Natalie Bodanya (August 23, 1908 – March 4, 2007) was an American operatic soprano who had an active international career from the late 1920s through the 1940s. She notably sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City from 1937 through 1942 and was a performer with the New York City Opera during the company's 1943-1944 inaugural season.

Born Natalia Bodanskaya in Manhattan, Bodanya grew up in an apartment building in the Upper East Side. One of her neighbors was an employee at the Union Settlement, a music school in Bodanya's neighborhood. Her neighbor provided her with the opportunity to receive her first music lessons at the school and eventually provided her with the opportunity to audition for famed coloratura soprano Marcella Sembrich. Impressed, Sembrich took on Bodanya as her student and through her support, Bodanya was able to enroll at the Curtis Institute of Music. After graduating she continued with further vocal studies under Sylvan Levin.

While studying at Curtis, Bodanya made her professional opera debut on December 26, 1929 as Blonde in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company at the Academy of Music under conductor Emil Młynarski. At the time of her debut, Natalie Bodanya billed herself as Natalie Bodanskaya. She shortened her name as of December 22, 1936, to lessen confusion with the mezzo-soprano Ina Bourskaya and the conductor Artur Bodanzky.

Mario Lanza (January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and Hollywood movie star of the late 1940s and the 1950s. The son of Italian emigrants, he began studying to be a professional singer at the age of 16. He was born Alfred Arnold Cocozza. He changed his name when he signed with MGM. His mother's maiden name was Maria Lanza.

After appearing at the Hollywood Bowl in 1947, Lanza signed a seven-year contract with MGM's head, Louis B. Mayer, who saw his performance and was impressed by his singing. Prior to this, the adult Lanza had sung only two performances of an opera. The following year (1948), however, he would sing the role of Pinkerton in Puccini's Madama Butterfly in New Orleans.^{[citation needed]}

His movie debut was in That Midnight Kiss (1949) with Kathryn Grayson and Ethel Barrymore. The following year, in The Toast of New Orleans, his featured popular song "Be My Love" became his first million-selling hit. In 1951, he played the role of Enrico Caruso (1873–1921), his tenor idol, in the biopic, The Great Caruso, which produced another million-seller with "The Loveliest Night of the Year" (a song which used the melody of Sobre las Olas). The Great Caruso was the top-grossing film that year.