Oreste Chircop and Paramount Pictures

Vagabond King’. Paramount’s contract in

1956 was valued around US $ 25’000,00 –

an impressive sum of money at

the time. He performed this

leading role with the actress

Kathryn Grayson. Critcs praised

Chircop and considering him as

competition to Mario Lanza.

The film was directed by Michael

Curtiz.

From Hollywood Chircop left to

Las Vegas and had important

contracts with NBC for leading

roles in tv productions of Madama

Butterfly, La Traviata and Rigoletto. He

eventually returned to Covent Garden and

retired in 1996 in Malta where he died.

The Poster of ‘The Vagabond King’

by Paramount Pictures.

Maltese Hollywood Star Oreste Chircop

Oreste Chircop (1923 – 1998) was a

popular post WWII Maltese tenor who

made it to Hollywood. In

1950 he left Malta for Great

Britain where he performed

leading roles with the Carl

Rosa Opera Company. He

was also contracted by the

BBC TV to perform as Canio

in Pagliacci.

It was, however in 1954,

during his performance at

the Royal Opera House of

Covent Garden that made him famous for

soon after he was chased by Paramount

Pictures Corporation in Hollywood to take

the leading role in the musical film ‘The

THE MALTESE IN THE WORLD

EMBASSY OF MALTA

WASHINGTON D.C.