The Virtually Unknown Actress Whose Career Was Cut Short By a Simple Signature



If you’ve never heard of Adriana Caselotti, you’re not alone. It isn’t because she was an actress in the 1930s that she’s not well known. In fact, she only made three movies in her career, but they all became classics. Caselotti is best known for providing the voice and physical modeling of Snow White in Walt Disney’s first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in 1937. She overheard a phone conversation in which Walt Disney was asking her father, Disney vocal coach Guido Caselotti, if he knew of any suitable voices for Snow White. Adriana then approached her father, suggesting herself for the role. After auditioning for the part in September 1934, she was offered the role and accepted. However, after Snow White was finished, so was Adriana's career. That's because she had signed a contract with Disney, agreeing that she would only use her voice on Snow White. She did, however, make uncredited appearances in The Wizard Oz and It’s a Wonderful Life. In 1994, she was named a Disney Legend.