Deemed “Quebec’s Barbara Walters,” Sonia Benezra is a bilingual Canadian TV and radio interviewer, television personality and actress, best known for her work on MusiquePlus.
Benezra was born in Montreal to an allophone Sephardic Jewish family from Morocco and Spain. She graduated from Concordia University with a degree in theatre, and began her career in television and popular media. However, it wasn’t until she had a battle with a Montreal theatre company over whether her ethnicity was right for a specific part, that she was catapulted to fame. Benezra soon found herself being discussed in Canadian journalist and radio broadcaster Tommy Schnurmacher’s column in the Montreal Gazette. Soon afterwards, Montreal-born founder of Toronto-based MuchMusic, Moses Znaimer, contacted the aspiring actress. One screen test later, Benezra was deemed the first female hire for MusiquePlus, MuchMusic’s Quebec-affiliated branch.
Equipped with a photographic memory and a penchant for languages, Benezra became one of the first North African faces in popular Quebec media. She has interviewed major stars like Leonard Cohen, Al Pacino and Sting. Benezra soon became a household name in Montreal, producing more than 200 shows per year for MusiquePlus, with over a million viewers per show.
Today, Benezra continues to work in both French and English-speaking Quebecois media. Her bubbly voice, exuberant personality and widespread influence are now an inseparable part of popular culture in Quebec.
Learn More:
http://www.lapresse.ca/arts/201506/08/01-4876169-al-pacino-a-coeur-ouvert.php
http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/arts/story.html?id=86a6377f-09b3-4668-8205-854b7d6f3016
Quebec TV ‘outsider’ beat back detractors to become vee-jay star
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wmtbPoVb0s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUqW9nKoOjc