Brian Sullivan (singer)
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Brian Sullivan (August 9, 1917 – June 17, 1969) was an American tenor who sang in films, on radio, on television, and with the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
,
San Francisco Opera The San Francisco Opera (SFO) is an American opera company founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola (1881–1953) based in San Francisco, California. History Gaetano Merola (1923–1953) Merola's road to prominence in the Bay Area began in 1906 wh ...
, and the
Lyric Opera of Chicago Lyric Opera of Chicago is an American opera company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company was founded in Chicago in 1954, under the name 'Lyric Theatre of Chicago' by Carol Fox (Chicago opera), Carol Fox, Nicola Rescigno and Lawrence Kelly, w ...
, as well as with other groups.


Early years

Sullivan was born Harry Joseph Sullivan in Oakland, California. After living in Salt Lake City, the family moved to Los Angeles, where he attended
Manual Arts High School Manual Arts High School is a secondary public school in Los Angeles, California, United States. History Manual Arts High School was founded in 1910 in the middle of bean fields, one-half mile from the nearest bus stop. It was the third high sc ...
. His initial study of singing occurred late in his high school years. He went on to study voice at the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
.


Career

Unable to find openings in operas early in his career, Sullivan delved into musical comedy productions and toured with the
Ice Follies The Ice Follies, formerly known as the Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies, is a touring ice show featuring elaborate production numbers, similar in concept to Ice Capades. It was founded in 1936 by Eddie and Roy Shipstad and Oscar Johnson. In later ...
for one winter. In 1943, he gained performing experience with the American Music Theatre in Pasadena, California. His performances there led to a contract with
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
film studios, but that was interrupted when he went into the U.S. Army. He began his military service in the motor pool but soon was transferred to Special Services. In 1946, Sullivan sang the role of Gaylord Ravenal in a revival of ''
Show Boat ''Show Boat'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It is based on Edna Ferber's best-selling 1926 Show Boat (novel), novel of the same name. The musical follows the lives of the per ...
'' in New York. A year later, he performed on Broadway in Kurt Weill's '' Street Scene''. His audition for the
Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...
occurred during the run of ''Street Scene'', and at the close of that production he was signed by the
Central City Opera Central City Opera is the fifth-oldest opera company in the United States, founded in 1932 by Julie Penrose and Anne Evans. Each festival is presented in the 550-seat historic Central City Opera House built in 1878 in the gold mining era town of ...
in Colorado to sing in its presentation of Beethoven's ''
Fidelio ''Fidelio'' (; ), originally titled ' (''Leonore, or The Triumph of Marital Love''), Opus number, Op. 72, is the sole opera by German composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The libretto was originally prepared by Joseph Sonnleithner from the French of ...
''. Sullivan debuted at the Metropolitan Opera in 1948, in the title role in Britten's ''
Peter Grimes ''Peter Grimes'', Op. 33, is an opera in three acts by Benjamin Britten, with a libretto by Montagu Slater based on the section "Peter Grimes", in George Crabbe's long narrative poem '' The Borough''. The "borough" of the opera is a fictional ...
''. He also became "the first American singer in a generation to sing the title role in Wagner's ''
Lohengrin Lohengrin () is a character in German Arthurian literature. The son of Parzival (Percival), he is a knight of the Holy Grail sent in a boat pulled by swans to rescue a maiden who can never ask his identity. His story, which first appears in Wo ...
''." Sullivan was heard frequently on ''
The Bell Telephone Hour ''The Bell Telephone Hour'', also known as ''The Telephone Hour'', is a concert series broadcast on NBC Radio Network from April 29, 1940 to June 30, 1958. Sponsored by Bell Telephone as the name implies, it showcased the best in classical and ...
'' on radio and appeared often on '' The Voice of Firestone'' on television.


Films

Sullivan's screen debut came in an uncredited part in ''
This Man's Navy ''This Man's Navy'' (aka ''Airship Squadron No. 4.'' and ''Lighter Than Air'') is a 1945 World War II film about U.S. Navy blimps directed by William A. Wellman and starring Wallace Beery, Tom Drake, Jan Clayton and James Gleason. The support ...
'' (1945). He also had bit parts in '' Thrill of a Romance'' (1945) and ''
Courage of Lassie ''Courage of Lassie'' is a 1946 American Technicolor MGM feature film featuring Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Morgan, and dog actor Pal. Plot A young adult collie who is a descendant of Lassie is taken in by Kathie Merrick (Elizabeth Taylor) after bei ...
'' (1946).


Recordings

In 1947,
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
released a six-record album of music from ''Street Scene'', with Sullivan and other cast members performing songs from the Broadway production. * Walhall CD, ''
The Magic Flute ''The Magic Flute'' (, ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a ''Singspiel'', a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The work premiered on ...
'',
Bruno Walter Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876February 17, 1962) was a Germany, German-born Conducting, conductor, pianist, and composer. Born in Berlin, he escaped Nazi Germany in 1933, was naturalised as a French people, French cit ...
, Metropolitan Opera 1956


Personal life

Sullivan married Marie Pauline Horn on April 2, 1938. They had three children.


Death

On June 17, 1969, Sullivan's body was found floating in
Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...
. He had been in Geneva, Switzerland, to sing Siegfried in a production of ''
Götterdämmerung ' (; ''Twilight of the Gods''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86D, is the last of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nibelung''). I ...
'' at the
Grand Théâtre de Genève Grand Théâtre de Genève is an opera house in Geneva, Switzerland. As with many other opera houses, the Grand Théâtre de Genève is both a venue and an institution. The venue is a majestic building, towering over Place Neuve, officia ...
. He had been missing for several days.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Brian 1917 births 1969 deaths 20th-century American male opera singers American operatic tenors Singers from Oakland, California Singers from California Classical musicians from California University of Southern California alumni Deaths by drowning