Marni Nixon died on July 24 at the age of 86. For those who don't recognize her name, she was a successful singer and actress, appearing in numerous operas and Broadway productions. She also appeared in a lot of movie musicals and, though you'd no doubt recognize her voice, it's unlikely that her face would be familiar. There's a reason for this: Marni Nixon was a ghost singer. Often in movie musicals, big-name movie stars would be cast in the main roles. The problem was, these stars frequently couldn't sing, or didn't have the range which these roles required. Enter the ghost singers- like Marni- to dub the songs. Marni Nixon's film career began in 1948, in the movie Joan of Arc, for which she provided the singing angel voices heard by Ingrid Bergman's Joan. She dubbed Margaret O'Brien's songs in Big City that year, and then again in The Secret Garden in '49. Then, in 1953, she dubbed Marilyn Monroe's high notes in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In 1956's The King And I, Marni sang all of Deborah Kerr's songs, and again provided her singing voice in An Affair To Remember the following year. Sophia Loren's singing voice in 1957's Boy On A Dolphin? Also Marni. In West Side Story (1961), Marni sang all of Natalie Woods' (who was playing Maria) songs, and also sang Rita Moreno's (Anita) part in the song Tonight. Then, when Woods appeared in 1962's Gypsy, Marni dubbed her high notes. Perhaps most famously, Marni Nixon sang all of Audrey Hepburn's (Eliza Doolittle) songs in 1964's My Fair Lady. Most if not all of this voice work was uncredited, but because of it Time magazine called her "The Ghostess With The Mostest". Marni finally got to actually appear on screen as well as sing in 1965, playing the role of Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music. In addition to live action musicals, she also did voice work on a number of animated features, such as Jack and the Beanstalk (1967), and in 1998's Mulan, she provided the singing voice of Grandmother Fa. This is a little more obscure- and less glamorous- but she also voiced all three of the geese in the song Jolly Holiday in 1964's Mary Poppins. So while Marni Nixon's name and face may not be instantly recognizable, her voice and body of work certainly are. On stage and screen, she has left a legacy of musical excellence which, though she is no longer with us, will continue to move and entertain. Rest in peace, Ms. Nixon.
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