Ethel Merman was a star of stage and film musicals, well known for her strident voice and comic acting.

Merman was born Ethel Agnes Zimmermann, in Astoria, Queens, New York, of a German Lutheran father and Scottish Presbyterian mother, although many people long assumed she was Jewish because of her pre-stage last name (which is common among non-Jewish Germans as well) combined with her being from New York City. She was raised an Episcopalian

Merman was married and divorced four times to:
- Bill Smith (Theatrical agent)
- Robert Levitt (Newspaper executive. The couple had two children. Divorced in 1952)
- Robert Six (Airline executive, 1953-1960)
- Ernest Borgnine (Actor, in 1964. Merman filed for divorced after 32 days)

Merman was known for her powerful alto voice, exact enunciation, and accurate pitch. Because stage singers performed without microphones when she began singing professionally, she had great advantages in show business.

She began singing while working as a secretary. She eventually became a full time vaudeville performer, and played the pinnacle of vaudeville, the Palace Theater in New York City. She had already been engaged for Girl Crazy, a musical with songs by George and Ira Gershwin. Her rendition of "I Got Rhythm" in the show was popular, and by the late 1930s she had become the first lady of the Broadway musical stage. Many consider her the leading Broadway musical performer of the twentieth century with her signature song being "There's No Business Like Show Business".

Merman starred in four Cole Porter musicals, among them Anything Goes in 1934 where she introduced "I Get a Kick Out of You", "Blow Gabriel Blow", and the title song. Her next musical with Porter was Red, Hot and Blue in which she co-starred with Bob Hope and Jimmy Durante. Porter provided Merman with a fantastic duet with Bert Lahr, "Friendship", the first of one of her famous type duet "can you top this" songs she became famous.

In Panama Hattie, Porter wrote Merman famous "name-dropping" songs including "Give Him the oo-la-la" with lyrics that went, "If President Roosevelt would like to rule-la-la...he better teach Eleanor to oo-la-la..."

Another type of song Merman made famous were counterpoint songs provided for her by Irving Berlin. Merman sang "Anything You Can Do" with Ray Middleton in Annie Get Your Gun and "You're Just in Love" with Russell Nype in Call Me Madam. In Call Me Madam, Merman won the 1950 Best Actress Tony Award for her performance as Sally Adams.

Merman's ultimate performance was as Rose in Arthur Laurent's Gypsy where she played Gypsy Rose Lee's mother. Merman introduced "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "Some People", and ended the show with wrenching "Rose's Turn" gaining standing ovations for her work. Ironically, Merman lost the Tony Award to Mary Martin, who was playing Maria in The Sound of Music. "How can you beat a nun?" philosophized Merman. The competitiveness notwithstanding, Merman and Martin were friends off stage and starred in two musical specials on television.

Merman retired from Broadway in 1970 when she appeared as the last Dolly Levi in Hello Dolly, a show initially written for her. No longer willing to "take the veil" as she described being in a Broadway role, Merman preferred to act in television specials and movies. Despite having a reputation for a salty tongue, and having introduced ribald Cole Porter lyrics, Merman was known to dislike theatre fare in the 1970s like "Oh Calcutta" for being lewd.

After being diagnosed with a brain tumor in 1983, Merman died in 1984.