a US singer and film actor who was famous as a crooner (=someone who sings in a soft, gentle voice) . He is best known for the song White Christmas from the film Holiday Inn (1942) (1904-77). orig. Harry Lillis Crosby born May 3, 1903, Tacoma, Wash., U.S. died Oct. 14, 1977, near Madrid, Spain U.S. singer and actor. Crosby began to sing and play drums while studying law in Spokane, Wash. As a singer with the Paul Whiteman orchestra in 1927, he exhibited a mellow "crooning" style and casual stage manner that proved highly popular. He appeared in the early sound film King of Jazz (1931), and he later had his own radio program. By the late 1930s his records had sold millions of copies. His recordings of "White Christmas" and "Silent Night" were among the most popular songs of the 20th century. In the 1940s he starred in a popular radio variety show. His film career included the seven Road comedies with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, beginning with The Road to Singapore (1940); Going My Way (1944, Academy Award); The Bells of St. Mary's (1945); and White Christmas (1954). More than 300 million of his records have been sold, a total surpassed only by Elvis Presley among solo artists
born Jan. 9, 1902, Vienna, Austria-Hungary died Sept. 2, 1997, New York, N.Y., U.S. Austrian-born British opera impresario. After holding positions in German opera houses, he assumed the position of general manager at the Glyndebourne Opera in England (1935-49). In 1946 he helped found the Edinburgh Festival. From 1950 until 1972 he served as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, where, wielding autocratic power, he raised the institution's performance standards, extended its season, encouraged innovations in design and production, ended the exclusion of black singers, and oversaw the company's move to Lincoln Center in 1966