Joseph Calleia

Born in the Crown Colony of Malta, Joseph Alexander Caesar Herstall Vincent is an American singer and actor of Maltese origin. He worked in movies, radio, stage, and television. He was born to an architect. His father always wanted him to study and do something other than the cinematic line.

Joseph first studied at the St. Julian's College and then went to St. Aloysius College. Joseph was passionate about singing. He used to get English Pounds for Christmas when his age was twelve. Joseph used them to buy two dozen Harmonicas so as to make his local band. The band he made did short performances and earned around $100 per week. Seeing his growing interest in films and music, his father was scared, and he sent him to study Engineering in London. But Joseph was stern in his ideas. He started singing in music halls, in the traditional attire.. But his father disapproved his acts, therefore he used his mother's maiden name and worked as Joseph Spurin.

Joseph joined the British Transport Service(Merchant Navy of UK) in the year 1914. After two-and-a-half years, the ship sank in the English Channel. He was in the hospital for a span of three months but was then discharged honorably with a campaign medal awarded to him. These works he did to earn but in his heart of hearts he was passionate about music. Hence, on Armistice Day, he began his stage career. His first role in which he spoke on the stage was in a comedy play The Broken Wing in the year 1920. The play was a hit.

To earn a living, Joseph used to stoke furnace at a departmental store at daytime and washed and repaired cars at night in New York Click to look into! >> Read More... . He also continued performing puny roles in stage acts and sang in the chorus of Have a Heart (musical comedy skit). He managed to do several small jobs so as to earn a four square meal with respect. In the year 1920, he also published a song of which he had composed the tune. It earned him enough money. He then worked with a London Production for some time and then went to his hometown Malta.

On the request of his father, Joseph started using the name Joseph Spurin-Calleia. In 1925, he made his debut in concert in New York City, which turned out to be successful. The audience loved it, and newspapers praised him. He had a highly melodious voice. In 1926, he depicted an attractive timbre's voice. One by one, success touched his feet, and he was featured as the Spanish ambassador in 1925 in the production of Princess Flavia.

Joseph has been a company’s stage manager and has done a series of Broadway plays including The Front Page, The Last Mile etc. He has done plenty of successful films and has done three feature movies on The East Coast as well. In the year 1938, he received The National Board of Review Award.