Introduction
Mimi Benzell (May 6, 1924 – December 23, 1970) was an American soprano who performed with the Metropolitan Opera before establishing herself as a Broadway musical theatre, television, and nightclub performer.
Life and career
Born on May 6, 1924, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Benzell attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York. She was 21 when she made her Met debut, initially in a Sunday concert on Dec. 3, 1944; her stage debut was in Mozart's The Magic Flute on January 5, 1945. Additional Met credits that Benzell compiled include performances in La Bohème, Rigoletto, Der Rosenkavalier, Carmen, and Barber of Seville. In 1961 she appeared in Jerry Herman's first book musical, Milk and Honey, which proved to be her only Broadway production.
Benzell performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, then still titled Toast of the Town, eleven times between 1949 and 1955. She appeared as a panelist on both the daytime and primetime editions of the game show To Tell the Truth, and was a guest star on the short-lived DuMont series Off the Record alongside Zero Mostel and Joey Faye.
Among Benzell's recordings were Roberta and The Vagabond King, both with Alfred Drake.
Benzell died of cancer on December 23, 1970, in Manhasset, New York, at the age of 46. With her husband Walter Gould she had two children, Jonathan and Jennifer.