When one of the world’s most famous actresses gets cast to play one of the world’s most famous singers, word spreads quickly. Such is the case when Oscar-nominated actress Angelina Jolie, 47, signed on to play the late great opera singer Maria Callas.
Callas, who once weighed 200 lbs., famously and intentionally lost 80 pounds in 1953-1954. Above: Callas in 1951; below in 1962.
The upcoming biopic, Maria, follows the life story of Callas during her final days in 1970s Paris. (Callas died at home of a heart attack in 1977. She was 53.)
Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larraín is set to direct. Jolie will be in good hands as Larraín directed Kristen Stewart in Spencer (about Princess Diana) and Natalie Portman in Jackie (about Jackie Kennedy Onassis).
Interesting fact: Callas (who was married at the time to wealthy Italian brick manufacturer Giovanni Battista Meneghini, who was 28 years her senior — photo above) had an affair with Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis (1959-1968 — photo below) before he married the widowed former U.S. First Lady Jackie Kennedy in 1968.
Below is Callas with Marilyn Monroe at Madison Square Garden at the 1962 concert celebrating the 45th birthday of President Kennedy. Callas sang two arias from Carmen; Monroe famously sang ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President.’
For the upcoming film Maria, director Larraín reunites with Spencer screenwriter Steven Knight, who was nominated for an Oscar for the 2002 film Dirty Pretty Things (Best Writing, Original Screenplay) starring Audrey Tautou (Amelie, The Da Vinci Code).
