Callas, Maria, stage name of Maria Meneghini, n�e Kalogeropoulos 1923-77
US soprano

Born in New York City of Greek parents, she studied at Athens Conservatory, and in 1947 appeared in Verona in La Gioconda ('The Joyful Girl'), where she won immediate recognition. Her 1956 debut at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City drew a record audience. She sang with great authority in all the most exacting soprano roles, and was particularly impressive in the intricate bel canto style of pre-Verdian Italian opera. The fierce but truthful drama of her performances, her tumultuous personal life (including a long relationship with Aristotle Onassis), and her transformation (after losing a great deal of weight) into an exceptional beauty all added to her fascination in the mind of the public. Driven perhaps too hard, her voice began to fail early, and she gave her last operatic performance at the Metropolitan in Tosca in 1965.