What is Plácido Domingo's Net Worth?
Plácido Domingo is a Spanish tenor and conductor who has a net worth of $300 million. Plácido Domingo has recorded more than 100 operas throughout his career. He has performed in over 150 roles in Italian, French, English, Russian, German, and Spanish, and has also had success releasing crossover pop albums. Additionally, Domingo served as the general director of the Los Angeles Opera and the Washington National Opera.
Early Life
José Plácido Domingo Embil was born on January 21, 1941 in Madrid, Spain. He had a sister named Maria. Just before he turned eight, Domingo moved with his family to Mexico, where his singer parents established a zarzuela company. Soon after arriving in Mexico, he won a boys' singing contest. He studied piano growing up, and at the age of 14 entered the National Conservatory of Music.
Career Beginnings
When he was 16, Domingo made his first professional appearance alongside his mother at a concert in Mérida. He went on to sing the tenor role in productions of "Luisa Fernanda" and "El Gato Montés," and had a minor role in the first Latin American production of "My Fair Lady." In 1959, Domingo auditioned for the Mexico National Opera, and was accepted as a tenor comprimario. In his debut, he sang the role of Borsa in Verdi's "Rigoletto." Subsequent credits included "Dialogues of the Carmelites," "Turandot," "Lucia di Lammermoor," "The Merry Widow," and "Otello," the opera for which he would later become best known.
Opera Success
Domingo made his operatic debut in 1961, performing the leading role in "La Traviata" in Monterrey. Later that year, he made his US debut with the Dallas Civic Opera, singing the role of Arturo in "Lucia di Lammermoor." Toward the end of 1962, Domingo signed a six-month contract with the Israel National Opera; he eventually extended the contract to two-and-a-half years. After completing his contract, he auditioned at the New York City Opera, and went on to make his debut in "Madama Butterfly" in 1965. Domingo was subsequently in "Don Rodrigo" and "Adriana Lecouvreur." He then made his debuts with such prestigious institutions as the Vienna State Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the San Francisco Opera, Covent Garden, and the Salzburg Festival. In 1975, Domingo debuted in the titular role in Verdi's "Otello" at the Hamburg State Opera; it quickly became his signature role.
Increasing Fame
Domingo grew increasingly famous throughout the 80s. Beyond the world of opera, he earned widespread recognition for his duet of "Perhaps Love" with country singer John Denver. Following this, Domingo released many albums of pop music, including "My Life for a Song," "Save Your Nights for Me," and "Be My Love." His English-language rendition of "Bésame Mucho" earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best Latin Pop Performance, while his collection of Ernesto Lecuona songs, "Always in My Heart," won him a Grammy in the same category. Due to this rising profile, Domingo began making many appearances on television and in film. In 1982, he performed in Franco Zeffirelli's opera film "La Traviata," and two years after that, performed in Francesco Rosi's "Carmen." Domingo reunited with Zeffirelli in 1986 to reprise his role in a filmed version of "Otello." The following year, he appeared alongside Julie Andrews on the Emmy Award-winning holiday special "The Sound of Christmas."
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Later Career
Domingo has continued to add new roles to his repertoire since the 90s. During that decade, he performed many roles for the final time, including Don Carlo, Cavaradossi, Alvaro, and Hoffmann, and expanded to take on roles beyond the standard French and Italian ones. Notably, he increased his involvement in Wagnerian operas, and debuted in a Mozart opera, "Idomeneo," for the first time in more than three decades. Domingo also appeared in such works as "Stiffelio," "Il Guarany," "Hérodiade," and "Le Prophète." In the 2000s, he sang his last performances of many of his most famous roles, including in the operas "Andrea Chénier," "Otello," "Fedora," and "Pagliacci." Beyond old roles, Domingo created a number of new roles in modern operas, such as the titular role in Tan Dun's "The First Emperor." He also created the role of Pablo Neruda in "Il Postino."
In the latter half of the 00s, Domingo began taking on demanding baritone roles, such as the titular role in Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra." He went on to perform in other baritone roles in "Rigoletto," "Thaïs," "I due Foscari," "Giovanna d'Arco," "Nabucco," and "Gianni Schicchi," among others. In the summer of 2018, Domingo performed at the FIFA World Cup opening gala concert in Moscow.
Opera Company Director
Starting in the 1996-97 season, Domingo became artistic director of the Washington National Opera. Later, in 2003, he became the general director. During this time, beginning in 2000, Domingo was artistic director of the Los Angeles Opera; he was eventually promoted to general director, a position he held through 2011. He resigned following several allegations of sexual assault from female colleagues.
Personal Life
At the age of 16 in 1957, Domingo wed fellow piano student Ana María Guerra Cué. The couple had a son named José before divorcing in 1958. Four years after that, Domingo married lyric soprano Marta Omelas, whom he met during his days at conservatory. Together, they have two sons named Plácido Jr. and Alvaro. Domingo has an apartment in New York, as well as a house in his native Madrid and a vacation home in Acapulco.
