Angelina Jolie stars as Maria‘s eponymous character, Maria Callas, a renowned opera singer in the middle of the 20th century. The 2024 biographical psychological drama film, directed by Pablo Larraín and written by Steven Knight, follows the later years of Callas’ life, which were mostly spent in Paris, France, away from the public eye. Callas experienced a lot of turmoil over the course of her 53 years of living. However, Maria director Larraín wanted to focus on the ending of the opera singer’s story rather than chronicle every single detail of her life and career.

Maria is the final installment in Pablo Larraín’s trilogy chronicling important women of the 20th century, following in the footsteps of Jackie (Jackie Kennedy) and Spencer (Princess Diana).

Maria is Jolie’s first movie in three years as her role on the big screen was as Thena in the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Eternals. As one might suspect, critics praised and singled out Jolie’s performance in the biographical drama — Screen Rant‘s own review of Maria described the actress as the movie’s “anchor.” Jolie seemingly perfectly captured the torment and anguish Callas felt near the end of her life in the film, despite it not explicitly covering the opera singer’s entire journey.

Maria Callas Was Born In New York & Moved To Greece In 1937

Callas Was 13 Years Old When She Moved

According to Biography, Maria Callas was born on December 2, 1923, in New York City, New York, to Greek immigrant parents, Georgios Kalogeropoulos and Evangelia “Litsa” Dimitriadis. Callas’ name on her birth certificate was Sophie Cecilia Kalos, but she was later christened Maria Cecilia Sophia Anna Kalogeropoulos. As Greek immigrants living in the United States, Callas’ father wanted to shorten the family’s surname and make it easier for others to pronounce. He first changed it to Kalos before settling on Callas, which is how the famous opera singer got her name.

Maria Cast
Role

Angelina Jolie
Maria Callas

Aggelina Papadopoulou
Young Maria Callas

Kodi Smit-McPhee
Mandrax

Pierfrancesco Favino
Ferruccio

Alba Rohrwacher
Bruna

Valeria Golino
Yakinthi Callas

Haluk Bilginer
Aristotle Onassis

Alessandro Bressanello
Giovanni Battista Meneghini

Caspar Phillipson
President John F. Kennedy

Callas began dabbling in music (singing, playing the piano, etc.) when she was quite young, which is when her passion for singing began. Unfortunately, though, Callas’ parents separated when she was a teenager. After the divorce, Callas, 13 years old at the time, moved with her mother and older sister, Jackie, back to Greece in 1937. It was there that Callas began developing her voice and studying opera at the Athens Conservatory under opera singer Elvira de Hidalgo. Just a few years later, Callas officially started her career as a professional opera singer.

Callas Began Her Professional Opera Singer Career In 1941

She Made Her Italian Debut In 1947

Maria Callas’ career took off in the 1940s when she was still a teenager/young adult. She made her professional debut in 1941 when she played Beatrice (a rather small role) in Franz von Suppé’s Boccaccio at the Royal Opera of Athens. Less than one year later, Callas landed her first major role in a production. World War II quickly put a pause on Callas’ opera career. Consequently, she moved back to the United States in the mid-1940s.

The press often painted Callas out to be a temperamental diva, and they even nicknamed her the “Tigress.”

Despite a massive amount of effort, Callas struggled to find work in New York. So, she packed up all her things and moved back to Europe. However, this time, she tried her luck in Verona, Italy. Callas’ success truly began when she made her Italian debut in a performance of La Gioconda at the Verona Arena in 1947. Afterward, Callas continued performing in numerous operas in Italy and around the world, making her status as a famous and influential opera singer grow rapidly.

Callas’ Marriage To Giovanni Battista Meneghini & Affair With Aristotle Onassis Explained

Callas Married Meneghini In 1949

After her move to Italy, Maria Callas was introduced to wealthy industrialist Giovanni Battista Meneghini in 1947. Two years after their meeting, Callas and Meneghini wed, and he became her manager. However, their marriage would be rocky over the course of the next ten years — Callas even later accused Meneghini of stealing money from her (per Forbes). They eventually separated in 1959, but two years before, Callas began having an affair with Aristotle Onassis, a Greek shipping magnate. Callas continued seeing Onassis after leaving Meneghini, but their relationship also wasn’t meant to last forever.

What Caused Maria Callas’ Vocal Decline In The 1950s

Some Attribute The Opera Singer’s Vocal Decline To Her Weight Loss

One of the most important and talked about moments in Maria Callas’ life was when she lost almost 80 pounds in the months between 1953 and 1954. Whether it was related to her weight loss or not, Callas’ voice reportedly started declining in the mid-1950s. Some attributed it to the early years of the opera singer’s career and the way she approached singing, while others blamed the extreme weight loss. Whatever the case, Callas continued singing publically for many years, despite the controversy surrounding her voice.

Onassis Reportedly Left Maria Callas For Jackie Kennedy In 1968

Onassis Married Kennedy

Aristotle Onassis famously married former United States First Lady Jackie Kennedy (the subject of Pablo Larraín’s first biopic about an influential woman) in 1968, almost ten years after Maria Callas separated from her husband. Callas was devastated, of course, when he left her. However, some reports claim that Callas and Onassis continued their affair even after he was married to the former First Lady. Neither Callas nor Onassis confirmed this rumor during their lifetimes, though.

Callas Gave Her Final Public Performance In 1974

Callas Ended Her Career In Japan

As mentioned above, Maria Callas continued singing, although her voice declined in the mid-to-late 1950s. She technically retired from the stage in the 1960s. However, Callas made a comeback in the early 1970s when she decided to go on tour with Giuseppe Di Stefano. Callas’ final public performance ultimately came on November 11, 1974, in Sapporo, Japan, while on tour. Afterward, Callas attempted to fade into obscurity.

Callas Moved To Paris In 1974 & Died In 1977

The Opera Singer Died Of A Heart Attack

Maria Callas moved to Paris, France (where the majority of Maria takes place), the same year she gave her last performance. The renowned opera singer spent the mid-1970s hiding from the public as her health continued to decline. Callas reportedly had a fatal heart attack on September 16, 1977, at the age of 53 in her Parisian home. Some dispute her cause of death, but most have settled on a heart attack. Decades after her death, Callas remains one of the most influential opera singers of all time, and Angelina Jolie’s movieMaria will certainly continue Callas’ relevancy.