José Carreras

Acting

José Carreras

Born 1946-12-05 · Barcelona, Cataluña, Spain

Josep Maria Carreras Coll (Catalan: [ʒuˈzɛb məˈɾi.ə kəˈreɾəs ˈkɔʎ]; born 5 December 1946), better known as José Carreras (/kəˈrɛərəs/, Spanish: [xoˈse kaˈreɾas]), is a Spanish operatic tenor who is particularly known for his performances in the operas of Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Born in Barcelona, he made his debut on the operatic stage at 11 as Trujamán in Manuel de Falla's El retablo de Maese Pedro, and went on to a career that encompassed over 60 roles, performing in the world's leading opera houses and on numerous recordings. He gained fame with a wider audience as one of the Three Tenors, with Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti, in a series of large concerts from 1990 to 2003. He is also known for his humanitarian work as president of the José Carreras International Leukaemia Foundation (La Fundació Internacional Josep Carreras per a la Lluita contra la Leucèmia), which he established following his own recovery from the disease in 1988. Carreras was born in Sants, a working-class district in Barcelona. He was the youngest of Antònia Coll i Saigi and Josep Carreras i Soler's three children. In 1951, his family emigrated to Argentina in search of a better life. However, this move abroad proved unsuccessful, and within a year they had returned to Sants where Carreras was to spend the rest of his childhood and teenage years. He showed an early talent for music and particularly singing, which intensified at the age of six when he saw Mario Lanza in The Great Caruso. The story recounted in his autobiography and numerous interviews is that after seeing the film, Carreras sang the arias incessantly to his family, especially "La donna è mobile", often locking himself in the family's bathroom when they became exasperated with his impromptu concerts. At that point, his parents, with the encouragement of his grandfather Salvador Coll, an amateur baritone, found the money for music lessons for him. At first he studied piano and voice with Magda Prunera, the mother of one of his childhood friends, and at the age of eight, he also started taking music lessons at Barcelona's Municipal Conservatory. At just eight years old, he also gave his first public performance, singing "La donna è mobile", accompanied by Magda Prunera on the piano, on Spanish National Radio. A recording of this still exists and can be heard on the video biography, José Carreras – A Life Story. On 3 January 1958, at the age of eleven, he made his debut in Barcelona's great opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, singing the boy soprano role of Trujamán in Manuel de Falla's El retablo de Maese Pedro. A few months later, he sang for the last time as a boy soprano at the Liceu in the second act of La Bohème. Throughout his teenage years, he continued to study music, moving on to the Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu and taking private voice lessons, first with Francisco Puig and later with Juan Ruax, whom Carreras has described as his "artistic father". Following the advice of his father and brother, who felt that he needed a "backup" career, he also entered the University of Barcelona to study chemistry, but after two years he left the university to concentrate on singing. ... Source: Article "José Carreras" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Acting credits

Andrea Bocelli - The Celebration:30th Anniversary poster
9.7

Filmed at the Teatro del Silenzio (Theatre of Silence) in Lajatico over three nights in 2024 and marking his 30th year as an artist, this once-in-a-lifetime event sees classical star Andrea Bocelli appear in his home of Tuscany with a star-studded lineup of special guests to perform songs that have been the pillars of his career. This 4-disc package features two shows – “The Celebration” and “30 Years of Musical Inspiration” and over 4 and a half hours of performances. Bocelli is joined by an 80-piece orchestra, a cast of over 200 musicians and family and friends including Ed Sheeran, Jon Batiste, Shania Twain, Brian May and more. It’s a night that transforms both the landscape and beautiful Tuscan sky into something totally spectacular. The result: a mesmerising and truly unforgettable concert.

Andrea Bocelli - The Celebration:30th Anniversary

2025

José  Carreras | Opera Legends poster
NR

No synopsis available yet.

José Carreras | Opera Legends

2019

Pavarotti poster
7.3

Featuring never-before-seen footage, concert performances and intimate interviews, filmmaker Ron Howard examines the life and career of famed opera tenor Luciano Pavarotti.

