Lina Cavalieri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lina Cavalieri
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Lina Cavalieri, c. 1900
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Natalina Cavalieri
25 December 1874 Viterbo, Kingdom of Italy
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| Died | 7 February 1944 (aged 69) Firenze, Kingdom of Italy
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| Spouse(s) | Alexandre Bariatinsky (m. 1899–1900) Robert Winthrop Chanler (m. 1910–1912; divorced) Lucien Muratore (m. 1913–1927) Paolo d'Arvanni (m. 19??—1944; their deaths) |
| Children | Alexandre Bariatinsky, Jr. |
Lina Cavalieri (born Natalina Cavalieri on December 25, 1874 – died February 7, 1944) was a famous Italian opera singer, actress, and performer. She was known for her beautiful voice and stunning looks. Many people called her "the world's most beautiful woman."
Contents
Lina Cavalieri's Early Life and Career
Lina Cavalieri was born on Christmas Day in Viterbo, Italy. This town is about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Rome. When she was fifteen, she lost her parents and went to live in an orphanage.
Lina was a lively young girl. She did not like the strict rules of the nuns at the orphanage. So, she soon ran away and joined a traveling theater group.
Becoming a Singer in Paris
At a young age, Lina moved to Paris, France. Her striking looks helped her get work as a singer in a café-concert. From there, she performed in many music halls across Europe. She worked hard to improve her singing voice.
She took voice lessons and made her opera debut in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1900. She sang the role of Nedda in the opera Pagliacci.
Performing with Famous Opera Stars
In 1904, Lina sang at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. The next year, in 1905, she performed at the Sarah Bernhardt Theatre in Paris. There, she starred alongside the famous tenor Enrico Caruso in the opera Fedora.
Lina and Caruso then took the opera to New York City. They performed it for the first time at the Metropolitan Opera on December 5, 1906.
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Lina Cavalieri stayed with the Metropolitan Opera for two more seasons. In 1907, she performed with Caruso again in Puccini's Manon Lescaut. She became one of the most photographed stars of her time. People often called her "the world's most beautiful woman." She was known for her "hour-glass" figure, which was popular at the time.
Later Career and Marriages
During the 1909–10 season, Lina sang with Oscar Hammerstein's Manhattan Opera Company. After her first marriage ended, she had a quick romance with Robert Winthrop Chanler. He was from the well-known Astor family. They married on June 18, 1910, but separated very soon after. Their divorce was final in June 1912.
After her divorce, Lina returned to Europe. She became a very popular star in St. Petersburg, Russia, before the Russian Revolution. She performed in many other operas, including La bohème, La traviata, Faust, Manon, Tosca, and Carmen.
Throughout her career, Lina sang with many other important singers. In 1913, she married the French tenor Lucien Muratore.
Beauty Secrets and Films
After she stopped performing on stage, Lina Cavalieri opened a beauty salon in Paris. In 1914, around her fortieth birthday, she wrote an advice column about makeup for Femina magazine. She also published a book called My Secrets of Beauty.
At her beauty salon in Paris, she sold perfumes and developed her own beauty products. In 1926, she even launched her own perfume called "Mona Lina." This name was inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting, the Mona Lisa.
In 1915, Lina went back to her home country of Italy to make movies. When World War I started and Italy joined the war, she moved to the United States. There, she made four more silent films. Most of her films are now considered lost.
Final Years and Passing
Lina Cavalieri married her fourth husband, Paolo d'Arvanni. They returned to live in Italy. Even though she was in her sixties when World War II began, she volunteered as a nurse.
Lina Cavalieri died on February 7, 1944. Her home in Florence, Italy, was destroyed during an Allied bombing raid. She and her husband were trying to collect her valuable jewelry from the house when they were killed while running to an air-raid shelter. The servants who were already in the shelter survived.
Lina Cavalieri's Legacy
Lina Cavalieri did not make many recordings. In 1910, she recorded songs from operas like La bohème, Tosca, and Carmen. She also recorded some Italian songs.
Her portrait was painted by famous artists like Giovanni Boldini and Adolfo Müller-Ury. Her beautiful face also inspired many works by the artist Piero Fornasetti.
In 1955, the actress Gina Lollobrigida played Lina Cavalieri in a movie about her life. The movie was called Beautiful But Dangerous (also known as The World's Most Beautiful Woman). In 2004, a book about her life was published, titled Lina Cavalieri: The Life of Opera’s Greatest Beauty, 1874–1944.
Family Life
Lina Cavalieri had one son named Alexandre Bariatinsky, Jr. He was serving in the Italian Army during World War I.
Films
- Manon Lescaut (1914)
- Sposa nella morte (1915)
- The Shadow of Her Past (1915)
- The Rose of Granada (1916)
- The Eternal Temptress (1917)
- Love's Conquest (1918)
- A Woman of Impulse (1918)
- The Two Brides (1919)
- The Crushed Idol (1920)
- Mad Love (1920)
Iconography
- Antonio de La Gandara – Portrait of Lina Cavalieri
- Piero Fornasetti – 'Tema e Variazioni' series
Images for kids
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The Shadow of Her Past (1916)
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