Adriana Caselotti

Biography

Adriana Caselotti was an American actress and singer, born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, into a family of singers and music teachers, and she studied singing with her father. After early work at MGM as a chorus performer and session vocalist, she was hired by Walt Disney in 1935 to provide the voice of the heroine in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), though she went uncredited. She voiced Juliet's line in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and sang in a bar scene in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), both uncredited. Her only operatic role was Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto in 1944. She appeared on television shows such as The Julie Andrews Hour and The Mike Douglas Show, wrote a book on singing, Do You Like to Sing?, and in 1994 was named a Disney Legend, the first female voice-over artist to receive that honor.

80years old at death

Born May 6, 1916Bridgeport
Died January 18, 1997Los Angeles
Star sign: TaurusThe sign runs April 20 to May 20
Also credited as Adriana Elena Loreta Caselotti and Adriana Elena Loretta Caselotti

Movie Career

Films: 3
Career span: 2 years1937 to 1939

Every film, newest first

1939The Wizard of OzIMDb rating 8.1
1937Snow White and the Seven DwarfsIMDb rating 7.6
1937The Bride Wore RedIMDb rating 6.3

Genres

Did you know?!

A role that slipped away
Jack Benny asked Walt Disney for permission to use Caselotti on his radio show. Disney turned him down, explaining that the voice could not be used anywhere since he did not wish to ruin the Snow White illusion.
A first
Caselotti had just one part in opera: Gilda in Verdi's Rigoletto, sung in 1944. By her own account, it was not a very successful affair.
Behind the award
In 1994, Caselotti was named a Disney Legend, and she became the first female voice-over artist to receive that honor.
A first
When Disneyland refurbished the Snow White Grotto in the early 1990s, Caselotti re-recorded "I'm Wishing" for the Snow White Wishing Well exhibit at the age of 75.