Pavarotti

2019

Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur - Caballe, Cossotto, Carreras (NHK 1976) poster
NR

An all-star cast led by soprano Montserrat Caballé in one of her most acclaimed portrayals. Fiorenza Cossotto sings the role of Adriana’s nemesis, the Princess of Bouillon, and José Carreras is Adriana’s lover, Maurizio, in this live 1976 performance from Tokyo. The NHK Symphony Orchestra is under the direction of Gianfranco Masini. This performance of Adriana Lecouvreur documents the art of Montserrat Caballé at its peak, the soprano employing her singularly ravishing vocal quality and staggering technical facility fully in the service of the drama. In her portrayal of the title character - described in the opera as a supreme tragedienne, self-trained and completely artless - Caballé matches Adriana's attributes with a naturalistic approach that is profoundly moving in its honesty and directness. This production also boasts the presence of Fiorenza Cossotto and José Carreras, stars of the highest caliber with whom Caballé performed this opera on many occasions all over the world.

Cilea - Adriana Lecouvreur - Caballe, Cossotto, Carreras (NHK 1976)

Don Carlo poster
NR

A live performance of Giuseppe Verdi's opera.

Don Carlo

1986

The Three Tenors - Birth of a Legend poster
8.0

On the eve of the 1990 World Cup final, Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti sang together for the first time. A look behind the scenes at a musical event whose phenomenal success lasted for more than a decade.

The Three Tenors - Birth of a Legend

2024

Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration poster
5.8

Journey to the Teatro del Silenzio (Theater of Silence), Lajatico, where once-in-a-lifetime performances showcase the Maestro’s extensive and beloved repertoire, alongside captivating duets with an unprecedented cast of global superstars, including Ed Sheeran, Shania Twain, Will Smith, Jon Batiste, Sofia Carson, Lang Lang, Nadine Sierra and more. With extraordinary staging, production, and visuals, set against a landscape of unparalleled beauty amongst the Tuscan hills, Andrea Bocelli’s sensational career comes to life in a truly unforgettable experience.

Andrea Bocelli 30: The Celebration

2024

The Grand Opening of Euro Disneyland poster
7.3

On April 11, 1992, The Grand Opening of Euro Disney aired on CBS, offering viewers a spectacular, entertainment-filled evening as well as a special “sneak preview” of the Euro Disney Theme Park and Resort. The special was simulcast live across Europe in five languages and broadcast later the same day in the United States. Each country’s customized broadcast was hosted by popular local celebrities, introducing entertainers from their own countries.

The Grand Opening of Euro Disneyland

1992

Euro Disney : L'Ouverture poster
6.8

On April 11, 1992, host Jean-Pierre Foucault and singer David Hallyday presented an exceptional evening live on TF1 from 8:50 p.m. to 11 p.m., to celebrate the inauguration of Euro Disney Resort. Euro Disney L'Ouverture was broadcast worldwide for the occasion, giving this media event its international character (CBS in the United States). Numerous concerts were organized and many images presenting the places (Disneyland Park, the rest of the Resort and its future expansion plans) were broadcast.

Euro Disney : L'Ouverture

1992

The Three Tenors - The Lost Concerts poster
NR

The Three Tenors began their collaboration with a performance at the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome, the eve of the 1990 FIFA World Cup Final. Following the big success of the 1990/1994 concerts, The Three Tenors opened a world tour of 31 concerts, the last one in 2003. Seven of these 31 concerts had been recorded for TV but disappeared somewhere in London. All attempts to bring back these invaluable recordings to the audience failed. Now, after all these years, C Major in cooperation with Three Tenors Ltd. managed to assemble the most beautiful moments of six lost concerts in Munich, Tokyo, London, Vienna, New York and Pretoria.

The Three Tenors - The Lost Concerts

2017

The Three Tenors Christmas poster
8.6

The Three Tenors capture the joy and spirit of the season with their first ever Christmas concert, live from Vienna, featuring performances of international seasonal favorites by the best-selling and world-renowned trio. Enjoy the gifts of The Three Tenors and be part of the holiday event of the year.

The Three Tenors Christmas

1999

A Christmas Celebration: Send Round the Song poster
NR

Tony Randall and some children, filmed in Connecticut, provide the framework of the history of some of the carols sung by opera stars.

A Christmas Celebration: Send Round the Song

1992

The Three Tenors: From Caracalla To The World poster
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Billions watched as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and José Carreras performed for the first time as The Three Tenors 30 years ago. This is their story.

