Variety Show and Cabaret Star Carmel Quinn Dies at 95
Her stage credits include The Sound of Music, Finian’s Rainbow, and The Boy Friend.
By: Stephi Wild Mar. 15, 2021
BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Irish performer Carmel Quinn has died at 95.
Quinn's career began when she came to the United States in 1954 and won an audition on Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, which led to her becoming a regular on Arthur Godfrey and His Friends. She also rotated through other popular variety shows including The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Mike Douglas Show" and more.
Quinn performed at the White House twice, first for John F. Kennedy and then for Lyndon B. Johnson.
Perhaps she was best known for her concerts at Carnegie Hall, which began in 1955. She performed benefit concerts every year on St. Patrick's Day for more than two decades, and they all sold out.
She also performed in several cabarets, clubs and Off-Broadway shows, as well as tours and summer stock, with credits such as The Sound of Music, Finian's Rainbow, and The Boy Friend.
Quinn also performed in revues of her own work at the Irish Repertory Theater in Manhattan, first with "Wait 'Til I Tell You" in 1997 and "That and a Cup of Tea" in 2001.
She performed until she was 88, with one of her last performances taking place in November 2013.
Videos