Leonard Warren was born on April 21, 1911 in New York City, New York, USA as Leonard Varranoff. He was an actor, known for 40 Days and 40 Nights (2002), Irish Eyes Are Smiling (1944) and The Voice of Firestone (1949). He died on March 4, 1960 in New York City.
Sang the role of Rigoletto in conductor Arturo Toscanini's historic 1944 War Bonds Concert at Madison Square Garden, in which the great conductor performed Act IV of "Rigoletto" complete, among other selections by Verdi and Wagner. The other soloists included Jan Peerce and Zinka Milanov. The performance is considered among Toscanini's greatest, and, although the concert features only Act IV of Verdi's opera, it is the only recording we have of Toscanini conducting any of "Rigoletto".
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Suffered a fatal heart attack during an actual performance of Verdi's "La Forza del Destino," in which he was appearing at the old Metropolitan Opera House. Critics and audiences who were watching the performance were stunned at the event.
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One of the great star baritones of the Metropolitan Opera Company from his debut in 1938 through his sudden death on stage 22 years later, he was a specialist in the Italian repertoire, scoring his greatest successes in the operas of Giuseppe Verdi (he was regarded as the finest Rigoletto of his generation) and Giacomo Puccini.
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Producers' Showcase
1956
TV Series
Tonio in 'Pagliacci' scene
Otello
1948
TV Movie
Iago
Irish Eyes Are Smiling
1944
Opera Singer
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
40 Days and 40 Nights
2002
performer: "Recondita Armonia"
Producers' Showcase
1956
TV Series performer - 1 episode
Irish Eyes Are Smiling
1944
performer: "A Little Bit of Heaven Shure They Call It Ireland", "Love Me, and the World Is Mine" - uncredited
$4 Million
