Who was Maria Callas? Angelina Jolie cast in her biopic
Angelina Jolie is gearing up for her next film, and it's a biopic. In Maria, she'll be seen essaying the role of Maria Callas, one of the most influential opera singers of the 20th century. Glimpses of the 48-year-old Oscar-winning actor in and as Callas were revealed on Monday. From her early life to her successful career, here is everything to know about Callas.
Callas was born and brought up in the US
Born as Cecilia Kalos, she was later christened as Maria Anna Cecilia Sofia Kalogeropoulos. The surname was initially shortened by Callas's father to Kalos (from Kalogeropoulos), and later to Callas. Born to Greek parents, Callas was the third child after their elder daughter Yakinthi and son Vassilis. Callas was born in 1923 in the US, a year after Vassilis died of meningitis.
Callas's mother didn't see her for four days upon birth
The legendary singer's mother was so disheartened to give birth to a baby girl, and not a boy, that she didn't see Callas for four days. Later, when her mother realized that Callas was blessed with a beautiful voice, she pushed her into singing at the age of five. Callas, in an old interview, recalled how she hated singing back then.
From Greece to Italy: A glimpse of her career
She initially began her operatic career in Greece at the Greece National Opera. Years later, she moved back to the US to reunite with her father in 1945. After giving auditions, she was later selected for Metropolitan Opera by its general manager, Edward Johnson. In the following years, she also made her Italian opera debut and sang for major opera houses.
She lost about 36 kg for this reason
Callas was on the heavier side. She soon realized that as her weight increased, her voice was also getting heavy. And therefore, she decided to cut weight, losing about 36 kg between 1953 and 1954. "I was tiring myself, I was perspiring too much, and I was really working too hard," she once said in an interview while speaking about her weight.
When her voice went on a decline
The Opera singer gradually started facing troubles with her voice during high notes, claimed many of her colleagues. In fact, according to her husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini, her voice could have possibly changed because she had hit menopause, a little too early in life. Others claimed that her voice change could have been due to her rapid weight loss.
Callas died at the age of 53
Callas was married to industrialist Meneghini. However, she was also rumored to have an affair with Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipping magnate whom she met at a party in 1957. Callas eventually left Meneghini in 1959 and quit her career. She later moved to Paris and renounced her US citizenship. She spent her last few years alone in Paris and died in September 1977.
She led a tragic life
Other than her mother who used to blackmail her, she had troubles with other relationships in her life too. In Callas's biography by Lyndsy Spence, it's said that Meneghini used to rob her of money. The Opera star reportedly had a tormented relationship with Onassis, who "drugged her, mostly for sexual reasons - today we would class that as date rape."
