Frank Valentino
Frank Valentino, born Francis Valentine Dinhaupt on January 6, 1907, in New York, was an American opera baritone best known for his performances under Arturo Toscanini. When he was eleven, his family moved to Denver, where he began studying music. In 1926 he went to Italy to study and made his debut in Parma as Giorgio Germont in La traviata the following year. An Italian producer felt his name sounded too American and renamed him Francesco Valentino.
In the late 1920s and 1930s, Valentino sang at major European houses, including La Scala (1938) and Glyndebourne (1947). He participated in the world premiere of Dallapiccola's Volo di notte in Florence on May 18, 1940. He returned to the United States in 1940 and joined the Metropolitan Opera, where he sang 26 roles over 21 seasons without missing a performance. His Met debut was in Lucia di Lammermoor with Lily Pons in 1940; in 1956 he performed the same opera opposite Maria Callas.
Valentino’s other Met roles included La traviata, Rigoletto, Il trovatore, Don Pasquale, Un ballo in maschera, Pagliacci, Faust, La bohème, Carmen, Aida, and more. His last Met appearance was La bohème in 1961. He also sang with the San Francisco Opera and the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company, and gave many recitals.
A notable recital was the 50th anniversary NBC broadcast of La bohème in 1946 under Toscanini, later released on record. He made a studio recording of La bohème in 1947 with Bidu Sayão. Valentino retired from singing in 1962 and joined the Peabody Conservatory of Music, teaching there for 15 years until 1977.
In 1955 he appeared on DuMont’s Opera Cameos in an abridged La traviata; a kinescope survives. He was married to Edith Taylor until her death in 1975. While at Peabody he lived in Severna Park, Maryland, later moving to Fairfax, Virginia. He died of renal failure on June 14, 1991, at age 84. He was a Roman Catholic.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 06:14 (CET).