Lawrence Tibbett

by Lynn VoughtTibbett, an American baritone, began his career as an actor, church singer and performer in light operas. He studied with La Forge and Ruysdael, associations which led to his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in 1923. He received recogniton for his 1925 role as Ford in Falstaff, when he outshone Scotti, the performer in the lead role. He went on to succeed Scotti as the principle singer of Italian roles and remained with the company in that capacity for 27 seasons. He was also a popular film and stage actor and sang in the early days of American radio.