Geraldine Farrar

She was awarded 2 Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 1620 Vine Street and for Recording at 1709 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.

Famed singer and author Geraldine Farrar was educated in public schools and then became a music student of Mrs. J. H. Long, Trabadello, Emma Thursby, Lilli Lehman and Graziani. Her 1901 debut was at the Royal Opera House in Berlin, in the role of Marguerite in "Faust".

From 1906-22 she was a member of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. During World War II she was active in the Red Cross and the AWVS, and also made many lecture tours. She wrote two autobiographies.

Regarded as one of the great beauties of her day, as well as one of the great voices of all time, she had a long, passionate affair with Arturo Toscanini during his years as chief conductor at the Metropolitan Opera (1908-15). It was supposedly her ultimatum that she would make the affair public if Toscanini did not leave his wife for her that led to his abrupt resignation from the company. Many years later, when Farrar served caviar at a reception for Toscanini, the latter was heard to remark, "Amazing. I slept with the woman for seven years and she still can't remember that I hate fish".

All of her 14 films were made between 1915-20 while she was moonlighting during the then traditional eight-week summer hiatus from the opera house and concert hall.

During the 1920s the "New York Times" included her in its list of the ten greatest women in America.