Lawrence Mervil Tibbett

Background

Lawrence Tibbett was born on November 16, 1896 in Bakersfield, California, United States.

Career

After a successful appearance as Ford in Verdi's Falstaff, he was given leading roles and became especially noted for those he created in American operas, including Louis Gruenberg's Emperor Jones (1933) and the operas of Deems Taylor.

He was outstanding in the revival (1932) of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra.

He made his last stage appearance in 1956 when he replaced Ezio Pinza in the Broadway musical Fanny.

In later years Tibbett served as host of a radio show featuring recordings of operatic singers. He leavened matters with reminiscences of his own stage experiences. Plagued by severe arthritis and drinking problems, he aged prematurely as his health worsened. He died on July 15, 1960, after hitting his head on a table during a fall in his apartment. He is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Achievements

• He made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1923.
  
  Lawrence Tibbett was pictured on a set of United States postage stamps in the "Legends of American Music series", celebrating opera singers.
  
  The year he died, Tibbett was made a posthumous member of the charter class of honorees in the "Hollywood Walk of Fame. " His star is located at 6300 Hollywood Boulevard, recognizing his contributions to the music industry.
  
  Though he was a pioneer in musical film, his star honors him as a recording artist.
  
  Tibbett is portrayed briefly as a character in the 1991 Hollywood film Bugsy, although the actor portraying him was shorter and pudgier than the real person.
  
  A full-length biography of Tibbett, titled Dear Rogue, by Hertzel Weinstat and Bert Wechsler, was published in 1996 (see above).

Works

More photos

• book

  • From Broadway to Hollywood