The Great Mario Lanza

Mario Lanza is long gone, but his beautiful and powerful voice (tenor) remains... heard on the records he waxed and movies he starred in.

In long-play albums Mario sang popular tunes (some in Italian), Broadway hits and, of course, opera arias and classical songs.

Mario starred in seven films:

That Midnight Kiss (1949), The Toast of New Orleans (1950), The Great Caruso (1951), Because of You (1952), Serenade (1956), Seven Hills of Rome (1958) and For the First Time (1959).

In 1954, Mario’s voice was used in Student Prince.

Of Italian roots, Mario was born Alfred Arnold Cocozza on Jan. 21, 1921. He died Oct. 7, 1959 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. — RKC