Ethel Merman
Broadway star known for powerful voice and hit musicals.
Ethel Merman was born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann on January 16, 1908, in her grandmother’s house in Astoria, Queens, though she later insisted her birth year was 1912. The only child of Edward Zimmermann, an accountant, and Agnes Gardner Zimmermann, a schoolteacher, she was baptized in the Episcopal church after her parents—raised Dutch Reformed and Presbyterian, respectively—joined a local congregation. Church attendance was strict: every Sunday meant morning services, Sunday school, afternoon prayer meetings, and evening study groups. Her parents also insisted she learn secretarial skills as a fallback. She attended P.S. 4 and William Cullen Bryant High School (which later named its auditorium after her), taking a commercial course with secretarial training. She was active in the school magazine, speakers’ club, and student council, and often visited a local music store to check new sheet music. On Friday nights, the family took the subway to the Palace Theatre for vaudeville, where she saw Blossom Seeley, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, and Nora Bayes. At home, she tried copying their styles but found her own strong voice hard to hide.
After graduating high school in 1924, Merman worked as a stenographer for the Boyce-Ite Company. During a lunch break, she met Vic Kliesrath, who offered her a job at Bragg-Kliesrath Corporation for $28 a week—$5 more than her current $23. She took it, eventually becoming personal secretary to company president Caleb Bragg. His frequent absences for car racing let her catch up on sleep lost from late nights singing at private parties. She began performing in nightclubs, hired first by Jimmy Durante’s partner Lou Clayton. Deciding “Ethel Zimmermann” was too long for a marquee, she considered combining Ethel with Gardner or her grandmother’s maiden name, Hunter. Her father strongly disapproved, so she shortened Zimmermann to Merman to appease him.
During a two-week gig at a midtown club called Little Russia, Merman met agent Lou Irwin, who arranged an audition with film director Archie Mayo. He offered a six-month contract at $125 a week. She quit her day job but then sat idle for weeks waiting for a film role. She asked Irwin to cancel the deal; instead, he negotiated a better arrangement that let her perform in clubs while staying on Warner Bros.’ payroll. She became a torch singer at Les Ambassadeurs, where Jimmy Durante was hea
- born
- January 16, 1908 (Merman later insisted the year was 1912)
- died
- February 15, 1984
- field
- Singer, actress
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Powerful voice, leading roles in Broadway musicals, introducing standards such as 'I Got Rhythm' and 'There's No Business Like Show Business'
Lore & Background
Ethel Merman was born in her maternal grandmother's house in Astoria, Queens, the only child of Edward Zimmermann, an accountant, and Agnes Zimmermann, a schoolteacher. She attended P.S. 4 and William Cullen Bryant High School, where she pursued secretarial training. After graduating in 1924, she worked as a stenographer and later as personal secretary to company president Caleb Bragg. She began performing in nightclubs, hired by Lou Clayton, and adopted the stage name Merman from Zimmermann to appease her father.
Her breakthrough came when she auditioned for the role of Kate Fothergill in Girl Crazy (1930) by George and Ira Gershwin. Her performance of 'I Got Rhythm' made her an instant star. She went on to star in multiple Cole Porter musicals, including Anything Goes, and introduced songs such as 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' 'You're the Top,' and 'Anything Goes.' Irving Berlin's 'There's No Business Like Show Business,' written for Annie Get Your Gun, became her signature song.
Merman also appeared in films, including Anything Goes (1936), Call Me Madam (1953), There's No Business Like Show Business (1954), and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). She received a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for Call Me Madam, a Grammy Award for Gypsy, and a Drama Desk Award for Hello, Dolly!
Reader's Guide
Ethel Merman's significance lies in her unparalleled impact on Broadway musical theater. Variety noted she probably starred in more hit musicals than any other performer on Broadway, including Girl Crazy, Du Barry Was a Lady, Panama Hattie, Anything Goes, Annie Get Your Gun, Call Me Madam, and Gypsy. They also called her 'one of the tiny handful of Broadway stars who had the talent, vitality, personality and drive to carry a show to critical and boxoffice success on her own.' Her powerful, distinctive voice and ability to introduce enduring standards—such as 'I Got Rhythm,' 'Rose's Turn,' and 'There's No Business Like Show Business'—cemented her legacy. Her career spanned from the 1930s through the 1960s, and she received major awards including a Tony, a Grammy, and a Drama Desk Award. Merman's influence endures as a model of the star performer who could single-handedly drive a show's success.
Did You Know?
- Merman insisted her birth year was 1912, though she was actually born in 1908.
- She introduced the Cole Porter songs 'It's De-Lovely,' 'I Get a Kick Out of You,' 'You're the Top,' and 'Anything Goes.'
- Her signature song was 'There's No Business Like Show Business' from Annie Get Your Gun.
- She received a Tony Award for Call Me Madam, a Grammy for Gypsy, and a Drama Desk Award for Hello, Dolly!
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