“No neighborhood in the United States is like South Philadelphia.” –Mario Lanza

Mario Lanza was born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza on January 31, 1921, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Antonio Cocozza and Maria Lanza Cocozza.

Though exposed to classical singing early-on in life, he further cultivated his vocal talents during his teen years. He performed operatic productions local to the Philadelphia area for the YMCA Opera Company as a teenager, which led to him being provided a full student scholarship to the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood, Massachusetts, by Boston Symphony conductor Serge Koussevitzky.

After studying with conductors Boris Goldovsky and Leonard Bernstein, Cocozza made his initial opera performances in The Merry Wives of Windsor during 1942’s Berkshire Music Festival. At this point, he adopted the stage name Mario Lanza.

Lanza received positive reviews and his opera career was on the rise until World War II. He served as part of Special Services in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Lanza performed in wartime shows On the Beam and *Winged Victory *before continuing his singing career. While performing with the NBC Symphony Orchestra in Atlantic City, New Jersey, he found a new mentor in conductor Peter Herman Adler. Lanza ultimately replaced tenor Jan Peerce on the radio program Great Moments in Music for CBS, making six appearances and performing portions of songs from different operas.

Lanza and Betty Hicks began dating when his friend, Bert Hicks, introduced him to his sister, Betty. They were married at the Beverly Hills City Hall on April 13, 1945. Later, on July 15, 1945, they had a Catholic ceremony at a church. The couple went on to have four children: Coleen, Ellisa, Damon, and Marc.

After studying with Enrico Rosati, Laza began a concert tour of 86 concerts from 1947-1948 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. He received continued praise, including a glowing review from the Chicago Sunday Tribune after his July 1947 performance in Grant Park. He continued his opera career with performances in Madama Butterfly and *La traviata *for the New Orleans Opera Association.

His August 1947 performance at the Hollywood Bowl caught the attention of Louis B. Mayer, head of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Lanza signed a seven-year film contract with MGMT, committing to the studio for six months of the year for filmmaking. The remainder of the year was to focus on his opera career and offer live concerts.

Lanza’s first commercial recordings occurred in 1949 for RCA Victor. He received the Operatic Recording of the Year by the U.S. National Record Critics Association from that session for his recording of La boh**ème’s “Che gelida manina.”

While at MGM, Lanza starred in *That Midnight Kiss *(1949) and *The Toast of New Orleans *(1950) opposite Kathryn Grayson. His recording of “Be My Love” became a hit single for Lanza and brought him further acclaim.

Lanza also portrayed tenor Enrico Caruso in The Great Caruso (1951) for MGM, which became the studio’s biggest success of that year. His next MGM film, Because You’re Mine (1952), was also a success but Lanza grew temperamental and felt that the script was inferior to his previous work. He quickly developed a reputation for being difficult at the studio. In 1952, after he recorded songs for The Student Prince (1954), he was suspended for violating his contract dude to artistic differences, issues with his weight, and unreliability, and soon fired by MGM when he failed to show up for work. *The Student Princes *was made starring Edmond Purdom, who lip-synched to Lanza’s singing.

Lanza entered a period of depression and reclusivity for over a year. He ate and drank heavily. To make matters worse, poor financial decisions and extravagant spending nearly brought him to bankruptcy and he owed roughly $250,000 in unpaid taxes.

Lanza returned to films with *Serenade *(1956) for Warner Bros. This film was a moderate success. He then moved to Rome, Italy, where he worked on *Seven Hills of Rome *(1958). He also appeared before Queen Elizabeth II at a concert held at the London Palladium. He toured internationally with concerts in the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and France. Despite instances of poor health and cancelations, Lanza received praise for his performance and continued to receive offers for additional films, concerts, and operas.

His final film was *For the First Time *(1959), with Lanza making operatic recordings at the Rome Opera House for this film. Despite receiving the opportunity of having his choice of opera roles from the Rome Opera House’s director, among many more opportunities, Lanza’s health was taking a toll on him. His habits of overeating, crash dieting, and binge-drinking were dangerously impacting his health.

In 1959, his heart problems and high blood pressure continued to hinder him. An intent to lose weight caused him to enter Rome’s Valle Giulia clinic. There, he pursued a controversial weight loss program called the “twilight sleep treatment,” which necessitated patients to be sedated and immobilized for extended periods.

Lanza died of a pulmonary embolism on October 7, 1959. He was 38 years old. A funeral service was held in Rome. An additional service was held in Philadelphia at Leonetti’s Funeral Home and in California. He was interred in the mausoleum at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Lanza’s wife, Betty, passed away five months later. Lanza’s mother became the legal guardian of the four children.

Today, Lanza’s legacy is honored with several tributes in his Philadelphia hometown and beyond. Among them are Mario Lanza Blvd. and Mario Lanza Way in Philadelphia.

Queen Street Park was renamed Mario Lanza Park in 1967. It is located at 214 Catherine St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Lanza’s birthplace stood at 636 Christian St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, until it was demolished in 2018. Today, a historic marker stands near the site.

In 1940, Lanza and his parents resided at 2040 Mercy St., Philadelphia. This home stands today.

The Mario Lanza Institute and Museum is also an exceptional tribute to Lanza. In addition to celebrating his life and career, the institute regularly awards scholarships to young singers. I highly recommend coordinating a visit, getting a tour from William Ronayne (Founder & President of the Mario Lanza Society of New York; President of the Mario Lanza Institute and Museum), and attending their many events. They are located at 1214 Reed St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A mural dedicated to Lanza is located on the corner of Broad and Reed Streets in Philadelphia.

Lanza is honored with a plaque on the Philadelphia Walk of Fame, being inducted in 1987.

Lanza has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, honoring his work in motion pictures and recording. They are located at 6821 Hollywood Blvd. and 1751 Vine St., Los Angeles, California, respectively.

Lanza owned a home in Palm Springs, which stands at 481 W. Merito Place, Palm Springs, California.

Lanza is honored with a plaque on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars, with his “Golden Palm” dedicated in 1998.

Lanza’s last address in the U.S. was at 355 St. Cloud Rd., Los Angeles, California. This home also stands.

At the time of his passing, Lanza resided at 65 Via Bruxelles, Rome, Italy. This is now the Chinese Embassy in Italy.

Clinica Valle Giulia is located at Via Giuseppe de Notaris, 2, Rome, Italy.