Callas, Maria

(born Dec. 2, 1923, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Sept. 16, 1977, Paris, France) U.S. soprano of Greek descent.

In 1937 she moved to Greece with her mother and made her debut there in 1939. She gained an international reputation for her performance in La Gioconda at the 1947 Verona Festival. She continued to sing heavy dramatic roles, including Giacomo Puccini's Turandot and Richard Wagner's Kundry, until the conductor Tullio Serafin (1878–1968) convinced her to shift to the bel canto repertoire, for which she became famous. Her signature role was Vincenzo Bellini's Norma. Though her voice was imperfect, her extraordinary range, dramatic stage presence, and mastery of difficult roles made her the most famous opera star of her day. Her fiery temperament and her flamboyant and demanding personality made her an international celebrity; she was the consummate diva.