Adriana Caselotti - wikipedia Adriana Caselotti This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 28 November 2017. Adriana Caselotti Caselotti in 1937 ( 1916 - 05 - 06 ) May 6, 1916 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. January 18, 1997 ( 1997 - 01 - 18 ) ( aged 80 ) Los Angeles, California, U.S. Cause of death Respiratory failure from lung cancer Resting place Ashes scattered at Newport Beach, California Nationality American Occupation Voice actress, singer Years active 1932 -- 1997 Notable work Original voice of Princess Snow White in Disney 's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ( 1937 ) Spouse ( s ) Robert Chard ( m. 1945 -- ? ; divorced ) Norval Mitchell ( m. 1952 -- 72 ; his death ) Dr. Joseph Dana Costigan ( m. 1972 -- 82 ; his death ) Florian St. Pierre ( m. 1989 -- ? ; divorced ) Parent ( s ) Guido Caselotti ( father ) Maria Orefice ( mother ) Relatives Louise Caselotti ( older sister ) Awards Disney Legend ( 1994 ) Adriana Caselotti ( May 6, 1916 -- January 18, 1997 ) was an American voice actress and singer. Caselotti was the voice of the title character of the first Walt Disney animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, for which she was named as a Disney Legend in 1994, making her the first female voice actor so named. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life and death 4 References 5 External links Early life Adriana Caselotti was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut to an Italian American family. Her father, Guido Caselotti ( 1884 - 1978 ), was an immigrant from Udine, and worked as a teacher of music and a vocal coach. Her mother, Maria Orefice ( 1893 - 1961 ), from Naples, was a singer in the Royal Opera Theatre of Rome. Her older sister, Louise, sang opera and gave voice lessons ( for example, to Maria Callas, from 1946 to 1947 ). When Caselotti was seven years old, her family left Connecticut for Italy while her mother toured with an opera company. Caselotti was educated at an Italian convent, San Getulio, near Rome, while her mother performed in the opera. When her family returned to New York three years later, Caselotti relearned English and studied singing with her father. Career In 1935, after a brief stint as a chorus girl at MGM, Walt Disney hired Caselotti as the voice of his heroine Snow White. She was paid a total of $970 for working on the film ( equivalent to $16,160 in 2016 ). She was under contract with Disney, and Disney prevented her from appearing in further film and other media, even for Disney, after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Jack Benny specifically mentioned that he had asked Disney for permission to use her on his radio show and was told, `` I 'm sorry, but that voice ca n't be used anywhere. I do n't want to spoil the illusion of Snow White. '' The only other work Caselotti did following her premiere was an uncredited role in MGM 's The Wizard of Oz ( 1939 ) ; she provided the voice of Juliet during the Tin Man 's song, `` If I Only Had a Heart '', speaking the line, `` Wherefore art thou Romeo ? '' In 1946, she had an uncredited role in Frank Capra 's It 's a Wonderful Life, singing in Martini 's bar as James Stewart was praying. Adriana Caselotti appeared in several promotional spots for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, signing memorabilia. On November 22, 1972 ( Thanksgiving Day ), she guest - starred on an episode of The Julie Andrews Hour saluting the music of Walt Disney, singing `` I 'm Wishing '' and `` Someday My Prince Will Come '' with Julie Andrews. She also made a guest appearance on the syndicated The Mike Douglas Show. Caselotti later wrote a how - to book, Do You Like to Sing ?. Later in life, she sold autographs and also made an attempt at an opera career ( for example, Rigoletto ). In the early 1990s, when the Snow White Grotto at Disneyland was refurbished, Caselotti re-recorded `` I 'm Wishing '' for the Snow White Wishing Well at the age of 75. In 1994, she was named a Disney Legend. Personal life and death Caselotti was married four times. Her first husband was Robert Chard, a local theater ticket broker whom she married in 1945. The marriage ended in divorce. She later met bit actor Norval Mitchell, whom she married in 1952. He retired after marrying her, and died in 1972. The same year, she was married to a podiatrist, Dr. Joseph Dana Costigan, who died in 1982. Caselotti married her last husband, Florian St. Pierre, a retired postal employee, in 1989 and later divorced. On January 18, 1997, Caselotti died of respiratory failure from lung cancer at her Los Angeles home. She was cremated and her ashes were scattered at Newport Beach, California. References ^ Jump up to : Sibley, Brian ( February 10, 1997 ). `` Obituary : Adriana Caselotti ''. The Independent. London. Retrieved October 8, 2017. Jump up ^ Find a Grave ^ Jump up to : `` Adriana Caselotti, 80, Voice of Snow White ''. The New York Times. January 21, 1997. Retrieved October 8, 2017. Jump up ^ With a smile and a song -- Adriana Caselotti -- Page 2 Jump up ^ Thomas, Bob ( July 3, 1993 ). `` Singer still hopes to cash in as voice of Snow White ''. The Day. New London CT. Associated Press. Retrieved January 5, 2013. Jump up ^ The Julie Andrew Hours ^ Jump up to : `` Adriana Caselotti ''. D23. Disney. Retrieved October 8, 2017. Jump up ^ The Bradford Era from Bradford, Pennsylvania. Page 5. Thursday, July 18, 1946 Jump up ^ Family Search External links Biography portal Adriana Caselotti on IMDb The magic behind the voices, 2004 Salute Disney, 1972 VIAF : 34392851 LCCN : nr2002021125 GND : 1059720183 BIBSYS : 9067779 MusicBrainz : de623773 - 76ae - 4c99 - 9b2c - 7c0a770b6a46 Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adriana_Caselotti&oldid=812579103 '' Categories : 1916 births 1997 deaths 20th - century American actresses 20th - century American singers American film actresses American voice actresses Walt Disney Animation Studios people American female singers American people of Italian descent Deaths from lung cancer Deaths from respiratory failure Deaths from cancer in California Actresses from Bridgeport, Connecticut Actresses of Italian descent Hidden categories : Wikipedia pending changes protected pages ( level 1 ) Pages to import images to Wikidata Articles with hCards Wikipedia articles with VIAF identifiers Wikipedia articles with LCCN identifiers Wikipedia articles with GND identifiers Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français Italiano 日本 語 Português Русский Simple English Svenska Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 28 November 2017, at 17 : 21. 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Question: who played the original voice of snow white
Answer: Adriana Caselotti