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Beverly Sills

Beverly SillsAKA Belle Miriam Silverman

Born: 25-May-1929
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
Died: 2-Jul-2007
Location of death: New York City
Cause of death: Cancer - Lung
Remains: Buried, Sharon Gardens Cemetery, Valhalla, NY

Gender: Female
Religion: Jewish
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Singer

Nationality: United States
Executive summary: Soprano at the New York City Opera

Beverly Sills first gained fame as a child star on radio, performing as Bubbles Silverman, before becoming the most famous opera diva of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. She starred in New York City Opera productions of Johann Strauss's Die Fledermaus, Douglas Stuart Moore's Ballad of Baby Doe, Jules Massenet's Manon, George Frideric Handel's Giulio Cesare, among many other roles.

Beyond the realm of opera, Sills was known for numerous lighthearted interviews with Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, television appearances alongside her friend, comedian Carol Burnett, and frequent emcee duties on Live from Lincoln Center.

Father: Morris Silverman (insurance salesman, d. 1949)
Mother: Shirley Bahn Silverman
Husband: Peter Buckley Greenough (journalist, m. 1956, d. 2006, one daughter, one son)
Daughter: Meredith Greenough ("Muffy", multiple sclerosis and severe hearing loss, b. 1959)
Son: Peter Greenough Jr. ("Bucky", mentally retarded, b. 1961)

    High School: Erasmus Hall High School, Brooklyn, NY (transferred)
    High School: Professional Children's School, New York City, NY (1945)

    New York Metropolitan Opera Chairman (2002-05)
    Lincoln Center Chairman (1994-2002)
    New York Metropolitan Opera Board of Directors (1991-2005)
    New York City Opera President (1989-91)
    New York City Opera General Director (1979-88)
    New York City Opera Member (1955-80)
    Emmy 1975 for Profile in Music: Beverly Sills Festival
    Grammy 1976 for Herbert: Music of Victor Herbert
    Presidential Medal of Freedom 1980
    Kennedy Center Honor 1985
    National Medal of Arts 1990
    National Women's Hall of Fame 1998
    Member of the Board of American Express
    Member of the Board of Macy's
    Wedding: Jonathan M. Tisch and Laura S. Steinberg (1988)
    Wedding: Rudy Giuliani and Judi Nathan (2003)
    Jewish Ancestry
    Romanian Ancestry Paternal
    Russian Ancestry
    Ukrainian Ancestry Maternal

Author of books:
Bubbles: A Self-Portrait (1976)
Beverly: An Autobiography (1987, memoir)


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