Jodi Benson

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Jodi Benson

Born October 10, 1961 (age 46)
Rockford, Illinois
Spouse(s) Ray Benson

Jodi Benson (born October 10, 1961) is an American voice actress and singer. She is known for providing both the singing and the speaking voice of Disney's Princess Ariel in The Little Mermaid and its sequels. In 2002 and 2006, she reprised the role of Ariel in the English versions of the Kingdom Hearts video game series.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Personal life

Benson was born Jodi Marzorati in Rockford, Illinois. She attended Boylan Catholic High School and Millikin University, and currently lives in north Georgia with her husband Ray Benson, both of whom are Christians, and their two children.[1] Benson has also performed in several Broadway Productions.

[edit] Career

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Benson seems incapable of escaping her Little Mermaid legacy. In the Guideposts Junction video series, one character jokingly asked if Jodi knew anything about mermaids. The Mighty Kong featured one scene in which the lead female character, Ann Darrow (whose voice she provided), sang and swam through the water with her hair flowing about in an Ariel-like fashion.[2] She even provided the voice for a character called Aquagirl in a two-part episode of Batman Beyond.[3] Fortunately, Mrs. Benson seems to have no regrets about her Little Mermaid role. She says that she never gets tired of singing "Part of Your World," her signature song from this movie.

Benson also did voice-overs in video games. She played Ariel again in the video game Kingdom Hearts; she is also in Kingdom Hearts II, playing Ariel yet again, this time singing in musicals. She was also in Grandia II where she was the American voice actress for Millenia. Benson is also currently doing voice work in the Emmy winning Cartoon Network animated series, Camp Lazlo, as the characters Patsy Smiles, Scoutmistress Jane Doe, and Almondine the Owl.

Benson will play as Cloe in The Save-Ums in 2007.

Fittingly enough, Benson performs the song "Disneyland" on the Unsung Musicals compilation CD. This song was originally performed by her in the short-lived Broadway musical Smile, long before she became affiliated with the Walt Disney Company. In 1992, Benson received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Polly Baker in the musical Crazy for You. In 1989, she appeared in the short-lived musical Welcome to the Club, with Samuel E. Wright (the voice of Sebastian the Crab in The Little Mermaid).

Benson had a small role as "Sam" in Disney's Enchanted as a tribute to Ariel.

Among non-Disney related films, she played in Don Bluth's version of the Hans Christian Anderson's Thumbelina, playing the heroine of the same name. She performed many songs in this film, including a duet with Barry Manilow in "Let Me Be Your Wings".

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Other

[edit] Discography

  • 1990 The Little Mermaid Soundtrack
  • 1991 Jodi Benson Sings Songs From the Beginner's Bible I
  • 1992 Jodi Benson Sings Songs From the Beginner's Bible II
  • 1992 The Little Mermaid: Splash hits
  • 1992 Crazy for You Cast Recording
  • 1993 The Little Mermaid: Songs from the Sea
  • 1994 Unsung Musicals
  • 1994 Thumbelina Soundtrack
  • 1995 Songs of Guideposts Junction
  • 1996 Hollywood Christmas (Various artists)
  • 2000 The Little Mermaid II Soundtrack
  • 2004 Disney Princess Music Hits
  • 2005 Disney Princess Christmas Of Enchantment
  • 2005 Disney Princess Tea Party

[edit] References

  1. ^ Townhall.com::The News
  2. ^ Mighty Kong Ariel
  3. ^ Jodi Benson as Aquagirl

[edit] External links

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