Lawrence Tibbett American opera singer, baritone Date of Birth: 16.11.1896 Country: USA

Biography of Lawrence Tibbett

Lawrence Tibbett was an American operatic baritone who was also known as a film actor, radio performer, and recording artist. He was born Lawrence Mervil Tibbet on November 16, 1896, in Bakersfield, California. His father, an assistant sheriff, was killed in a shootout with the bandit Jim McKinney in 1903. Tibbett grew up in Los Angeles, earning money by singing in church choirs and at funerals.

In 1915, he graduated from a specialized art school and a year later, he met his future wife, Grace Mackay Smith, who rented a room in his mother's house. During World War I, Tibbett served in the merchant fleet and then returned to Los Angeles, where he found work as a performer of prologues to silent films at Grauman's Million Dollar Theater.

Tibbett studied in New York City under Frank La Forge, and in 1923, at the age of 26, he signed his first contract with the Metropolitan Opera, earning $60 a week. Over the years, he built a highly successful career due to his magnificent vocals, impeccable musicianship, and exceptional acting talent. He performed over 600 times on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera from 1923 to 1950, portraying a wide range of roles from Iago in Othello to Captain Hook in Peter Pan.

Tibbett first gained national recognition for his portrayal of Ford in Giuseppe Verdi's Falstaff. In the 1930s, he traveled extensively throughout Europe and Australia, performing on stage and giving solo concerts in London, Paris, Prague, Vienna, Sydney, and Melbourne. He also ventured into Hollywood and appeared in six films, including The Rogue Song (1930), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

In 1936, Tibbett co-founded the American Guild of Musical Artists with violinist Jascha Heifetz, the largest and most influential union of solo performers, and remained its president for 17 years. After his opera career ended in the early 1950s, Tibbett began performing in musicals and plays, notably taking on the role of Italian opera bass Ezio Pinza in the original run of the Broadway musical Fanny.

In his later years, Lawrence Tibbett hosted radio programs about opera and opera singers, sharing his own memories of his opera career. Unfortunately, he suffered from severe arthritis and alcohol-related problems, which affected his health. Tibbett passed away on July 15, 1960, after falling and hitting his head on a table in his apartment.

His best recordings, made in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, have been reissued on CD. A detailed biography of the artist, titled "Dear Rogue: A Biography of the American Baritone Lawrence Tibbett," was published in 1996 by Amadeus Press in Portland, Oregon. The book delves into not only his musical career but also his personal life.