Biography.guide
Home › People › Singer › Marion Mitchell
Portrait of Marion Mitchell

Marion Mitchell

1876 – 1955

New Zealand opera singer and mayoress

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Marion Mitchell

Lived 1876 – 1955 (aged 78). Marion Mitchell was a New Zealand singer.

Marion Mitchell, Lady Davis (19 October 1876 – 5 May 1955) was a New Zealand singer. She married Ernest Davis who became mayor of Auckland.

Biography Playbill for Pollard's at Princess Theatre, Westport, 1893. The whole company performed the operas.

Mitchell was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 19 October 1876, the daughter of Fanny Maria Wheatland Waters and Walter Mitchell.

At the age of 14 she was auditioned by opera producer Tom Pollard who accepted her to undertake training in The Pollard Juvenile Opera Company, his young persons opera company (formerly called the Lilliputian Opera Company). After five years in the company Mitchell was able to play, without rehearsal, prima donna roles in 20 operettas and two pantomimes. They became engaged in 1897.

Ernest Davis belonged to a devout Jewish family which required Mitchell to obtain permission of the Chief Rabbi in London before she could convert to Judaism and they could be married. She married Davis in 1899, who later became Mayor of Auckland; he was knighted in 1937, making her Lady Davis. The couple had two children. The library holds a medical history collection of books, surgical instruments and apothecary jars.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Died
Occupation
Nationality
Also known as
Marion Davis, Lady Davis

People in Marion Mitchell's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Marion Mitchell's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Marion Mitchell?

New Zealand opera singer and mayoress (1876-1955)

When was Marion Mitchell born?

Marion Mitchell was born on 19 October 1876.

When did Marion Mitchell die?

Marion Mitchell died on 5 May 1955.

What was Marion Mitchell's occupation?

Marion Mitchell was a singer.

What nationality was Marion Mitchell?

Marion Mitchell was New Zealand.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Marion Mitchell

· Wikidata: Q6765310

· DBpedia: Marion Mitchell (singer)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Marion Mitchell. https://biography.guide/marion-mitchell/

MLA: "Marion Mitchell." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/marion-mitchell/.

Chicago: "Marion Mitchell." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/marion-mitchell/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:31 UTC