The Three Tenors: From Caracalla To The World

2020

Romanza final (Gayarre) poster
6.3

Biography of Julian Gayarre (1844-1890), one of the best tenors of all times. At 19, a professor at the Conservatory of Music in Madrid heard him singing for the first time and offered him a scholarship to continue his studies. His artistic life runs between continued success, becoming the world's greatest tenor. But in 1890, while singing at the Teatro Real in Madrid, a failure in his voice is like a cruel reminder of what would happen a few days later: his death at a young age. The doctors gave a diagnosis, but his friends know that Julian Gayarre died because he could not sing anymore.

Romanza final (Gayarre)

1986

Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Premiere Collection Encore poster
NR

Tracks include "The Phantom Of The Opera," "The Music Of The Night," "All I Ask Of You," "Tell Me On A Sunday," "Pie Jesu," "Amigos Para Siempre," "Love Changes Everything," "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again," "Oh, What A Circus," "Any Dream Will Do," "Close Every Door," "The First Man You Remember," "Anything But Lonely" and "Joseph Mega-Remix."

Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Premiere Collection Encore

1992

Johann Strauss Gala - An Evening of Polka, Waltz, and Operetta poster
NR

Johann Strauss Gala - An Evening of Polka, Waltz, and Operetta

Johann Strauss Gala - An Evening of Polka, Waltz, and Operetta

2000

Three Tenors in Paris poster
8.7

The Three Tenors: Paris 1998 (re-released with the subtitle The Concert of the Century) is a live album by José Carreras, Plácido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti with conductor James Levine. The album was recorded at a Three Tenors concert on 10 July 1998 during celebrations for the FIFA World Cup. The concert took place in front of the Eiffel Tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. The Orchestre de Paris accompanied the singers. The audience at the live concert numbered around 150,000 people.[2] A sound system and large screens were placed along the Champ de Mars for the crowds further back to see and hear the performance.[2] Producer Tibor Rudas claimed prior to the concert that 2 billion viewers were expected to watch the televised performance worldwide.[3]

Three Tenors in Paris

1998

Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé - La Nit poster
NR

Mercury and Caballé singing "Barcelona" on October 8th 1988 at huge open air La Nit festival staged in Barcelona, which was held to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic Flag from Seoul.

Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé - La Nit

1988

I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata poster
6.9

Set during the Crusades, the story of Lombardi opens with the rivalry of two brothers -- Arvino and Pagano -- who vie with one another for the love of Viclinda. Pagano attempts to kidnap Viclinda and commit a fratricide, extinguishing Arvino, but succeeds only in murdering his father in error; circumstances force him into exile in the Holy Land. Thus begins a complex and harrowing series of events that will ultimately lead to the reconciliation of both men, followed by the death of one.

I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata

1984

Hérodiade -  Gran Teatro del Liceo poster
9.0

A retelling of the story of John the Baptist, Salome, Herod Antipas and Herodias, but strikingly less psychological and bloody than Richard Strauss's opera "Salome".

Hérodiade - Gran Teatro del Liceo

1984

Christmas in Vienna poster
NR

Christmas in Vienna is a 1993 concert by American soul singer Diana Ross, and Spanish tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras for the Sony Classical label.

Christmas in Vienna

1992

Herbert von Karajan: Verdi: Requiem poster
8.0

This installment in the "Karajan Legacy" series captures the acclaimed conductor leading the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra with the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the Sofia National Opera in a masterful performance of Verdi's "Requiem." Filmed in 1984, the concert features an array of renowned soloists, including tenor José Carreras, soprano Anna Tomowa-Sintow, bass-baritone José van Dam, bass Kurt Moll and mezzo-soprano Agnes Baltsa.

Herbert von Karajan: Verdi: Requiem

1984

José Carreras Collection: Montserrat Caballé & José Carreras poster
NR

Famed tenor José Carreras takes the stage at Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre with soprano and fellow Spaniard Montserrat Caballé in this memorable evening of music filmed live in 1989. Selections include ballads, arias and duets by some of the world's most famous composers, including Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Gioacchino Rossini, Antonio Vivaldi, Vincenzo Bellini, Alessandro Scarlatti and Alessandro Stradella.

José Carreras Collection: Montserrat Caballé & José Carreras

Top Kids poster
5.7

A fun journey through the history of the automobile, this film is about a group of future computer hackers that wire an arcade game to work as a time machine. Among appearances in the movie are Henry Ford, Mercedes Benz, and modern race car driver Niki Lauda, as one of the boys becomes trapped within the newly created game.

Top Kids

1987