Margherita Maria Francesca LaCentra[1] (April 10, 1910 – June 1, 1996)[2] was an American contralto[3] singer, best known for her work on old-time radio and her singing with Artie Shaw's orchestra.

Born on 10 April 1910 in Boston,[4] LaCentra studied at the Fenway Academy of Dramatic Art and the New England Conservatory of Music[5] and graduated from Katharine Gibbs College.

[2] She performed on NBC programs, including Beauty Box Theater, Circus Night in Silvertown, and Lucky Smith.

[15] As a dramatic actress, she frequently played supporting roles in Mutual's romantic thriller, The Modern Adventures of Casanova (1952).

[2] LaCentra was a ghost singer in feature films, dubbing vocal performances for stars including Susan Hayward in Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman (1947) and Ida Lupino in The Man I Love (1947).

[20] She also appeared in short films,[2] including Broadway Follies, (1937) a series of single-reel musicals from Columbia Pictures,[21] and sang in cafe sequences in Humoresque (1946).