Ferruccio Tagliavini (pronounced [ferˈruttʃo taʎʎaˈviːni]; 14 August 1913 – 29 January 1995)[1] was an Italian operatic lyric tenor mainly active in the 1940s and 1950s.

Tagliavini was hailed as the heir apparent to Tito Schipa and Beniamino Gigli in the lyric-opera repertory due to the exceptional beauty of his voice, but he did not sustain his great early promise across the full span of his career.

[2] As a teenager, Tagliavini was active as a singer in choirs at churches in Reggio Emilia, and he also worked as a janitor at a fabric shop in the late 1920s while training to be an electric technician.

[2] In 1940 Tagliavini met the soprano Pia Tassinari when starring opposite her in L'amico Fritz at the Teatro Politeama, Palermo; during which time the pair began a romance which resulted in their marriage in Rome on 30 April 1941.

[2] That same year, Tagliavini made his debut at La Scala as Count Almaviva in The Barber of Seville,[1] and starred in his first film, Voglio vivere così.

During the 1950s, Tagliavini took on heavier roles such as Riccardo in Un ballo in maschera, Cavaradossi in Tosca and Faust in Mefistofele; but the lyric quality of his voice suffered as a consequence.