Venuta, Benay (1911–1995)

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Venuta, Benay (1911–1995)

American stage and screen actress, singer, and dancer. Born Benvenuta Rose Crooke, Jan 27, 1911, in San Francisco, CA; died Sept 1, 1995, in New York, NY; m. Kenneth Kelly (div.); m. Armand S. Deutsch (div.); m. Fred Clark, 1952 (div.).

Made Broadway debut replacing Ethel Merman in Anything Goes (1935), followed by Kiss the Boys Goodbye, By Jupiter, Nellie Bly, Hazel Flagg, Dear Me the Sky is Falling, Carousel and Annie Get Your Gun, among others; films include Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Mister and Bullets over Broadway.