Person Biography:
Lina Romay was born in 1919 in New York, the daughter of Porfirio A. Romay, a Mexican L.A. consulate attaché of European descent. She was a vivacious brunette singer and actress who showcased her talents in various fields.
In her teenage years, Lina was an accomplished swimmer and diver. She also had an exceptional voice, capable of singing in both English and Spanish. Her show business career took off when she joined Xavier Cugat's orchestra as the leading female vocalist in 1940.
Cugat was so impressed with Lina's talent that he built a chorus of five men and four women to blend with her singing. He also wrote ballads specifically for her. Lina was featured in several classic musicals, including "You Were Never Lovelier" (1942) and "Bathing Beauty" (1944),as well as the movie "Stage Door Canteen" (1943).
Her most popular numbers included "Alma Llanera", "Babalu", and "Guadalajara". Lina's popularity led to her being featured on the cover of "Yank", a weekly army publication, in 1945. She was soon signed as an MGM starlet that same year.
Lina's Hollywood career spanned eight years, during which she was cast as second fiddle to the main female lead in films like "Adventure" (1945) and "Honeymoon" (1947). She also appeared in films like "The Big Wheel" (1949),"The Lady Takes a Sailor" (1949),and "Embraceable You" (1948),which gave her a few good wisecracking lines.
In addition to her film career, Lina's voice was brought to nationwide audiences via USO broadcasts and popular radio shows like those of Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Jack Benny.
