Mario Lanza
Biography
Mario Lanza, an American tenor and actor, became a popular Hollywood film star in the late 1940s and 1950s. Born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza in Philadelphia, he began singing in local opera productions as a teenager and earned a scholarship to the Berkshire Music Center, where he adopted his stage name. After a 1947 Hollywood Bowl concert impressed MGM's Louis B. Mayer, he signed a film contract. His debut came in That Midnight Kiss (1949), and The Toast of New Orleans yielded his first million-selling hit, Be My Love. He portrayed Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso (1951), MGM's biggest success that year, and starred in Because You're Mine (1952), whose title song earned an Academy Award nomination. He later appeared in Serenade (1956) and other films before his death in 1959.
38years old at death
- Born Philadelphia
- Died Rome
- Star sign: AquariusThe sign runs January 20 to February 18
- Alfred Arnold Cocozza (birth name)Also credited as Alfredo Arnold Cocozza
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 5 years1951 to 1956
Every film, newest first
- 1956SerenadeIMDb rating 5.7
- 1952Because You're MineIMDb rating 5.9
- 1951The Great CarusoIMDb rating 6.5
Genres
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A role that slipped away
Later in 1952, MGM suspended Lanza and then fired him. This happened after he recorded songs for The Student Prince, a film that came out in 1954.
A first
Lanza was the first artist on RCA Victor's Red Seal label to win a gold disc. He also became the first artist whose albums sold two and a half million copies.
First role
After studying with conductors Boris Goldovsky and Leonard Bernstein, Lanza sang in opera for one of the few times, taking the part of Fenton in Otto Nicolai's The Merry Wives of Windsor at the Berkshire Music Festival in Tanglewood on August 7, 1942.
Mario Lanza movies on Netflix
Worked with
Mario Lanza shares two films with Bess Flowers, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Bess Flowers's page
Eduard Franz's page
Vincent Price's page
Alan Napier's page
Frank Puglia's page
Nestor Paiva's page
Richard ThorpeDirector, 1 film, 1951
All films by Richard Thorpe
Anthony MannDirector, 1 film, 1956
All films by Anthony Mann
Alexander HallDirector, 1 film, 1952
All films by Alexander Hall
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame | Honored | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.