Robert Merrill, born Moishe Miller on June 4, 1917, in Brooklyn, New York, was an American operatic baritone and actor. Inspired by Richard Bonelli's performance at the Metropolitan Opera, Merrill began professional singing lessons. His career breakthrough came with his operatic debut in Verdi’s Aida at Newark, New Jersey, in 1944. In 1945, he won the Metropolitan Opera Auditions of the Air and made his Met debut as Germont in La traviata. Merrill's notable recordings include collaborations with Jussi Björling on Operatic Duets (1952). He also appeared in the musical comedy film Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952) and performed at Yankee Stadium. Merrill retired from the Met in 1976 but continued performing, including a TV special with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in 1977. He received the National Medal of Arts in 1993 and passed away on October 23, 2004.
![Verdi: Il trovatore [Recorded 1960]](https://cdn-images.dzcdn.net/images/cover/5b6a91c734b8b75bc0cbeba579baa258/120x120-000000-80-0-0.jpg)
