Collection: MARNI NIXON: THE MUSICAL HERITAGE SOCIETY RECORDINGS

Marni Nixon (1930–2016) was an American soprano whose voice became one of the most recognizable in cinema history, even as her face and name remained hidden for decades. Dubbed "The Ghostess with the Mostess," Nixon provided the singing voices for some of Hollywood’s most iconic leading ladies during the Golden Age of movie musicals.

Born Margaret Nixon McEathron in Altadena, California, Nixon was a musical prodigy who began playing the violin at age four and later transitioned to professional singing.[6] Her versatility and ability to mimic the vocal mannerisms of other actresses made her the ultimate "ghost singer." Her most celebrated work includes dubbing Deborah Kerr in The King and I (1956), Natalie Wood in West Side Story (1961), and Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (1964). She even provided the high notes for Marilyn Monroe in "Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend."

For years, Nixon worked under strict anonymity, often signing contracts that forbade her from revealing her contributions. It wasn’t until the era of home video and the publication of her 2006 memoir, I Could Have Sung All Night, that the public fully recognized her as the voice behind hits like "I Feel Pretty" and "I Could Have Danced All Night."
Beyond her "ghosting" career, Nixon was a distinguished performer in her own right. She appeared on-screen as Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music (1965) and voiced Grandmother Fa in Disney’s Mulan (1998). A classically trained soprano, she performed with the New York Philharmonic and earned Grammy nominations for her classical recordings. Her later years were spent on Broadway and teaching the next generation of singers. When she died in 2016 at age 86, she left behind a legacy as the invisible backbone of the American musical film, a talent whose voice defined an era of Hollywood magic.