Dorothy Park Benjamin Caruso (August 6, 1893 – December 16, 1955) was an American socialite and the wife of the Italian operatic tenor Enrico Caruso.
Dorothy Park Benjamin Caruso | |
|---|---|
 Dorothy and Enrico Caruso, 1918 | |
| Born | Dorothy Park Benjamin 6 August 1893 |
| Died | 16 December 1955 (aged 62) |
| Resting place | Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore County, Maryland |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Spouses | Ernest Augustus Ingram
(m. 1923–1925)Charles Adam Holder
(m. 1933–1940) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Park Benjamin (father) |
Life
editBorn Dorothy Park Benjamin on August 6, 1893, in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, she was the daughter of Park Benjamin, a wealthy lawyer and author, and Ida Crane. Dorothy had two sisters and two brothers.
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On August 20, 1918, Benjamin married Enrico Caruso, with whom she had a daughter, Gloria Caruso (1919-1999). After the death of Enrico Caruso on August 2, 1921,[1] Dorothy married Captain Ernest Augustus Ingram (1892–1954) in 1923.[2][3] They had a daughter, Jacqueline, born in September 1924,[4] and were divorced in 1925.[5] She then married Charles Adam Holder (1872–1955) in Paris in 1933. They divorced in 1940. She reverted to the surname "Caruso" following the dissolution of both marriages.[6][7]
In 1942, Dorothy Caruso met Margaret C. Anderson, on a voyage to the United States, with whom she lived until her death in 1955.[8]
Dorothy Caruso died of cancer in Baltimore, Maryland on December 16, 1955, at the age of 62. She was interred in Druid Ridge Cemetery, Baltimore County, Maryland.[9]
Books
editDorothy Caruso wrote two biographies of her husband: Wings Of Song: The Story Of Caruso published in 1928, and Enrico Caruso: His Life and Death published in 1945. The latter book was a bestseller and the basis for the screenplay of the 1951 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer motion picture The Great Caruso, starring Mario Lanza in the title role. Dorothy Caruso was portrayed in the film by Ann Blyth.[10][11]
Her autobiography, Dorothy Caruso: A Personal History, was published in 1952.[12]
References
edit- ^ Hooper, John (23 May 2005). "Caruso love letters reveal passion behind a life of epic operatic drama". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
- ^ [U.P.] (28 June 1933). Caruso Widow And Dr. Holder To Wed In Paris. New York: Daily News. Accessed May 2018.
- ^ "15 Nov 1925, Sun • Page 9". The Atlanta Constitution: 9. 15 November 1925. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "25 Sep 1927, Sun • Page 27". The Ogden Standard-Examiner: 27. 25 September 1927. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "18 Oct 1927, Tue • Page 10". News-Journal: 10. 18 October 1927. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "06 Jul 1933, Thu • Main Edition • Page 10". The Courier-News: 10. 6 July 1933. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ "June 30, 1933". The Lewiston Daily Sun. 1933.
- ^ Griffin, Gabriele. Who's Who in Lesbian and Gay Writing. Routledge, 2002.
- ^ "16 Dec 1955, Fri • Page 50". The Evening Sun: 50. 16 December 1955. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
- ^ Caruso, Dorothy; Goddard, Torrance (1928). Wings of Song: The Story of Caruso. Minton, Balch.
- ^ Gevinson, Alan (1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. p. 412. ISBN 9780520209640.
- ^ Caruso, Dorothy (April 2012). Dorothy Caruso: A Personal History. Literary Licensing, LLC. ISBN 978-1-258-30997-8.