Frank Forest was born
Frank Hayek ("
Hájek" meaning "small grove/forest" in Czech) in
St. Paul, Minnesota on October 17, 1896. His father was an immigrant from Nieder Rochlitz (now
Dolní Rokytnice) of
Czech and
Sudeten-German origin, working as a mail carrier. Frank began the study of music at 7 years and voice training with the St. Paul, Minnesota choir as a soloist He studied
pianoforte and singing and at twelve was singing as a soloist in a church choir. At seventeen he taught
piano and voice. Later he went to
New York City and became a salesman, eventually becoming a sales manager. He studied singing in
Italy and made his operatic debut in 1928, becoming famous in operatic circles. Forest studied
agricultural engineering at the
University of Minnesota, and later helped found the profitable pharmaceutical firm
White Laboratories of
Kenilworth, New Jersey. He gave up the business to follow a lifelong interest in singing. He spent twelve years performing leading tenor roles in opera houses all over Europe and acted in several films, including ''
I'll Take Romance'' along with
American soprano and actress
Grace Moore in 1937. In 1955 he started pouring his energies and money into the creation of the Empire State Festival, a
New York City summer opera festival. Frank Forest died on December 23, 1976, in
Santa Monica, California and is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in
Redlands, California. ==Filmography==