Anna Moffo (June 27, 1932 – March 9, 2006) was an Italian-American opera singer, television personality, and award-winning dramatic actress. One of the leading lyric-coloratura sopranos of her generation, she possessed a warm and radiant voice of considerable range and agility. Because of her physical appearance she was nicknamed "La Bellissima". Winning a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Italy, she became very popular there after performing leading operatic roles on three RAI television productions in 1956. Moffo returned to America for her debut at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on October 16, 1957. In New York, her Metropolitan Opera debut took place on November 14, 1959. She performed at the Met for over seventeen seasons. Although Anna Moffo's original recordings were made for EMI Records, she later signed an exclusive contract with RCA Victor. In the early 1960s, she hosted her own show on Italian television, was acclaimed for her beauty, appeared in several operatic films, and other dramatic non-singing roles. In the early 1970s she extended her international popularity to Germany through operatic performances, TV appearances, and several films...all while continuing her American operatic performances. Due to an extremely heavy workload, Moffo suffered a serious vocal-breakdown in 1974, from which she never fully recovered. In later years, she gave several master classes through the Met. Her death at age 73 was preceded by a decade-long battle with cancer.
Shortly after the Italian tenor Sergio Franchi joined the RCA recording family in America, they recorded a popular album of operetta duets, "The Dream Duet," which peaked at number ninety seven on the Billboard 200 in 1963. Later that year Franchi and Moffo collaborated in recording "The Great Moments From Die Fledermaus" with The Vienna State Orchestra and Chorus, Oskar Dannon conducting. In 1999 this album was re-mastered and re-issued in High Performance Stereo.
In 1969 she caused a scandal in Italy when she appeared to be nude in a scene in the film "Una Storia d'Amore." In later years she insisted that she had not been totally unclothed.
4
After she graduated from high school she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship, went to Rome to study voice, master the Italian language and train for opera.
5
Born in America to Italian parents.
6
In Italy, she hosted the 'The Anna Moffo Show' that helped popularise opera from 1960 to 1973.
7
She has recorded several albums (opera and otherwise), including La Traviata, La Bohème (with Maria Callas), La Rondine, and Madama Butterfly. She has also enjoyed successful film career, not only of operas, but also of strictly dramatic films, including Una storia d'amore, which won the prestigious Griffo d'Argento award. She is as well known for her beauty as for her singing, but it shouldn't be overlooked that she has performed La Traviata more than 900 times, and Lucia di Lammermoor around 500 times. Recently, Anna Moffo received an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Recently, on November 14, 1999, the 40th anniversary of her Met debut was celebrated.
8
Famous American operatic soprano of Italian descent.
Actress
Title
Year
Status
Character
Die schöne Helena
1975
TV Movie
Helena
Die Csárdásfürstin
1971
Sylva Varescu
Lucia di Lammermoor
1971
Lucia
Concerto per pistola solista
1970
Barbara Worth
Schwarzer Peter
1970
TV Series
Singer
La ragazza di nome Giulio
1970
Lia
Il divorzio
1970
Elena, Leonardo's wife
The Adventurers
1970
Dania Leonardi
Una storia d'amore
1970
Evy
Wien nach Noten
1969
TV Movie
La traviata
1968
Violetta Valery
The Bell Telephone Hour
1967
TV Series
Adieu 65: Hello 66
1965
TV Movie
Menage all'italiana
1965
Giovanna
La serva padrona
1962
Serpina
The Battle of Austerlitz
1960
La Grassini
Falstaff
1956
TV Movie
Nannetta
La sonnambula
1956
TV Movie
Anima
Madama Butterfly
1956
TV Movie
Cio-Cio San
Soundtrack
Title
Year
Status
Character
Aria
1987
performer: "Rigoletto extracts"
Fanfare
1965
TV Series performer - 1 episode
The Bell Telephone Hour
1962
TV Series performer - 1 episode
The Ed Sullivan Show
1960
TV Series performer - 1 episode
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Pluck
2006
Documentary short
Wolf Trap Presents Victor Borge: An 80th Birthday Celebration
$7 Million
