Lily Pons

Lily Pons was a French-American operatic soprano and actress who had a remarkable career from the late 1920s to the early 1970s. She was born Alice Joséphine Pons in Draguignan, France, on April 12, 1898, to a French father and an Italian-born mother. She began her musical education as a pianist, winning the first prize at the Paris Conservatory at the age of 15. She later discovered her vocal talent and studied with Jean Maubert and Alberto di Gorostiaga. She made her operatic debut in 1928 as Lakmé at the Mulhouse Opera in Alsace, France. Lakmé became one of her signature roles, along with Lucia di Lammermoor, which she sang for her debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1931. She quickly became a favorite of the American public and critics, who praised her brilliant coloratura technique, her expressive acting, and her charming personality. She remained with the Metropolitan Opera for more than 30 years, performing nearly 300 times in a variety of roles, mostly in the French and Italian coloratura repertoire. She also appeared as a guest artist with many opera houses around the world, including the Royal Opera House in London, La Scala in Milan, and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. In addition to her operatic career, Pons also had a successful and lucrative career as a concert singer, recording artist, film star, radio performer, and television personality. She made three musical films for RKO Pictures in the mid-1930s: I Dream Too Much (1935), That Girl from Paris (1936), and Hitting a New High (1937). She also recorded dozens of albums for RCA Victor, featuring both classical and popular songs. She was a frequent guest on radio shows such as The Bell Telephone Hour, The Voice of Firestone, and The Ford Sunday Evening Hour. She also appeared on television variety programs such as The Ed Sullivan Show, The Colgate Comedy Hour, and The Dave Garroway Show. In 1955, she was the first star to headline the iconic series Sunday Night at the London Palladium. She entertained the troops during both World War I and World War II, touring battlefields in North Africa and Asia. She was awarded the Croix de Lorraine and the Légion d'honneur by the government of France for her contributions to French culture. Pons was also known for her glamorous image and her marketing savvy. She was featured in women's magazines as a fashion icon and a home decorator. She endorsed products such as Lockheed airplanes, Knox gelatin, and Libby's tomato juice. She even had a town in Maryland named after her: Lilypons. Opera News wrote in 2011: "Pons promoted herself with a kind of marketing savvy that no singer ever had shown before, and very few have since; only Luciano Pavarotti was quite so successful at exploiting the mass media." Pons was married twice: first to publisher August Mesritz from 1930 to 1933; then to conductor Andre Kostelanetz from 1938 to 1958. She had no children. She retired from performing in 1973 and died of pancreatic cancer in Dallas, Texas, on February 13, 1976. She was buried at the Cimetière du Grand Jas in Cannes, France.