Cobina Wright, Sr. (born Esther Ellen Cobb, September 20, 1887 – April 9, 1970) was an American opera singer and actress who appeared in The Razor's Edge (1946). She gained later fame as a hostess and a syndicated gossip columnist. Wright was also known as Esther Cobb, Esther Johnson, and Esther Cobina.
Cobina Wright, Sr. | |
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Wright's 1949 column photo | |
Born | Esther Ellen Cobb (1887-10-20)October 20, 1887 Lakeview, Oregon, U.S. |
Died | April 9, 1970(1970-04-09) (aged 82) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Other names | Esther Johnson, Esther Cobina |
Occupation | Opera singer and actress |
Known for | Syndicated gossip column |
She was born on September 20, 1887, in Lakeview, Oregon to Benjamin M. Cobb and Della Holmes (1861—1943).[1]
She married and divorced twice. Her first husband, whom she married in 1912, was American novelist Owen Johnson;[2] she was his second wife, and they divorced in 1917. Her second husband was William May Wright, a stockbroker, by whom she had one child, a daughter, Cobina Carolyn Wright (aka Cobina Wright Jr.), (1921—2011), briefly a movie actress.[3][4] the Wrights were divorced in 1935.[5]
In the early part of the 20th century, she was a coloratura soprano, using the stage name Esther Cobina.[6][7] She had studied singing in California, under voice teacher Nettie Snyder, and in Germany, where she initially pursued her career on stage.[8][9] During World War I, she performed for French and American troops in Europe.[10] She later made her American opera debut at Carnegie Hall in 1924.
She died in Los Angeles, California in 1970.[11]
Wright was the author of a memoir called I Never Grew Up (Prentice-Hall, 1952).
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1943 | Danger! Women at Work | Regina | |
1944 | Sweethearts of the U.S.A. | Mrs. Josephine Carver | |
1946 | The Razor's Edge | Princess Novemali | (final film role) |
Cobina Wright, former society hostess of prominence, who later turned to journalism and wrote of both the Hollywood scene and of cultural happenings, died yesterday after having suffered a stroke on Easter Sunday. Her age was never made public.