Birth Name: Mario Lanza
Birth Place: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Death Place: Italy
Born Alfredo Arnoldo Cocozza on Jan. 31, 1921 in Philadelphia, PA, Mario Lanza was the son of Antonio Cocozza, a World War I vet, and his wife, Maria Lanza, whose dreams of singing opera had been quashed by her husband. Her aspirations were passed down to her son, who spent hours listening to 78 RPM recordings of the legendary Enrico Caruso. He soon began singing along with the records with some authority, which inspired his mother to pay for voice lessons. Lanza's voice quickly developed into an exceptional talent, and he began performing with the YMCA Opera Company while still in his teens. In 1942, Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor Serge Koussevitzky heard Lanza sing and was bowled over...