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Born: July 23, 1918 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA
Died: February 27, 1995 - Hemet, California, USA |
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The American soprano and actress, Ann Ayars, began as a singer in the late 1930's and started acting in the early 1940's. She had parts in several television series, including Batman, Hazel, Mission: Impossible, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Perry Mason, The Virginian and The Monroes. She starred as Cholita in the 1941 film Fiesta and in 1942 she was Cynthia Cookie Charles in Dr. Kildare's Victory. Also in 1942, she appeared as Constance Selden in Apache Trail, Kaaren de Relle in Nazi Agent and Juliette in Reunion in France. In 1943 she was Mrs Sandoval in The Human Comedy and Susan Thayer in The Youngest Profession.
Ann Ayars left Hollywood in 1943 to join the newly formed New York City Opera (NYCO), becoming its leading lyric soprano in the late 1940's and 1950's. Her operatic roles included Monica in The Medium, Mimi in La bohème and Violetta in La traviata. Her friend, mezzo-soprano Frances Bible, said "Her work with the opera has inspired many young singers, many of whom went on to professional careers." She had a star part as Antonia in the 1951 Powell and Pressburger film The Tales of Hoffmann, which was based on the opéra fantastique by Jacques Offenbach. Although all the parts in the film are sung, only Robert Rounseville (Hoffmann) and Ayars sung their own parts, the others being dubbed. This film made her known worldwide
In 1968 Ann Ayars returned to California and took a post teaching voice and piano at Mt. San Jacinto College in San Jacinto, California, where she staged 19 full-length opera productions. She retired in 1987 and in 1994 thye College made her professor emerita. On February 27, 1995 she died at her home in Hemet in Riverside County following complications from diabetes . |
