Greek opera singer, noted for her glorious voice, stirring acting ability, and explosive temperament, a slender, chic superstar with a volcanic temper. Her performance in Bellini’s “Norma,” Verdi’s “La Traviata,” and Puccini’s “Tosca” were outstandingly memorable. In her prime, she was the world’s most celebrated diva, a legend in her own time.
Callas was born in Manhattan to Greek immigrant parents who changed the family name from Kalogeropoulos to Callas when her father opened a drugstore in the borough. The girl began singing at a young age in order to please her almost pathologically ambitious mother. In 1929, they lost the store during the depression. Her parents separated in 1937 and Maria and her older sister, Iakinthy, moved with their mother to her homeland. Maria began voice study in Athens, living in Greece during World War II. There, the talented teenager made her professional debut in 1941 in the small role of Beatrice in Suppe’s “Boccaccio.”
In 1950, her debut at La Scala, the famous Milanese opera house, was a triumph, although she was tall and overweight, with acne, nervously biting her fingernails. After her appearances at the Florence May Festival in 1951, she was opera’s most talked of figure. By 1954 she had slimmed down from 200 lbs. to 130 lbs., with an American debut that same year. Callas was a tireless rehearser, singing everything whether it fit her voice or not. Her versatile soprano may have been flawed by occasional chancy pitch but none matched her for impact. Temperamental, she was known for endless cancellations and walkouts.
In 1947, she met an older entrepreneur, Giovanni Meneghini, 32 years her senior. Despite the opposition of both families, they wed on 21 April 1949 in Verona, with no family members in attendance. With his wealth and experience, Meneghini transformed her into a glamorous star. Since Callus was prone to fragile health, he would not let her bear children, thinking it might harm her physical well-being as well as her career.
The marriage began its demise when they took a cruise on the Christina in the summer of 1959. Callas met Aristotle Onassis on the great ship, which Onassis owned. She vented her anger on her husband, while taking long walks with Onassis, growing closer to him. They began an affair and Callas became pregnant (a fact which did not become public until an enterprising biographer published his book in October 2000). She concealed her pregnancy and delivered a boy, named Omero Lengrini, by C-section prematurely on 30 March 1960 at 8:00 AM MET in Milan (B.C. in hand from Grazia Bordoni); the child lived for two hours. She and Onassis continued their liaison, and discussed the possibility of marriage in 1966.
She had a stunning collection of jewels from Onassis, one of the world’s wealthiest lovers. In 1968 she lost him to Jacqueline Kennedy, but a short time later they resumed their affair, which continued until his death in Paris on 15 March 1975. Callas seldom performed after 1960. Her last years were lonely, rejecting Meneghini’s offer of reconciliation in 1975. She died of a heart attack at her Paris home on 16 September 1977.
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