Jodi Benson (born October 10, 1961, in Rockford, Illinois) is an American actress, singer, and voice performer whose career spans Broadway, animated film, television, video games, and concert work. She is best known as the voice of Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid (1989), a role that established her as one of the most recognizable performers in modern animation. She was named a Disney Legend in 2011.D23, "Jodi Benson."
Benson studied musical theater at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois. Her professional stage career began while she was still in college, and she made her Broadway debut in Marilyn: An American Fable in 1983. She later appeared in the original Broadway production of Smile, the musical by Howard Ashman and Marvin Hamlisch. In the show, Benson introduced the song "Disneyland," an early indication of the clear, expressive soprano that would become central to her screen work. She also appeared in Welcome to the Club in 1989.
Her major stage breakthrough came with the 1992 Broadway production of Crazy for You, in which she played Polly Baker opposite Harry Groener. The Gershwin musical became a long-running success, and Benson received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.Playbill, "Jodi Benson." Although animation would eventually dominate her public profile, Benson has continued to work in musical theater and concert productions, taking on roles in works such as Hello, Dolly!, Gypsy, Oklahoma!, My Fair Lady, and Chess.
Benson's defining film role arrived when she was cast as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. Her performance combined spoken dialogue with a highly lyrical vocal style, helping make Ariel a central figure in the revival of Disney's animated feature tradition. Benson reprised the character in the The Little Mermaid television series, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, and other Disney productions. Her recording of "Part of Your World" became one of the signature songs associated with the Disney Renaissance.
She expanded her animation work with the title role in Don Bluth's Thumbelina (1994), as Weebo in Flubber (1997), and as Barbie in Pixar's Toy Story 2 (1999). She returned as Barbie in Toy Story 3 (2010), Toy Story Toons: Hawaiian Vacation (2011), and later Toy Story 4 (2019). Other voice credits include Lady in Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure, Anita Radcliffe in 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, and Belle in House of Mouse.
Benson has also worked extensively in television, including The Pirates of Dark Water, Camp Lazlo, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and numerous Disney specials. Her live-action appearances include Sam in Enchanted (2007), a part that playfully connected her screen presence with her history as Ariel. She later made a cameo in Disney's live-action The Little Mermaid (2023).
Beyond family animation, Benson performed as EVA in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater under the name Suzetta Minet, demonstrating the range of her voice-acting career. Through stage performances, recordings, animation, and concert appearances, she has built a career that balances Broadway technique with the enduring popular appeal of her Disney work.