Born in Slabtown, Tennessee. Vivacious blonde lyrical soprano of Broadway musicals, then the internationally famous star of the Metropolitan Opera, she starred in two MGM films of the early 30s (A LADY'S MORALS and NEW MOON, both 1930) but was fired when she put on too much weight. She was then hired by Columbia and starred in a string of successful productions, which helped to popularize opera on the screen. Her other screen credits include ONE NIGHT OF LOVE (1934), LOVE ME FOREVER (1935), THE KING STEPS OUT (1936), WHEN YOU'RE IN LOVE and I'LL TAKE ROMANCE (both 1937) and LOUISE (1939). She was killed in a plane crash over Copenhagen during a European concert tour in 1947. She had written an autobiography, You're Only Human Once (1944). Kathryn Grayson portrayed her in the bilm biography SO THIS IS LOVE (1953.)    Nominated for Actress 1934: ONE NIGHT OF LOVE 1 nomination