Nelson Eddy was born on June 29, 1901, in Providence, Rhode Island. He was the only child of William Eddy, an electrician, and Isabel Kendrick, a young lady from Atlanta, Georgia. In 1915 his mother divorced his father and took Nelson to live with her in Philadelphia. Nelson Eddy self-trained himself to be an opera singer. He had a beautiful baritone voice. By 1925 he was appearing in leading operatic roles. By 1932, Eddy had 28 operas and and 11 oratories in his repertoire. With his good looks he attracted a huge female following. Besides, Nelson Eddy was already singing on radio. MGM signed him to a seven-year contract in 1933. In 1935, MGM cast him opposite Jeanette MacDonald in Naughty Marietta, and thus began the famous singing team of the movies. In between, Nelson Eddy appeared in several solo films as well, such as "Rosalie" (1937), "Let Freedom Ring" (1939), "Balalaika" (1939) and "The Chocolate Soldier" (1941) with opera star Rise Stevens. After the MacDonald and Eddy team came to an end in 1942, he continued in the movies with Universal's "The Phantom of the Opera" (1943), "Knickerbocker Holiday" (1944), "Make Mine Music" (1946), a Disney film as the voice of Willie the Whale, and finally "Northwest Outpost" (1947) at Republic. Eddy was also a popular radio and recording star. In the 1950s and 60s, he did concerts, television, and a highly successful nightclub act with singer Gale Sherwood. He died of a cerebral hemorrhage on March 6, 1967 after performing at the Sans Souci Hotel in Miami, Florida. He was 65. Eddy was married only once, to Ann Denitz Franklin. They had no children. Much has been said of the MacDonald and Eddy relationship, that they loved each other and that they hated each other. All that can be said with certainty is that they were two professional people who respected each other's talent and together brought joy to millions around the world.