Male Opera Singers

Luciano Pavarotti was an operatic tenor who went on to become one of the most loved and acclaimed tenors of all time. Nicknamed the King of the High Cs, Pavarotti is regarded as one of the best tenors of the 20th century. Also a well-known humanitarian, Luciano Pavarotti hosted annual charity concerts to raise money for various UN causes.

Widely regarded as an opera singer with the most beautiful voice, Andrea Bocelli is an Italian record producer and singer-songwriter. He serves as an inspiration to many as he went on to become one of the most popular Italian singers of all time, despite losing his vision at age 12. He has sold more than 90 million records worldwide.

Spanish opera singer and conductor Plácido Domingo has performed in a variety of languages, such as English, Italian, French, Spanish, and German. The winner of nine Grammys and five Latin Grammys, he later performed as part of The Three Tenors, with legends Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras, releasing bestselling albums.

Enrico Caruso was an operatic tenor who performed at prominent opera houses in the Americas and Europe. His commercially released recordings made him an international star in the early-1900s. Thanks to his illustrious career that spanned 25 years, Caruso became one of the most popular entertainers of his generation. In 1987, he was honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

José Carreras is a Spanish operatic tenor. He is best known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini. Making his debut on the operatic stage at the age of 11, he went on to build an illustrious career in the following decades. A leukemia survivor, he founded the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Foundation.  

Welsh opera singer Bryn Terfel initially gained fame with his roles in operas such as The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. The Guildhall alumnus later won a Grammy and 4 Classic Brit Awards. He was also knighted and awarded a CBE honor for his extraordinary achievements in music.

Swedish operatic tenor Jussi Björling was closely associated with New York’s Metropolitan Opera throughout his career. He was particularly known for his expertise in Italian and French repertory. After starting to sing at age 6, he made his opera debut with Mozart’s Don Giovanni in Stockholm.

Franco Corelli was an Italian tenor best remembered for his powerhouse voice, clear timbre, electrifying top notes, remarkable performances, and passionate singing. Nicknamed the prince of tenors, Franco Corelli had a long and successful association with the Metropolitan Opera where he performed between 1961 and 1975.

National Medal of Arts-winning American opera singer Robert Merrill began his career singing on radio shows and family functions. He made his opera debut with a production of Verdi's Aida and soon became known as a star of New York’s Metropolitan Opera. His later years saw him performing at sports events, too.

Beniamino Gigli was an Italian opera singer who is counted among the best tenors of his generation. He achieved international prominence in the 1920s after the demise of Enrico Caruso; Gigli became a much sought-after singer after Caruso's death and people even referred to him as Caruso Secondo.

Swedish opera singer Nicolai Gedda was one of the most influential lyric tenors of the world back in his time. His language skills helped him perform in languages as varied as English, French, German, and Italian. One of his most iconic roles was that of Anatol in Vanessa.

German opera tenor Jonas Kaufmann is best known for his versatility. Born to music lover parents, he grew up listening to his father’s collection of classical music. Dropping out of a math course in university, he opted for music instead. He is best known for his performance in Don Carlos.

Rufus Wainwright is an American-Canadian composer, singer, and songwriter. In 1998, Wainwright was recognized as the Best New Artist by Rolling Stone magazine. Over the years, he has received several awards like Juno Awards and GLAAD Media Awards. He has also received nominations for prestigious awards like the Grammys and BRIT Awards.

Nelson Eddy was an American actor and singer. A classically trained baritone, Eddy was the world's highest paid singer at the peak of his career. During his illustrious career, which spanned 40 years, Nelson Eddy earned many prestigious awards including three stars on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame. He is also credited with inspiring many Americans to pursue music.

American actor and bass-singer Thurl Ravenscroft is best-remembered for providing deep bass-voice for breakfast-cereal icon Tony the Tiger for Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes breakfast-cereal for over five-decades and for creating and making popular the catchphrase "They're gr-r-reat!". Other notable works of Ravenscroft includes singing the Christmas song You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch and doing voice-over work and singing for Disney.  

Ezio Pinza was an Italian opera singer best remembered for his rich and sonorous voice. He is also remembered for his association with the Metropolitan Opera, where he spent 22 seasons and appeared in over 750 performances of 50 operas. Over the course of his career, Pinza also performed at the Royal Opera House, San Francisco Opera, and La Scala.

