Maria Callas Height, Weight, Age, Facts, Biography

Maria Callas was an American Soprano who was considered to be one of the 20th century’s most influential opera singers of all time. Her wide-ranging voice and dramatic interpretations made her favorite for praise amongst many critics. Nevertheless, behind her mesmerizing vocals and beautiful smile lay a sad, lonely, and unhappy person.

Born Name

Sophie Cecilia Kalos

Nick Name

La Divina

Age

Maria was born on December 2, 1923.

Died

She died on September 16, 1977, at the age of 53 in Paris, France due to a heart attack.

Sun Sign

Sagittarius

Born Place

New York City, New York, United States

Nationality

Education

She attended the Athens Conservatoire. Maria was trained by Maria Trivella of the Greek National Conservatoire

Occupation

Soprano

Family

• Father – George Kalogeropoulos
• Mother – Elmina Evangelia Demes
• Siblings – Yakinthi (Older Sister), Vassilis (Older Brother)

Manager

She was represented by her then-husband Giovanni Battista Meneghini.

Genre

Soprano

Instruments

Vocals

Labels

Unsigned

Build

Slim

Height

5 ft 8½ in or 174 cm

Weight

62 kg or 136.5 lbs

During her younger years, she weighed 91 kg or 201 lbs.

Boyfriend / Spouse

Maria’s name had been linked with –

1. Giovanni Meneghini (1948-1959)
2. Aristotle Onassis (1959-1968) – During her relationship with Aristotle, the couple was said to have had a boy who was born on March 30, 1960, but passed away a few later. It was also speculated that she got an abortion done while still in a relationship with Aristotle.
3. Warren Beatty (1968)
4. Pedro Aguinaga (1968)
5. Pier Paolo Pasolini (1969) – Rumor
6. Giuseppe Di Stefano (1974-1975)

Race / Ethnicity

White

She was of Greek descent.

Hair Color

Salt & Pepper

Due to her age, Maria’s dark brown began to turn white.

Eye Color

Dark Brown

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Pointed nose
• Thick eyebrows
• Perfect lips

Maria Callas Facts

1. She was born at Flower Hospital, 1249 5th Avenue, Manhattan and grew up there.
2. Maria was christened as “Maria Anna Cecilia Sofia Kalogeropoulos”. It was her father who decided to take make their last name “Kalogeropoulos” to “Kalos” and then later changed in to “Callas.” Her christening took place in 1926, at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.
3. During her younger days, Maria was a plump child and wore big glasses as she was nearsighted.
4. Her mother was from a middle-class family whose parents did not want her to marry Maria’s father George. However, she did the exact opposite and later regretted it.
5. Maria’s brother was about 2 years old when he passed away in 1922 due to meningitis. His death made her parent’s marriage very stressful. A year later, her parents moved to New York after plenty of arguments and lived in an apartment in Astoria, Queens.
6. She was 4 years old when her father moved the family to Manhattan where he subsequently opened a medical store.
7. Maria went through a tough time as a child as her mother Litsa did not want another girl and also refused to look at her for the first 4 days after her birth. Later, she began to pressurize Maria to sing after discovering her vocal talent when she was only 3 years old. However, Maria did not like singing at the time.
8. Her mother and father parted ways from one another in 1937. After that, Maria and her older sister Yakinthi were taken back to Greece by their mother Litsa.
9. She came into the eye of the public for the first time after an article was published by the Times Magazine emphasizing Litsa and her daughter’s toxic relations that had been mentioned by Litsa in her book titled My Daughter Maria Callas (1960). In an interview in the past, Maria had also stated at one point her mother showed her that she preferred Maria’s sister over her as Maria was the unpopular and the ugly one.
10. According to statements that were made by loved ones, Maria was forced into prostitution by her mother in exchange for money. She was often made to go out with Italian and German soldiers.
11. The last that Maria saw of her mother was when they parted ways in Mexico in 1950.
12. It was Spanish coloratura soprano Elvira de Hidalgo who helped her bag various roles at the Greek National Opera in order to help her earn a small amount of money.
13. She once faced a lot of difficulty breathing and singing as she put on weight and decided to lose weight in between 1953 to early 1954. She lost 36 kg by eating salad and chicken and other low-calorie diet meals.
14. Maria was known for her vocals consisting of 3 registers. The first being her low register was said to be very deep and almost baritone. Her middle register was said to be as she was singing into a jug. The high register of her voice was said to be that of a high C and similar to the typical coloratura which was like a light flute sound.
15. Maria gave up her U.S. citizenship in 1966 and went to spend the last of her years in Paris.
16. According to reports at the time of her death, Maria had lost her mesmerizing vocal ability as she had contracted a serious illness. She had also been suffering from dermatomyositis since 1975.
17. As per her request prior to her death, her ashes were flown to Greece and scattered into the Aegean Sea. However, after she was cremated, her ashes had been stolen and then recovered.

Featured Image By CBS Television / Wikimedia / Public Domain