Julie Benko (born March 24, 1989) is an American actress. Benko is known for her portrayal of

Fanny Brice Fania Borach (October 29, 1891 – May 29, 1951), known professionally as Fanny Brice or Fannie Brice, was an American comedienne, illustrated song model, singer, and theater and film actress who made many stage, radio, and film appearances. S ...

(as the

alternate Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

) in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

revival of ''Funny Girl'' (2022).

Early life and education

Benko was born on March 24, 1989, in

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. When she was three years old, her family moved to

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Located within the New York metropolitan area ...

. She attended

Fairfield Ludlowe High School Fairfield Ludlowe High School (FLHS) is a co-educational secondary school located in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States. Before Roger Ludlowe Middle School opened up on campus in 1998, Fairfield Ludlowe High School served as the middle sc ...

, in Fairfield, Connecticut. When Benko was 14, she was cast as Hodel in the musical ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Imperial Russia in or around 1905. It is based on ''Tevye and his Daughters'' (or ''Tevye the ...

'' which was her first theatre production, organized at a local

Jewish Community Center A Jewish Community Center or a Jewish Community Centre (JCC) is a general recreational, social clubs, social, and Fraternal and service organizations, fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of cities. JCCs promote Jewish ...

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the List of cities by population in New England, fifth-most populous ...

. Her parents and sister were also cast. In 2007, she portrayed Lizzie in ''Baby'', alongside her father at the Curtain Call Theater in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

. Benko graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2013 and 2021 with a

Bachelor of Fine Arts A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases. Background The Bachelor ...

in Drama (CAP21) and a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

in Acting, respectively.

Career

Benko first began her professional acting career in 2008 when she understudied five roles in the national tour of ''Spring Awakening''. She later joined the 25th anniversary tour of ''Les Misérables'' as an ensemble member and the understudy of Cosette, ultimately taking over the role of Cosette full time. Benko has also played multiple

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and regional roles, such as Girl in ''Once'' and Emily Webb in ''

Our Town ''Our Town'' is a 1938 metatheatrical three-act play by American playwright Thornton Wilder which won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play tells the story of the fictional American small town of Grover's Corners between 1901 and 1913 throug ...

''. From 2015 to 2016, she was the understudy of both Hodel and Chava and covered six other roles in the Broadway production of ''

''. In 2017, she won the gold medal at the national American Traditions Vocal Competition in Savannah, Georgia. Benko released her debut

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

album ''Introducing Julie Benko'' on October 20, 2017, which includes "Tomorrow Is A Day For You," a song celebrating the legalization of same-sex marriage in the

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

case ''

Obergefell v. Hodges ''Obergefell v. Hodges'', ( ), is a landmark LGBT rights case in which the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the fundamental right to marry is guaranteed to same-sex couples by both the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection ...

''. Benko made her debut as a director and writer for the short film ''The Newlywed's Guide to Physical Intimacy'' in 2020, which is about a

Hasidic Jewish Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...

couple on their wedding night. The film received honorable mentions and awards from the New Faces New Voices Audience Choice Award and the Online New England Film Festival Award. Benko was the standby for the role of

in the 2022 Broadway revival of ''Funny Girl'', with her first performance on April 29, 2022. Starting on August 2, 2022, she became a replacement for

Beanie Feldstein Elizabeth Greer "Beanie" Feldstein (born June 29, 1993) is an American actress. She first gained recognition for her starring roles in the comedy film '' Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising'' (2016), the comedy-drama film '' Lady Bird'' (2017), and the ...

following her leave from the show, and became Fanny Brice alternate on September 6, 2022 once

Lea Michele Lea Michele Sarfati (; born August 29, 1986) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and author. She began her career as a child actress on Broadway (theatre), Broadway, appearing in productions of ''Les Misérables (musical), Les Misérab ...

took over the role. Her performance was met with positive reviews, with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' naming her as the "2022 Breakout Star" for Theatre. She was listed as one of ''Crain's New York Business'' "2022 40 Under 40", and ''

The New York Sun ''The New York Sun'' is an American online newspaper published in Manhattan; from 2002 to 2008 it was a daily newspaper distributed in New York City. It debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of the earlier New York ...

'' called her " e Fanny Brice of our time." In September 2022 and June 2023, it was announced that Benko would play the role of Ruth Stern in the upcoming musical ''Harmony'' in 2023, which is expected to open in November 2023. Benko released the song "Start With a Bang" on February 13, 2023, written by Dan Mertzlufft and Kate Leonard with accompaniment by the Broadway Sinfonietta. In the episode "The Many Saints of Springfield" in ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

'', Benko's name was mentioned on a car.

Personal life

Benko is

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

. Benko met musician Jason Yeager at a

Starbucks Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain. As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...

in 2013, and they got married in 2021. The pair released an album named ''Hand in Hand'' in 2022.

Theatre credits

Filmography

Discography

* ''Introducing Julie Benko'' (2017) * ''Hand in Hand'' (with Jason Yeager, 2022)

References

External links

* * * * 1989 births Living people Actresses from Connecticut 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American actresses 21st-century American singers American musical theatre actresses American LGBT rights activists American women jazz singers Tisch School of the Arts alumni Actors from Fairfield, Connecticut Jewish American actresses {{DEFAULTSORT:Benko_Julie