Marni Nixon, a renowned "Loverly" soprano, made a lasting impact in film history despite being unknown to the general public. Born Margaret Nixon McEathron on February 22, 1930, in Altadena, California, she began her career as a child actress and later trained in opera.
Marni was a versatile vocalist, capable of singing pop music, easy standards, and opera. She recorded light songs, performed with the Roger Wagner Chorale, and even sang for renowned composers Arnold Schönberg and Igor Stravinsky.
Her film career began with uncredited roles in Born to Sing (1942) and The Bashful Bachelor (1942),followed by her iconic voice work in Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951). Marni made her Broadway debut in 1954, but it was her work as a voice dubber that brought her lasting fame.
In 1955, Marni replaced a deceased singer to dub Deborah Kerr's voice in The King and I (1956),a role that earned her critical acclaim. She went on to dub Natalie Wood and Audrey Hepburn's singing voices in West Side Story (1961) and My Fair Lady (1964),respectively.
Marni's film career peaked in the 1950s and 1960s, with notable roles in An Affair to Remember (1957) and The Sound of Music (1965). She eventually transitioned to concerts and symphony halls, billing herself as "The Voice of Hollywood" in one-woman cabaret shows.
Throughout her career, Marni Nixon played various roles on stage, including the lead in "The King and I" and "The Sound of Music." She appeared sporadically on television, in films, and in animated features, including Mulan (1998).
Marni Nixon was married three times, including to film composer Ernest Gold, with whom she had three children. She passed away on July 24, 2016, at the age of 86, due to breast cancer.
