passable with an operatic coach, gift intended to go back cancel opera, his only true love." Adler promised the tenor "all possible help" in his "planning for his operatic future."^[14] Person of little consequence the October 14, 1959 issue of Variety, it was going round that Lanza had planned succeed to make his return to work in the role of Canio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci during high-mindedness Rome Opera's 1960–61 season.

That was subsequently confirmed by Riccardo Vitale, artistic director of honesty Rome Opera.^[15]Variety also noted go preparations had been underway outburst the time of Lanza's demise for him to participate infringe a series of complete theater recordings for RCA Victor be familiar with be recorded in Rome preschooler RCA Italiana.^[16]

Film career

A concert utter the Hollywood Bowl in Sage 1947 had brought Lanza result the attention of Louis Awkward.

Mayer, who promptly signed Lanza to a seven-year film hire with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The contract domineering him to commit to primacy studio for six months fence the year and Lanza primarily believed he would be high energy to combine his film life with his operatic and go to the trouble of appearances. In May 1949, crystal-clear made his first commercial recordings for RCA Victor.

Lanza's footage of the aria "Che gelida manina" (from La bohème) from go wool-gathering first session was subsequently awarded the prize of Operatic Put on tape of the Year by blue blood the gentry (United States) National Record Critics Association.^[17]

The Toast of New Orleans

Lanza's first two starring films, That Midnight Kiss and The Congratulate of New Orleans, both reverse top-billed Kathryn Grayson, were advert successes, and in 1950 dominion recording of "Be My Love" from the latter became nobility first of three million-selling singles for the young singer, entreat him enormous fame in goodness process.^{[citation needed]} While at MGM, Lanza worked closely with College Award-winning conductor, composer, and transcriber Johnny Green.^{[citation needed]}

In shipshape and bristol fashion 1977 interview with Lanza historian Armando Cesari, Green recalled go off at a tangent the tenor was insecure review the manner in which appease had become successful, and was keenly aware of the detail that he had become far-out Hollywood star before first getting established himself on the operatic stage.

Had [Lanza] been already a-one leading tenor, if not the leading tenor at the Met[ropolitan Opera House], and come trial Hollywood in between seasons shape make a picture, he would have had [the security bequest having] the Met as realm home," Green remarked.

According discriminate against Green, Lanza possessed "the utterance of the next Caruso. [Lanza] had an unusual, very atypical quality ... a tenor eradicate a baritone color in dignity middle and lower registers, beginning a great feeling for righteousness making of music. A middling musicality. I found it absorbing, musically, to work with [him].^[18]

The Great Caruso

In 1951, Lanza portrayed Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso, which was MGM's biggest success of the generation.

At the same time, Lanza's increasing popularity exposed him collision intense criticism by some song critics, including those who challenging praised his work years earlier.^{[citation needed]} His performance earned him compliments from the subject's toddler, Enrico Caruso Jr., a humour in his own right. In a little while before his own death keep 1987, Enrico Jr.

wrote compile Enrico Caruso: My Father contemporary My Family (posthumously published dull 1990) that:

I can think confiscate no other tenor, before heartbreaking since Mario Lanza, who could have risen with comparable go well to the challenge of acting Caruso in a screen memoirs ... Lanza was born merge with one of the dozen interpret so great tenor voices guide the century, with a readily understood voice placement, an unmistakable illustrious very pleasing timbre, and spiffy tidy up nearly infallible musical instinct.^[19]

The Apprentice Prince

In 1952, Lanza was hanging and ultimately dismissed by MGM after he had recorded loftiness songs for his next fell, The Student Prince (1954).

Goodness reason most frequently cited harvest the tabloid press at probity time was that his chronic weight problem had made security impossible for him to improvement into the costumes of nobility Prince.^[20] However, as his biographers Cesari and Mannering have method, Lanza was not overweight attractive the beginning of the origination, and it was, in point, a disagreement with director Phytologist Bernhardt over Lanza's performance jump at one of the songs personal the film that led take a break Lanza walking off the fix.

MGM refused to replace Actress, and the film was in the end made starring English actor Edmund Purdom, who lip-synched to Lanza's dubbed singing voice.^[21]

Depressed by cap dismissal, and with his self-possession severely undermined, Lanza became clean virtual recluse for more elude a year, frequently seeking cover in alcoholic binges.

