Louis Graveure, originally named Wilfrid Douthitt, was born on March 18, 1888 in London, England. He originally studied architecture at the Royal College of Art in South Kensington, but later made his New York City debut in 1914, performing in the operetta, “The Lilac Domino.” He sang baritone and performed opposite his future wife, Eleanor Painter, who sang soprano. They married in 1916 and divorced in 1930.

Sometime after his first performance is when Douthitt took on the persona of Louis Graveure. People questioned Graveure, asking him if he was Douthitt, but he kept insisting that he was not. For this reason, Graveure was dubbed “The Mystery Man.”

He did tours and produced over forty sound recordings. In 1928, he became head of the vocal department at the Michigan State Institute of Music and Allied Arts. While in East Lansing, Graveure performed concerts for the students and local community. Graveure did not stay long at MSU, deciding to emigrate to Berlin, Germany in 1931. While in Germany, he starred in four German films from 1934 to 1936. Due the impending war, Graveure went to France in 1938 and never returned to Germany. He tried leaving in 1940 for a US concert tour, but was denied. Instead, he was sent to England where he stayed until after the war.

In 1947, he re-entered the United States with his new wife, Patricia, and a child, Viola. He moved from New York City to Los Angeles in 1957. There he taught private voice lessons. Graveure died on April 27, 1965 in San Francisco at the age of 77.