Julie Benko

Julie Benko is an American actress and singer born on March 24, 1989, in Washington, D.C. When she was three years old, her family relocated to Fairfield, Connecticut, where she attended Fairfield Ludlowe High School. Her introduction to theater came at age fourteen, when she was cast as Hodel in a production of Fiddler on the Roof organized at a Jewish Community Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut — a production that also included her parents and sister. In 2007, she appeared as Lizzie in Baby at the Curtain Call Theater in Stamford, Connecticut, sharing the stage with her father. Benko earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (CAP21) in 2013 and returned to the same institution to complete a Master of Fine Arts in Acting in 2021.

Benko launched her professional career in 2008 as an understudy covering five roles in the national tour of Spring Awakening. She subsequently joined the 25th anniversary tour of Les Misérables as an ensemble member and understudy of Cosette, eventually assuming the role of Cosette on a full-time basis. Between 2015 and 2016, she was part of the Broadway production of Fiddler on the Roof, understudying both Hodel and Chava while covering six additional roles. Her Off-Broadway and regional work includes the role of Girl in Once and Emily Webb in Our Town.

Benko's most prominent Broadway engagement came with the 2022 revival of Funny Girl, in which she served as standby for the role of Fanny Brice, making her first performance in that capacity on April 29, 2022. Beginning August 2, 2022, she stepped into the role as a replacement for Beanie Feldstein following Feldstein's departure from the production. When Lea Michele took over the role on September 6, 2022, Benko transitioned to the position of alternate. Her work in the production drew significant attention, with The New York Times designating her its theater Breakout Star of 2022, and Crain's New York Business including her on its 2022 40 Under 40 list.

In late 2023, Benko originated the role of Ruth Stern in the Broadway musical Harmony, which opened on November 13, 2023. For that performance, she received the Theatre World Dorothy Loudon Award for Excellence in 2023. In 2024, she took on the title role in Theatre Raleigh's chamber production of Jane Eyre, based on the 2000 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Paul Gordon. That same year, she participated in an all-star Carnegie Hall concert production of Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's 1971 musical Follies, alongside Jennifer Holliday, Carolee Carmello, and Norm Lewis.

Beyond the stage, Benko has pursued work in recording and film. She released her debut jazz album, Introducing Julie Benko, on October 20, 2017, which includes the song "Tomorrow Is A Day For You," written in recognition of the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges legalizing same-sex marriage. That same year, she won the gold medal at the national American Traditions Vocal Competition in Savannah, Georgia. In 2020, she made her debut as both director and writer with the short film The Newlywed's Guide to Physical Intimacy, centered on a Hasidic Jewish couple on their wedding night, which received recognition from the New Faces New Voices Audience Choice Award and the Online New England Film Festival. On February 13, 2023, she released the single "Start With a Bang," written by Dan Mertzlufft and Kate Leonard and performed with accompaniment by the Broadway Sinfonietta.

Benko met musician Jason Yeager at a Starbucks in 2013, and the two married in 2021. Together they released the album Hand in Hand in 2022. The couple's daughter was born on November 28, 2024. Benko is Jewish.