- Renowned bass-baritone of the 1950s and 1960s. One of his vocal cords eventually became paralyzed, cutting short his singing career.
- He was the first Jewish singer to sing the role of Amfortas (a Christian hero-king) in Wagner's Christian ceremonial opera "Parsifal" at Bayreuth after World War 2.
- He was the first American to sing the title role in "Boris Godunov" at the Bolshoi Theatre.
- A neurological disorder paralyzed one half of his face for part of his career; the paralysis is visible in some videotaped performances, such as "Tosca".
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content