Marni Nixon

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Marni Nixon (2009)

Margaret Nixon McEathron (born February 22, 1930 in Altadena , California - † July 24, 2016 in New York City , New York ) was an American opera singer ( soprano ). As a so-called ghost singer , she lent her singing voice to other actresses several times in American film productions .

Life

Marni Nixon has been a singer since she was a child and received extensive vocal training. In 1947 she sang in a performance at the Hollywood Bowl under the direction of Leopold Stokowski . 1954 was Nixon Actress in Broadway -Stück The Girl in Pink Tights .

Marni Nixon is considered to be one of the most famous ghost singers in film history, so she lent her voice to film stars who were not able to convincingly do the singing on their own. She had her first singing engagement in 1948 in the film Johanna von Orleans . In 1949 she lent Margaret O'Brien her singing voice for the literary film adaptation of The Secret Garden . Marilyn Monroe lent her a few high voice parts in blondes preferred in 1953 . Deborah Kerr lent her the singing voice in The King and Me (1956) and The Great Love of My Life (1957). Nixon's most important vocal engagement was for Natalie Wood in West Side Story . In 1964 she sang for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady . Marni Nixon's work on these films was kept secret from the public when they were made, and it was only in later years that she received attention and recognition for them.

In 1965 Nixon was seen as an actress: as sister Sophia in My Songs - My Dreams by Robert Wise . In 1998 she sang as grandmother Fa for the cartoon Mulan . Nixon remained active as a singer on Broadway and Off-Broadway into old age, singing roles such as “Konstanze” and “Blondchen” in Abduction from the Seraglio , “Susanna” in Nozze di Figaro , the “Philine "In Mignon , the" Zerbinetta "in Ariadne on Naxos and the" Violetta "in La traviata .

Private life

Marni Nixon was married to Ernest Gold from 1950 to 1969 and is the mother of three children, including singer Andrew Gold . Her third husband, Albert Block, with whom she had been married since 1983, died in 2015. She died of breast cancer in July 2016 at the age of 86.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Marni Nixon, The Voice Behind the Screen, Dies at 86. In: The New York Times. July 25, 2016.
personal data
SURNAME Nixon, Marni
ALTERNATIVE NAMES McEathron, Margaret Nixon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American opera singer (soprano)
DATE OF BIRTH February 22, 1930
PLACE OF BIRTH Altadena , California
DATE OF DEATH July 24, 2016
Place of death New York City , New York