Better known as Bruce Lee’s father, Cantonese opera performer Lee Hoi-chuen married half-Chinese and half-German Grace Ho after moving to Hong Kong. Bruce Lee was born to them while they were touring U.S. for an opera. His death, just days after the birth of his grandson Brandon Lee, shocked many.

Roberto Alagna is a French operatic tenor who has performed at major theatres like the Royal Opera House, La Scala, and the Metropolitan Opera. His portrayal of Roméo in Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Royal Opera House in 1994 earned him international stardom. In 2008, the French government honored him with the Chevalier Legion of Honour. 

Giuseppe Di Stefano was an Italian operatic tenor who was active from the mid 1940s to the early 1990s. Best remembered for his unique timbre, excellent diction, and passionate singing, Di Stefano was considered a successor of Beniamino Gigli. Over the course of his illustrious career, Giuseppe Di Stefano performed at popular opera houses, including the Royal Opera House.

William Marshall was an American opera singer, actor, and director. He is best remembered for playing the titular character in the 1972 blaxploitation horror film Blacula and its 1973 sequel Scream Blacula Scream. During his career, Marshall also performed on stage and in TV series. He received the Emmy Award for his performance in As Adam Early in the Morning.

Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus, considered one of the best tenors of the end of the 20th-century by many, was noted for his remarkable performances in bel canto roles. His professional opera debut role of Duke in Rigoletto became one of his signature roles. Other notable roles of Kraus include that of Werther in Manon and Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni.

William Warfield was an American singer and actor. He achieved popularity during the Civil Rights era and received many prestigious awards, including a Grammy Award. Best remembered for his appearances in television programs, Hollywood films, and stage productions, William Warfield also taught at academic institutions and represented the US during foreign tours.

Wynne Evans became a household name as the fake opera star Gio Compario in the popular Go Compare insurance commercials. The Welsh singer scored a number 1 classical debut album, A Song in My Heart, and performed as Piangi in The Phantom of the Opera. He is also a regular BBC Radio presenter.

Helmut Lotti is a Belgian singer-songwriter best known for his ability to perform in several languages and styles. Once an Elvis impersonator, Lotti crossed over into classical music during the 1990s before going on to produce hit songs in Latino, African, and Jewish music. Helmut Lotti has many multi-platinum albums under his belt.

Feodor Chaliapin was a Russian opera singer whose expressive bass voice resonated across major opera houses during his time. Such was his popularity that Chaliapin even has a star dedicated to him on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was also made the Commander of the Legion of Honour by the French government in 1934 for his contribution to opera.

Richard Tauber was an Austrian tenor and film actor. The son of an actress, he often toured with his mother and developed a love for the theater. He also enjoyed singing and studied at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt. He went on to become a tenor and an actor and also conducted at the Theater an der Wien. 

Sergey Lazarev is a Russian singer, actor, and dancer. He is best known for his contribution to the success of the pop duo, Smash. Lazarev has represented Russia twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing third on both occasions. As an actor, Sergey Lazarev is involved in the Russian theatre scene.

Rolando Villazón is a Mexican opera director and operatic tenor. He achieved international recognition in 1999 when he became the runner up of the annual opera competition, Plácido Domingo's Operalia. Apart from performing at prominent opera houses, Rolando Villazón also records solo CDs.

Jan Rubeš was a Czech-Canadian actor and bass opera singer. He first achieved popularity in 1948 when he performed at the Geneva International Music Festival and won the first prize. Jan Rubeš went on to appear in many films and TV series and won the prestigious Earle Grey Award in 1990. 

Spanish operatic tenor Bernabé Martí began training in the saxophone in his early days and grew up to study music in places such as Rome and Madrid. He gained fame with his performances in operas such as La vida breve and Salome, and later married soprano Montserrat Caballé. A cardiac condition ended his career.

Seventeenth-century Italian composer Francesco Cavalli had taken up the surname of his Venetian patron Federico Cavalli. He was initially a soprano at the St. Mark's Basilica. While he mainly composed for operas, he also developed the early recitative-aria technique. Two of his most notable works were Erismena and L’Ormindo.