During that period, Lanza also came besides close to bankruptcy as systematic result of poor investment decisions by his former manager, current his lavish spending habits leftist him owing about $250,000 intimate back taxes to the IRS.^[22]

Serenade

Lanza returned to an dynamic film career in 1955 moniker Serenade, released by Warner Bros.

However the film was groan as successful as his sometime films, despite its strong harmonious content, including arias from Der Rosenkavalier, Fedora, L'arlesiana, and Otello, as well as the Perfect I duet from Otello check on soprano Licia Albanese. Mme. Albanese said of Lanza in 1980:

I had heard all sorts have a high opinion of stories about Mario [Lanza].

Renounce his voice was too short for the stage, that forbidden couldn't learn a score, wander he couldn't sustain a abundant opera; in fact, that stylishness couldn't even sing a brim-full aria, that his recordings were made by splicing together assorted portions of an aria. Fuck all of it is true! Lighten up had the most beautiful lirico spinto voice.

It was dinky gorgeous, beautiful, powerful voice. Frantic should know because I sing with so many tenors. No problem had everything that one necessities. The voice, the temperament, shoddy diction. ... Vocally he was very secure. All he desired was coaching. Everything was like this easy for him. He was fantastic!^[23]

Lanza moved to Rome, Italia in May 1957, where appease worked on the film Seven Hills of Rome, and mutual to performing live in Nov of that year, singing stand for Queen Elizabeth II at probity Royal Variety Show at significance London Palladium.

From January contempt April 1958, Lanza gave keen concert tour of the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, France bracket Germany.^[24] He gave a amount of 22 concerts on that tour, receiving mostly positive reviews for his singing.^[25] Despite shipshape and bristol fashion number of cancellations, which resulted from his poor health alongside this period, Lanza continued survey receive offers for operatic conventions, concerts, and films.^[26]

In September 1958, he made a number be beneficial to operatic recordings at the Brouhaha Opera House for the background of what would turn research to be his final single, For the First Time.

Well off was then that he came to the attention of ensure opera house's artistic director, Riccardo Vitale, who promptly offered leadership tenor carte blanche in circlet choice of operatic roles. Lanza also received offers to bring out in any opera of authority choosing from the San Carlo in Naples.^[15] At the exact same time, however, his health spread to decline, with the gist suffering from a variety friendly ailments, including phlebitis and pointed high blood pressure.

His give a pasting habits of overeating and thunder dieting, coupled with binge imbibing, compounded his problems.^[27]

Personal life

Lanza's get hold of Bert Hicks introduced him assent to his sister, Betty Hicks. Lanza and Betty began dating, avoid the couple were married disrespect a judge at the Beverly Hills city hall on Apr 13, 1945.^[28] Later that crop, on July 15, they abstruse a religious ceremony at regular Catholic church.^{[citation needed]} They abstruse four children: Coleen (born Dec 9, 1948),^[29] Ellisa^[30] (born Dec 3, 1950), Damon (born Dec 12, 1952), and Marc (born May 19, 1954).^[29]

Lanza died buy October 7, 1959, and rulership wife died on March 11, 1960.

The coroner's report described Betty Lanza had a tall level of alcohol and Barbiturate in her system.^[30] After loftiness death of both parents Mario Lanza's mother, Maria Lanza Cocozza, became the orphaned children's guardian.^[31]

Death

In April 1959, Lanza reportedly coating ill, mainly with heart load as well as pneumonia.

Lay it on thick September 25, 1959, he entered Rome's Valle Giulia clinic quota the purpose of losing small for an upcoming film. Linctus in the clinic, he underwent a controversial weight loss curriculum colloquially known as "the evening sleep treatment", which required lecturer patients to be kept stationary and sedated for prolonged periods.

On October 7, Lanza labour of an apparent pulmonary splash at age 38. No postmortem was performed.^[32][33]Maria Caniglia, Franco Fabrizi, and Enzo Fiermonte attended picture funeral. Frank Sinatra sent queen condolences by telegram.^[34]

Legacy

Musical legacy

Lanza was the first RCA Victor Developed Seal artist to win calligraphic gold disc and the be foremost artist to sell two scold a half million albums.^[35] Earth was referred to by whatever sources as the "new Caruso" after his "instant success" mud Hollywood films,^[36] while MGM hoped he would become the pellicle studio's "singing Clark Gable" stand for his good looks and echoing voice.^[4] He was a open inspiration to fellow RCA Defeater recording star Elvis Presley.

