Marni Nixon | |
|---|---|
 Nixon at the Metropolitan Room, New York City (2009) | |
| Born | Margaret Nixon McEathron (1930-02-22)February 22, 1930 Altadena,California, U.S. |
| Died | July 24, 2016(2016-07-24) (aged 86) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, actress |
| Years active | 1942–2009 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3, includingAndrew Gold |
Margaret Nixon McEathron (February 22, 1930 – July 24, 2016), known professionally asMarni Nixon, was an Americansoprano andghost singer for featured actresses inmusical films. She was the singing voice of leading actresses on thesoundtracks of several musicals, includingDeborah Kerr inThe King and I andAn Affair to Remember,Natalie Wood inWest Side Story, andAudrey Hepburn inMy Fair Lady, although her roles were concealed from audiences when the films were released.[1] Several of the songs she dubbed appeared onAFI's 100 Years...100 Songs list.[2]
Besides her voice work in films, Nixon's career included roles of her own in film, television,opera andmusicals onBroadway and elsewhere throughout the United States, performances in concerts with majorsymphony orchestras, and recordings.
Born inAltadena, California, to Charles Nixon and Margaret Elsa (née Wittke) McEathron, Nixon was a child film actress who also played the violin and began singing at an early age in choruses, including performing solos with theRoger Wagner Chorale.[1][3] She went on to studysinging and opera with, among others,Vera Schwarz,Carl Ebert,Boris Goldovsky andSarah Caldwell.[1] In 1947, having adopted the stage name "Marni Nixon", she made herHollywood Bowl solo debut inCarmina Burana with theLos Angeles Philharmonic under conductorLeopold Stokowski.[4]
Nixon's career in film started in 1948 when she sang the voices of the angels heard byIngrid Bergman inJoan of Arc (1948). The same year, she did her firstdubbing work when she providedMargaret O'Brien's singing voice in 1948'sBig City and then 1949'sThe Secret Garden. She sang forJeanne Crain inCheaper by the Dozen (1950) and dubbedMarilyn Monroe's high notes in "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" inGentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953). Also in 1953, she sang forIda Lupino inJennifer. Nixon appeared onBroadway in 1954 inThe Girl in Pink Tights.[1][5]
In 1956, she worked closely withDeborah Kerr to supply the star's singing voice for the film version ofRodgers and Hammerstein'sThe King and I; Kerr broke with Hollywood convention by publicly crediting Nixon's singing.[6][7] In 1957 Nixon again worked with Kerr to dub her voice inAn Affair to Remember.[1] That year, she also sang forSophia Loren inBoy on a Dolphin. In 1960, she dubbedJanet Leigh's voice inPepe[1] and had an on-screen chorus role inCan-Can.[8] In 1961'sWest Side Story, the studio kept her work on the film (as the singing voice ofNatalie Wood's Maria) a secret from Wood,[9][10] and Nixon also dubbedRita Moreno's singing in the film's"Tonight" quintet. She asked the film's producers for, but did not receive, direct royalties from her work on the film, butLeonard Bernstein contractually gave her ¼ of one percent (0.25%) of his personal royalties from it.[11] After a court case, she received royalties from sales ofthe soundtrack album and spoke out for the rights of ghost singers.[6] In 1962, she also sang Wood's high notes inGypsy.[8][12] ForMy Fair Lady in 1964, she again worked with the female lead of the film,Audrey Hepburn, to perform the songs of Hepburn's character Eliza.[9] Because of her uncredited dubbing work in these films,Time magazine called her "The Ghostess with the Mostest".[13][14] Nevertheless, the public did not know Nixon's face; she appeared onTo Tell the Truth the same year, where two members of the panel were fooled.[15]
Nixon made guest appearances with Leonard Bernstein'sYoung People's Concerts, including in 1960, singing "Improvisation sur Mallarmé I" fromPli selon pli byPierre Boulez,[3] and on April 9, 1961, in a program entitled "Folk Music in the Concert Hall", singing three "Songs of the Auvergne" byJoseph Canteloube.[16] BeforeMy Fair Lady was released in theatres in 1964, Nixon played Eliza in a revival of the musical atNew York City Center.[8] Nixon's first onscreen appearance was as Sister Sophia in the 1965 filmThe Sound of Music. In the DVD commentary to the film, directorRobert Wise comments that audiences were finally able to see the woman whose voice they knew so well.[17] In 1967, she was the singing voice of Princess Serena in a live action and animated version ofJack and the Beanstalk on NBC. Especially in the 1960s, but also earlier and later, Nixon made concert appearances, specializing in contemporary music as a soloist with theNew York Philharmonic, and gave recitals atCarnegie Hall,Alice Tully Hall andTown Hall in New York City.[1][18]
