RISE STEVENS

Rise Stevens was an opera singer who appeared in a few movies from the 1940s to the 1960s. Note that her name is written with an umlaut over the "e" in her first name; her father was Norwegian, and her name is properly pronounced "REE-za", but most people have long forgotten that and pronounce is as "rise" as in "sunrise"! Her best remembered movie role was in "Going My Way", where she played a former girlfriend of priest Bing Crosby, and she has a significant role, and she even sings a selection from Carmen at the Met. She was especially celebrated for her starring performances in the opera "Carmen", beginning in 1951. She performed it at the Metropolitan Opera, as well as opera houses around the world, and released a best selling record of that opera! Rise passed away in 2013 at the age of 99.