- Born
- Died
- Birth nameLauritz Lebrecht Hommel Melchior
- Height6′ 2″ (1.88 m)
- Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1890, Lauritz Melchior was a prominent opera singer who was a latecomer to the silver screen. From the 1920s through the 1940s, he was a leading opera singer across Europe. From 1924-1939, he excelled in Wagnerian roles in Covent Garden at the Royal Opera House in London. He also sang with the Chicago Opera and the San Francisco Opera, both from 1934-1945. During his long career, he sang in most of the concert halls of Europe and the Americas.
But, Melchior was most famously known for his performances as a member of the Metropolitan Opera of New York from 1926-1950. He was a recording artist as well, and he appeared and sang on television and radio. Late in his career, he appeared in five Hollywood films. His wide voice range from baritone to tenor made him ideal for musicals of the early mid-20th century that combined operatic songs with popular tunes.
Melchior had a good command of the English language and an adroit sense of humor. So, he was well suited and well liked in the American films, and TV and radio shows in which he sang and acted late in his career. He became a U.S. citizen in 1947 and died at age 82 on March 18, 1973, in Santa Monica, California.
- IMDb mini biography by: SimonJack
- SpousesMary Markham(1964 - 1966) (divorced)Maria Hacker(May 26, 1925 - 1963) (her death)Inger Nathanson(November 1915 - 1924) (her death, 2 children)
- Danish opera star who played character parts in MGM musicals in his twilight years.
- He was the most famous Wagnerian tenor of his time, although he did record arias from other operas such as "Otello" and "I Pagliacci". He sang with both of the leading Wagnerian sopranos of the era, Kirsten Flagstad and Helen Traubel.
- Known for his incredibly powerful tenor voice and long-running performances as the bold-faced heroes of composer Richard Wagner's best-known, "long-haired" operas, including "Tristan and Isolde" (223), "Tannhauser" (144), "Die Walkure" (183), "Lohengrin" (106), "Siegfried" (128) and "Parsifal" (81).
- Although an acclaimed tenor in his later professional career, he made his debut at the Royal Opera House in Copenhagen as a baritone in "Pagliacci".
- Debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in "Tannhauser".
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