Domingo, Pla(acute)cido (1941– )

Spanish lyric tenor. He specializes in Italian and French 19th-century operatic roles to which he brings a finely-tuned dramatic temperament. Since his New York debut in 1965 he has established a world reputation as a sympathetic leading tenor.

With José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti he was one of ‘The Three Tenors’ (1990–2002), who achieved international success with their recordings of operatic hits released to coincide with the World Cup soccer tournament in Rome, Italy, in 1990, and again in the USA in 1994. He became general director of the Washington National Opera in 1996 and of the Los Angeles Opera in 2003.

A member of a musical family, he emigrated to Mexico in 1950. As a youth, he sang baritone roles in zarzuela (musical theatre), moving up to tenor as a member of the Israel National Opera 1961–64. In 1986 he starred in the film version of Otello. His other films include the 1988 version of Puccini's Tosca set in Rome, and the 1990 Zeffirelli production of Leoncavallo's I pagliacci/The Strolling Players.