Born Feb. 24 (other sources give 25 or 27), 1873, in Naples; died there Aug. 2, 1921. Italian singer (tenor).

In his youth Caruso sang in a church choir and from 1891 studied under G. Vergine. He made his debut in 1894 at the Teatro Nuovo in Naples. He toured Italy between 1895 and 1898 and in 1900–01 sang at La Scala in Milan. Caruso was a leading soloist at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York (1903–20), toured triumphantly from 1898 in many countries (Russia, 1898 and 1900), and performed yearly in Italy.

Caruso was one of the most admired opera singers in the world; his voice, with an extraordinary range, beautiful timbre, and unusual strength, abounded in warmth of feeling. His brilliant acting and strength and passion in singing enabled Caruso to perform a range of tenor roles from lyric to tragic. His best parts were the Duke, Manrico, and Radamès in Verdi’s Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, and Aida; Nemorino in Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore; Faust in Boito’s Mefistofele; Canio in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci; Turiddu in Mascagni’s Cavalleria Rusticana; Rudolfo, Cavaradossi, and Des Grieux in Puccini’s La Bohème, Tosca, and Manon Lescaut; Don José in Bizet’s Carmen; Eleazar in Halévy’s La Juive; and Lionel in Flotow’s Martha. Caruso performed Neapolitan songs with exceptional fervor.