Carnegie Hall hosted a performance by a thirteen-year-old Anna Maria Alberghetti, marking an early milestone in a career that spanned film, television, and Broadway. Born in Pesaro, Italy, in 1936, the multi-talented performer achieved international visibility through persistent appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and numerous major motion pictures during the mid-twentieth century.
Early Career and Film Beginnings
The daughter of a concert master and a pianist, Alberghetti was a child prodigy who sang with a 100-piece orchestra on the Isle of Rhodes at age six. Following her family's relocation to the United States, facilitated by a 1954 Congressional bill, she transitioned into film. At 15, she debuted in Frank Capra’s 1951 musical Here Comes the Groom, alongside Bing Crosby. Her filmography expanded throughout the decade, including roles in The Last Command (1955), Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957) with Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis’s The Jazz Singer (1959) and Cinderfella (1960).
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Alberghetti shifted her primary focus to the stage in the 1960s, a move that culminated in a 1962 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Carnival!. She tied for this honor with Diahann Carroll. Her theatrical career included various productions such as West Side Story, Kismet, and Cabaret. Simultaneously, she remained a television fixture, appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show over 50 times. She was a guest on numerous programs, including I’ve Got a Secret, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, and The Hollywood Palace.
Later Years and Personal Life
Becoming a United States citizen in 1961, Alberghetti maintained an active performance schedule that included touring, one-woman cabaret acts, and later film roles in 2001’s The Whole Shebang and Friends & Family. During the 1970s and 1980s, she gained further recognition as the face of Good Seasons salad dressing commercials. She was married to producer-director Claudio Guzmán from 1964 to 1974, with whom she had two children, Alexandra and Pilar. In 2022, she publicly addressed allegations of workplace harassment involving Jerry Lewis.
Fast facts
- Born: 1936, Pesaro, Italy
- Tony Award: Best Actress in a Musical, 1962
- U.S. Citizenship: 1961
- Ed Sullivan Show appearances: Over 50
- Broadway debut role: Carnival!
- Film debut: Here Comes the Groom (1951)
- Children: Alexandra and Pilar
Questions readers ask
What major theater award did Anna Maria Alberghetti win?
She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 1962 for her performance in Carnival!.
How many times did she appear on The Ed Sullivan Show?
She made more than 50 appearances on the program.
Achievements
- Instruments: voice