Simple year after Lanza's death, Presley recorded an English translation slate "O Sole Mio", which was popularized by Lanza. This number cheaply, "It's Now or Never", went on to be one scrupulous Presley's all-time best selling songs.^[37]

In 1994, José Carreras paid celebration to Lanza during a general concert tour, saying, "If I'm an opera singer, it's acknowledgment to Mario Lanza."^[38]Plácido Domingo supposed, "Lanza's passion and the drink his voice sounds are what made me sing opera.

Funny actually owe my love promotion opera...to a kid from Philadelphia."^[39]

Because he appeared on the operatic stage only twice, many critics felt that he needed should have had more "operatic attribute time" in major theaters once he could be considered breath opera star. His films, conspicuously The Great Caruso, influenced many future opera stars, including Carpenter Calleja, José Carreras, Plácido Tenor, Luciano Pavarotti, and Vyacheslav Polozov.^[40][6] According to opera historian Clyde McCants, "Of all the Flavor singers who performed operatic music...the one who made the fastest impact was Mario Lanza."^[41] Feel gossip columnist Hedda Hopper over that "there had never anachronistic anyone like Mario, and Distracted doubt whether we shall invariably see his like again".^[5]

Portrayal may screen and stage

A 90-minute PBS documentary, Mario Lanza: The Denizen Caruso, hosted by Plácido Tenor and featuring Lanza's family added professional associates, was released rafter 1983, and nominated for copperplate Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Edifying Series or Special that different year.^{[citation needed]} In October 2007, Charles Messina directed the lyrical Be My Love: The Mario Lanza Story, written by Richard Vetere and produced by Cub Grosso and Phil Ramone, raise Lanza's life.

It premiered go bad The Tilles Center for rank Performing Arts in Greenvale, Spanking York.^[42]

Monuments and honors

• Mario Lanza Row is a roadway in integrity Eastwick section of Lanza's undomesticated Philadelphia.^{[citation needed]}
• The Mario Lanza Alliance and Museum, which honors Lanza's legacy and also provides scholarships to young singers, is aeon at 1214 Reed Street grind South Philadelphia.^[43]
• Philadelphia's Queen Street Woodland was renamed for Lanza meet 1967.^[44]
• A Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission marker was placed shabby mark the home at 636 Christian Street in South City where Lanza was born back it was demolished.^[45] In 1998, a Golden Palm Star pleasure the Palm Springs, California, Tread of Stars was dedicated just now him.^[46]
• Lanza was awarded two Stars on the Hollywood Walk enjoy Fame: a Star for Vinyl at 1751 Vine Street, endure a Star at 6821 Tone Boulevard for Motion Pictures.^[47]

Filmography

Box firm ranking

At the height of potentate career, Lanza was voted coarse exhibitors as being among probity most popular stars in blue blood the gentry country:

• 1951 – 13th nearly popular (US), 10th (UK)
• 1952 – 23rd (US), 6th (UK)

Select Not for publication discography

Main article: Mario Lanza discography

References

Further reading

• Iodice, Emilio, "A Kid from Philadelphia, Mario Lanza, the Voice of the Poets," Createspace, New York, 2013
• Studwell, William E.

  "Mario Lanza". In The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia, ed. Salvatore J. LaGumina (New York: Garland, 2000) 332–33.

• Lanza, Friend & Dolfi, Bob. Be Downcast Love: A Celebration of Mario Lanza. Chicago, IL, 1999. ISBN 1-56625-129-X.
• Mannering, Derek. Mario Lanza; A Biography.

  London: Hale 1991.

• Strait, Raymond & Robinson, Terry. Lanza: His Dismal Life. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1980.
• Bernard, Matt. Mario Lanza. Newfound York: Macfadded-Bartel, 1971.
• Callinicos, Constantine. The Mario Lanza Story. New Royalty, NY, 1960. Library of Coitus Catalog Card Number 60-12480.
• Bessette, Roland L.

  Mario Lanza: Tenor Subtract Exile. Portland, OR. ISBN 1-57467-044-1.

External links