Mimi Benzell

Miriam Ruth "Mimi" Benzell (April 6, 1918 – 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.

Mimi Benzell
Benzell in 1956.
Born
Miriam Ruth Benzell

(1918-04-06)April 6, 1918
Bridgeport, Connecticut, US
DiedDecember 23, 1970(1970-12-23) (aged 52)
North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, New York, US
OccupationActress, singer
Spouse(s)Walter Gould (m. 1949)
Children2
RelativesMorton Gould (brother-in-law)

Life and career

Early life and education

Mimi Benzell was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on April 6, 1918 to William and Esther (née Cohn) Benzell.[1] Her father was in the furniture business and her paternal grandfather had been a popular singer in Russia before emigrating to the United States. Mimi Benzell and her family moved to New York City, where she attended James Madison High School in Brooklyn, New York. She later attended Hunter College for two years and the Mannes School of Music.[2]

Though Benzell was originally a piano student, she switched over to voice under the instruction of Madame Olga Eisner.[2]

Career

At the age of 20, Benzell made her debut in a Sunday concert in Mexico City on December 3, 1944, during which she played the role of Zerlina in Mozart's Don Giovanni and the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute.[2] She made her Metropolitan Opera stage debut on January 5, 1945, again playing the role of the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute.[3][4] Additional Met credits that Benzell compiled include performances in La Bohème, Rigoletto, Der Rosenkavalier, Carmen, and Barber of Seville.[3]

On March 23, 1956, Benzell starred as the guest soloist in the Hofstra College Symphony Orchestra's final concert of the season at Hofstra University.[5]

In 1961, she appeared in Jerry Herman's first book musical, Milk and Honey, which proved to be her only Broadway production.[6][7][8] Benzell performed on The Ed Sullivan Show, then still titled Toast of the Town, eleven times between 1949 and 1955. In 1951 she co-starred in The Pet Milk Show on radio with Jack Pearl, which aired on Tuesday nights on NBC, and also featured Cliff Hall and Gus Haenschen's Orchestra.[9] 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 her recordings were Roberta and The Vagabond King, both with Alfred Drake.[10]

Director of the Nassau County Office of Performing and Fine Arts

On January 30, 1969, Benzell was appointed by Nassau County Executive Eugene H. Nickerson as the director of the Nassau County Office of Performing and Fine Arts.[11][12][13] A major accomplishment that the Nassau County Office of Performing and Fine Arts made under her direction was the successful coordination of cultural programs in schools across Nassau County.[13]

She served in this capacity until 1970, when she stepped down due to personal reasons.[13]

Despite her resignation as director, she continued to serve as an adviser for the office.[13]

Personal life

Benzell was married to Walter Gould, the brother of American composer Morton Gould; Walter also served as her manager.[14][15] They resided at 45 Cardinal Road in Flower Hill, New York, and had two children: Jonathan and Jennifer.[2][8][14][15][16] She was active in numerous charitable organizations, including the women's division of B'nai B'rith.[2]

Death

Benzell died of an undisclosed form of cancer on December 23, 1970, at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, New York, at the age of 52.[17][2] Her funeral service was held in Manhattan on December 27.[2]

References
  1. "Ancestry Library Edition". www.ancestrylibrary.com.
  2. Editors (December 24, 1970) “Mimi Benzell, Entertainer, Dead”, New York Times; retrieved April 7, 2017. NOTE: Wrong age at death.
  3. H.t (1947-11-15). "MAGIC FLUTE' SUNG AT METROPOLITAN; Pinza, Mimi Benzell, Nadine Conner Head Cast of Mozart Opera -- Stiedry Conductor (Published 1947)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  4. "Benzell, Mimi" CID 138420 in MetOpera Database; accessed February 10, 2018.
  5. "Guest Soloist". Newsday. March 15, 1956 – via ProQuest.
  6. Taubman, Howard (1961-10-11). "Theatre: All 'Milk and Honey' at the Martin Beck; Musical of Americans in Israel Opens Weede, Mimi Benzell, Molly Picon Star (Published 1961)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  7. Profile, Internet Broadway Database; accessed February 9, 2018.
  8. Lowman, Josephine (April 9, 1962). "Why Grow Old?". Newsday – via ProQuest.
  9. Patureau, Alan (October 22, 1964). "On the Air or Off Mimi Benzell Likes to Talk". Newsday – via ProQuest.
  10. "Mimi Benzell". www.rusc.com. Retrieved 2020-12-26.
  11. "Mimi to Lead the Chorus". Newsday. January 30, 1969 – via ProQuest.
  12. Seligsohn, Leo (January 31, 1969). "Mimi Says Youth Must Be Served". Newsday – via ProQuest.
  13. "Mimi Benzell Quits". Newsday. August 28, 1970 – via ProQuest.
  14. "MIMI BENZELL MARRIED: Soprano Is the Bride of Walter Gould, Concert Manager". The New York Times. July 30, 1949 – via ProQuest.
  15. Gerard, Jane (May 22, 1956). "Mimi's Life a Song of Mire and the Met: Singer Mimi Benzell: LI's Loveliest Mudlark". Newsday – via ProQuest.
  16. "Daily News from New York, New York on December 24, 1970 · 37". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  17. Obituary, time.com, January 4, 1971. NOTE: Wrong age at death.
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