Mario Lanza Biography

Fast Facts

• Was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for Recording and one for Motion Pictures
• Won the Operatic Recording of the Year prize from the National Record Critics Association for his rendition of the aria "Che gelida manina․"
• As a child, he was scared to let anyone know about his interest in music, but one day while his parents were out, he sang along to all of their Caruso records until he was hoarse and made up his mind that he would be a singer
• Moved pianos to save up for tuition to study classical music, but when he delivered a piano to the Academy of Music, the director of the Philadelphia Forum heard him singing along with some of the students and took him under his wing
• Realized he wanted to be a singer while listening to operatic records playing in the music shop across the street from his house while shooting marbles with his friends
• Quote: "Lessons were out of the question․ I got them all from the phonograph․ I'd save every penny I could get together and buy new records, and whenever the folks went out I would sing․"
• Quote: "I hate opera singers․ Those fancy Italian opera singers․ Every time I see one on the street I want to go up to him and punch him in the nose․"
• A film star in the 1940s and 1950s, he had the opportunity to portray Enrico Caruso, the tenor whose music had inspired him to be a singer, in "The Great Caruso․"
• An operatic tenor, he made his first big impact on the music world when he sang a concert at the Hollywood Bowl that was greeted with an enthusiastic standing ovation
• Claimed that he stole a jacket from MGM that was made for Van Johnson