Mary Ellis

Mary Ellis
Mary Ellis, 1933
Born	May Belle Elsas (1897-06-15)June 15, 1897 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	January 30, 2003(2003-01-30) (aged 105) London, England
Years active	1918 - 1994
Spouse(s)	L.A. Bernheimer (div.) Edwin H. Knopf (div.) Basil Sydney (m.1929) Jock Muir Stewart Robinson (1938-50)

Mary Ellis (June 15, 1897 – January 30, 2003) was a long-lived American star of the stage, as well as radio, television and film and opera singer, best known for her roles in the genre of musical theatre, particularly those of Ivor Novello. After appearing with the Metropolitan Opera beginning in 1918, later appearing opposite Enrico Caruso, she acted on Broadway, creating the title role in Rose-Marie. In 1930, she emigrated to England, where she gained additional fame and continued to perform into the 1990s. She was also well known for her film roles, including The 3 Worlds of Gulliver in 1960.

Ellis was born May Belle Elsas in New York City in 1897, to a German father Herman Elsas and mother Caroline Elsas (née Reinhardt) who was a pianist. She first became interested in the performing arts around 1910, and under a vocational course trained her lyric soprano, under tutelage of Belgian contralto Freida de Goebele and Italian operatic trainer coach Fernando.Tanara. She made her debut with the Metropolitan Opera on December 14, 1918, in the world premiere of Puccini's Il trittico, creating the role of Genovieffa in Suor Angelica, the second of the evening's three one-act operas. Later in the run, she also played Lauretta in the third opera of the triptych, Gianni Schicchi. She also appeared in the premiere of L'oiseau bleu by Albert Wolff, singing Mytyl, in 1919. While in the Metropolitan company she sang Giannetta in L'elisir d'amore to Enrico Caruso's Nemorino and Fyodor in Boris Godunov to Feodor Chaliapin's Boris.