Biography
Wilhelmenia Fernandez, also credited as Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, was an American soprano and actress. She played the title role of Cynthia Hawkins in Jean-Jacques Beineix’s 1981 film Diva, performing the aria “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana” from La Wally. It was her only film appearance.
Born in Philadelphia in 1949, she trained at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and as a scholarship student at the Juilliard School. She made her operatic debut as Bess in Porgy and Bess for Houston Grand Opera and her Paris debut in 1979 as Musetta in La bohème alongside Plácido Domingo and Kiri Te Kanawa. Beineix cast her in Diva after seeing that performance.
Fernandez later appeared with New York City Opera and performed roles including Aida. In 1992 she received the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in Carmen Jones. She died in 2024.
