# Frank Forest

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Not to be confused with [Forrest Frank](/source/Forrest_Frank).

**Frank Forest** (1896–1976) was an American [operatic](/source/Opera) [tenor](/source/Tenor) and [actor](/source/Actor) who enjoyed success in the 1930s and 1940s.

## Biography

**Frank Forest** was born **Frank Hayek** ("[Hájek](/source/H%C3%A1jek_(surname))" meaning "small grove/forest" in Czech[1]) in [St. Paul, Minnesota](/source/St._Paul,_Minnesota) on October 17, 1896. His father was an immigrant from Nieder Rochlitz (now [Dolní Rokytnice](https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doln%C3%AD_Rokytnice)) of [Czech](/source/Czechs) and [Sudeten-German](/source/Sudeten_Germans) origin, working as a mail carrier.[2][3][4] Frank began the study of music at 7 years and voice training with the St. Paul, Minnesota choir as a soloist[5] He studied [pianoforte](/source/Pianoforte) and singing and at twelve was singing as a soloist in a church choir. At seventeen he taught [piano](/source/Piano) and voice. Later he went to [New York City](/source/New_York_City) and became a salesman, eventually becoming a sales manager. He studied singing in [Italy](/source/Italy) and made his operatic debut in 1928, becoming famous in operatic circles.

Forest studied [agricultural engineering](/source/Agricultural_engineering) at the [University of Minnesota](/source/University_of_Minnesota), and later helped found the profitable pharmaceutical firm [White Laboratories](/source/Schering-Plough) of [Kenilworth, New Jersey](/source/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](/source/I'll_Take_Romance_(film))* along with [American](/source/United_States) [soprano](/source/Soprano) and actress [Grace Moore](/source/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](/source/New_York_City) summer opera festival. Frank Forest died on December 23, 1976, in [Santa Monica, California](/source/Santa_Monica,_California) and is buried at Hillside Memorial Park in [Redlands, California](/source/Redlands,_California).

## Filmography

- *[For Love of You](/source/For_Love_of_You)* (1933) as 'Franco Foresta'
- *[The Big Broadcast of 1937](/source/The_Big_Broadcast_of_1937)* (1936) – Frank Rossman
- *[Champagne Waltz](/source/Champagne_Waltz)* (1937) – Karl Lieberlich
- *[I'll Take Romance](/source/I'll_Take_Romance_(film))* (1937) – Pinkerton (from *[Madama Butterfly](/source/Madama_Butterfly)*)
- *[Take It Big](/source/Take_It_Big)* (1944) – Harvey Phillips

## References

1. "Private rites scheduled for singer Frank Forest". *Los Angeles Times*. 28 December 1976. p. B22.

1. ["Czech Republic, Semily, Rokytnice nad Jizerou, church records"](https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99LH-3RYP). *FamilySearch*. 9 June 1864.

1. ["United States, Passport Applications, 1795-1925"](https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24F-6GRS). *FamilySearch*. 22 September 1893.

1. ["United States, Census, 1900"](https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M93J-BH1). *FamilySearch*. 2 June 1900.

1. "Frank Forest to appear in bowl benefit". *Los Angeles Times*. 16 August 1936. p. C4.

- [Opera Under Canvas](https://web.archive.org/web/20110201044850/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,811219,00.html) – August 10, 1959 *[Time](/source/Time_(magazine))* magazine article.
- [Frank Forest – Biography](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0286115/bio) – The [IMDb](/source/IMDb)'s biography page for Frank Forest.

## External links

- [Frank Forest](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0286115/) at IMDb

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Frank Forest](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Forest) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Forest?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.