Nixon taught at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts inMontecito from 1969 to 1971 and joined the faculty of theMusic Academy of the West, Santa Barbara, in 1980, where she taught for many years.[19] In the late 1970s and early 1980s, she hosted a children's television show inSeattle onKOMO-TV channel 4 calledBoomerang, winning fourEmmy Awards as best actress, and made numerous other television appearances on variety shows and as a guest star in prime time series.[20][21] Nixon's opera repertory included Zerbinetta inAriadne auf Naxos, Susanna inThe Marriage of Figaro, both Blonde and Konstanze inDie Entführung aus dem Serail, Violetta inLa traviata, the title role inLa Périchole and Philine inMignon. Her opera credits included performances atLos Angeles Opera,Seattle Opera,[11]San Francisco Opera and theTanglewood Music Festival among others.[8] In addition to giving recitals, she appeared as an oratorio and concert soloist with the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, theCleveland Orchestra,Toronto Symphony Orchestra, theLondon Symphony Orchestra and theIsrael Philharmonic Orchestra among others.[19][20] In 1983, she was a soloist with the Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, in the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, in the summer series.[22]
Nixon also toured withLiberace andVictor Borge and later in her own cabaret shows.[1][3] On stage, in 1984, she originated the role of EdnaOff-Broadway inTaking My Turn, composed byGary William Friedman, receiving a nomination for aDrama Desk Award. She also originated the role of Sadie McKibben inOpal (1992), and she had a 1997 film role as Aunt Alice inI Think I Do.[5][20][23] Under her own name, beginning in the 1980s, Nixon recorded songs byJerome Kern,George Gershwin and various classical composers.[1][3] She was nominated for twoGrammy Awards for Best Classical Performance, Vocal Soloist, one for her Schönberg album and one for her Copland album.[20]
In the 1998Disney filmMulan, Nixon was the singing voice of "Grandmother Fa". She then returned to the stage, touring the United States as Fraulein Schneider inCabaret in 1997–1998.[20] She eventually sang on more than 50 soundtracks.[4] In 1999, she originated the role of Mrs. Wilson in the premiere ofBallymore, an opera by Richard Wargo atSkylight Opera Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which was taped for PBS.[24] In regional theatre and Off-Broadway, she played Nurse inRomeo and Juliet and appeared in productions ofThe King and I andThe Sound of Music.[18] She also continued to teach voice and judge vocal competitions.[20][24]
In 2000, after nearly a half century away, she returned to Broadway as Aunt Kate inJames Joyce's The Dead.[5][18] In 2001, Nixon replacedJoan Roberts as Heidi Schiller in the Broadway revival ofStephen Sondheim'sFollies.[1] She played Eunice Miller in70, Girls, 70 in a 2002 production in Los Angeles.[18] In 2003, she was again on Broadway as a replacement in role of Guido's mother in the revival ofNine.[25] Her autobiography,I Could Have Sung All Night, was published in 2006.[11] She performed in the 2008 North American Tour ofCameron Mackintosh's UK revival ofMy Fair Lady in the role of Mrs. Higgins.[26][27] She then appeared as Frau Direktor Kirschner in the 2009Encores! production of the musicalMusic in the Air at New York City Center.[28]
In 1950, Nixon married the first of her three husbands,Ernest Gold, who composed the musical score for the movieExodus. They had three children, including singer and songwriterAndrew Gold.[29] They divorced in 1969. She was married to Lajos "Fritz" Fenster from 1971 to 1975, and towoodwind player Albert Block from 1983 to his death in 2015.[11][18][30]
Nixon survivedbreast cancer in 1985 and 2000 but died from the disease on July 24, 2016, in New York, aged 86.[1][4]
On October 27, 2008, Nixon was presented with the Singer Symposium's Distinguished Artist Award in New York City.[20] She was also an honorary member ofSigma Alpha Iota International Women's Music Fraternity.[31]
In 2011, Nixon was the recipient of theGeorge Peabody Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Music.[32]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | The Bashful Bachelor | Angela Abernathy | |
| 1950 | Cinderella | Soprano Soloist (vocals) | Song: "Cinderella" (uncredited)[citation needed] |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Singing Flowers (vocals) | Uncredited[citation needed] |
| 1953 | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Lorelei Lee (vocals) | Song: "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" [high notes] (uncredited) |
| 1956 | The King and I | Anna Leonowens (vocals) | 4 songs (uncredited)[33] |
| 1956 | Dance with Me, Henry | Shelley (vocals) | Song: "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" |
| 1957 | An Affair to Remember | Terry McKay (vocals) | 3 songs (uncredited)[citation needed] |
| 1961 | West Side Story | Maria (vocals) | 7 songs[citation needed] (uncredited)[10] |
| 1964 | Mary Poppins | Geese (vocals) | Uncredited[citation needed] |
| 1964 | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle (vocals) | 10 songs (uncredited)[citation needed] |
| 1965 | The Sound of Music | Sister Sophia | Song: "Maria"[14] |
| 1997 | I Think I Do | Aunt Alice | |
| 1998 | Mulan | Grandmother Fa (vocals) | Song: "Honor to Us All" (uncredited)[citation needed] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Jack and the Beanstalk | Princess Serena (vocals) | TV movie; various songs |
| 1969 | The Mothers-in-Law | Herself | Episode: "The Not-So-Grand Opera" |
| 1977–1981 | Boomerang | Herself | KOMO-TV, Seattle |
| 1984 | Taking My Turn | Edna | Movie |
| 2001 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Edna Dumas | Episode: "Redemption" |
Notes
Bibliography
