Janie Sell, the Tony Award-winning actress whose Broadway career spanned some of the most celebrated musicals of the 20th century, has died at the age of 86.
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She died on June 9 after a brief illness. Longtime friend and director Walter Bobbie confirmed her death.
A beloved figure in musical theater, Sell earned widespread acclaim for her performance as Mitzi in the patriotic Broadway musical Over Here!. Her portrayal won her the 1974 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and also brought her a Theatre World Award. The production starred Patty and Maxene Andrews of the famed Andrews Sisters and introduced several future stars to Broadway audiences.
Janie Sell Had A Glowing Theatrical Career
Born in Detroit on October 1, 1939, Sell built a distinguished stage career that included appearances in numerous Broadway productions. She made her Broadway debut in George M! and later appeared in Irene, Pal Joey, I Love My Wife, and Happy End.
Her final Broadway credit came in 1995 when she served as a standby in Moon Over Buffalo, a production headlined by Carol Burnett.
Sell also left a mark Off-Broadway.
She appeared in Dames at Sea and starred as Sylvia Rosewater in God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, the musical adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s novel created by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman.
Menken paid tribute to Sell, recalling her as the first leading lady in his first produced musical and praising her talent and warmth.
In a surprising career shift during the 1990s, Sell stepped away from the stage and entered the corporate world. She attended Hunter College, earned a degree in psychology, and began working at advertising firm Young & Rubicam. Starting as a receptionist, she later advanced to become a personal assistant to company chairman Peter Georgescu.
Sell is survived by her son, Jason Fries, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Her husbands, businessman Earl Fries and journalist Pat Trese, died before her. Information about a public memorial service has not yet been announced.