Mario Lanza Overview:

Legendary actor, Mario Lanza, was born Alfred Arnold Cocozza on Jan 31, 1921 in Philadelphia, PA. Lanza died at the age of 38 on Oct 7, 1959 in Rome, Italy .

MINI BIO:

Handsome, dark-haired American operatic tenor, enormously popular with audiences and record-buyers alike in the early fifties. After portraying his idol, Caruso, Lanza's career was undone by weight problems and his own temperament. Died from a coronary thrombosis following a crash diet.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

.

He was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the categories of Recording and Motion Pictures. Lanza was never nominated for an Academy Award.

BlogHub Articles:

The Show

By Aurora on Oct 7, 2014 From Once Upon a Screen

I’ve been listening to varied broadcasts of “The Show” on old-time radio on and off for some time. ?In fact, it is by way of these shows that I know anything about the actor/singer at all not having seen any of his films, including the mega-hit THE GREAT CARUSO directed... Read full article


See all articles

Mario Lanza Quotes:

No Quote for this person.



Share this page:
Visit the Classic Movie Hub Blog CMH
Also an Aquarius






See All Aquariuses >>
Mario Lanza on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame




See All Walk of Fame Stars >>
Mario Lanza Facts
A rarity, in that he was a best-selling classical artist, Mario Lanza's many recordings on RCA Victor Red Seal, most notably "Be My Love", The Great Caruso (1951) soundtrack album and "Christmas Hymns and Carols" were top-sellers at the time and have continued to enjoy good, consistent sales, this more than four decades after his premature death.

Much has been made of the influence Lanza has had on contemporary tenors such as Plácido Domingo, José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, but an apocryphal story has followed Lanza through his career and beyond. The famous Italian tenor Enrico Caruso died in 1921. Lanza was born in 1921. Superstition prompts fans to believe that the newborn Mario inherited the voice of the expired Enrico. To support this myth, most critics during Lanza's life espoused the belief that Lanza's vocal range and quality were on a par with no other singer but Caruso.

Took as his professional name a variation on his mother's name. He substituted the masculine Mario for the feminine Maria and used her maiden name of Lanza as his surname.

See All Related Facts >>