Beauty and the Beast 25th Anniversary Special Screening (NY)
Sunday September 18th, Alice Tully Hall 1941 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
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Angela Lansbury was born in 1925 into a prominent family of the upper middle class living in the Regent's Park neighborhood of London. Her father was socialist politician Edgar Isaac Lansbury (1887-1935), a member of both the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) and the Labour Party. Edgar served as Honorary Treasurer of the East London Federation of Suffragettes (term 1915), and Mayor of Poplar (term 1924-1925). He was the second Communist mayor in British history, the first being Joe Vaughan (1878-1938). Lansbury's mother was Irish film actress Moyna Macgill (1895-1975), originally from Belfast. During the first five years of Angela's life, the Lansbury family lived in a flat located in Poplar. In 1930, they moved to a house located in the Mill Hill neighborhood of north London. They spend their weekends vacationing in a farm located in Berrick Salome, a village in South Oxfordshire.
In 1935, Edgar Lansbury died from stomach cancer. Angela reportedly retreated into "playing characters", as a coping mechanism to deal with the loss. The widowed Moyna Macgill soon became engaged to Leckie Forbes, a Scottish colonel. Moyna moved into his house in Hampstead.
From 1934 to 1939, Angela was a student at South Hampstead High School. During these years, she became interested in films.. She regularly visited the local cinema, and imagined herself in various roles. Angela learned how to play the piano, and received a musical education at the Ritman School of Dancing.
In 1940, Lansbury started her acting education at the Webber Douglas School of Singing and Dramatic Art, located in Kensington, West London. She made her theatrical debut in the school's production of the play "Mary of Scotland" (1933) by Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959). The play depicted the life of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587, reigned 1542-1567), and Lansbury played one of the queen's ladies-in-waiting.
Also in 1940, Lansbury's paternal grandfather, George Lansbury, died from stomach cancer. When the Blitz started, Moyna Macgill had reasons to fear for the safety of her family and few remaining ties to England. Macgill moved to the United States to escape the Blitz, taking her three youngest children with her. Isolde was already a married adult, and was left behind in England.
Macgill secured financial sponsorship from American businessman Charles T. Smith. She and her children (including Angela) moved into Smith's house in Mahopac, New York, a hamlet in Putnam County. Lansbury was interested in continuing her studies, and secured a scholarship from the American Theatre Wing. From 1940 to 1942, Lansbury studied acting at the Feagin School of Dramatic Art, located in New York City. She appeared in performances organized by the school.
In 1942, Lansbury moved with her family to a flat located in Morton Street, Greenwich Village. She soon followed her mother in her theatrical tour of Canada. Lansbury secured her first paying job in Montreal, singing at the nightclub Samovar Club for a payment of 60 dollars per week. Lansbury was 16 years old at the time, but lied about her age and claimed to be 19 in order to be hired.
Lansbury returned to New York City in August, 1942, but Moyna Macgill soon moved herself and her family again. The family moved to Los Angeles, where Moyna was interested in resurrecting her film career. Their first home there was a bungalow in Laurel Canyon, a neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills.
Lansbury helped financially support her family by working for the Bullocks Wilshire department store in Los Angeles. Her weekly wages were only 28 dollars, but she had a secure income while her mother was unemployed. Through her mother, Lansbury was introduced to screenwriter John Van Druten (1901-1957), who had recently completed his script of "Gaslight" (1944). He suggested that young Lansbury would be perfect for the role of Nancy Oliver, the film's conniving cockney maid. This helped secure Lansbury's first film role at the age of 17, and a seven-year contract with the film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. She earned 500 dollars per week, and chose to continue using her own name instead of a stage name.
In 1945, Lansbury married actor Richard Cromwell (1910-1960), who was 15 years older than she. The troubled marriage ended in a divorce in 1946. The former spouses remained friends until Cromwell's death.
In 1946, Lansbury started a romantic relationship with aspiring actor Peter Shaw (1918-2003), who was 7 years older than her. Shaw had recently ended his relationship with actress Joan Crawford (c. 1908-1977). The new couple started living together, while planning marriage. They wanted to be married in the United Kingdom, but the Church of England refused to marry two divorcees. They were married in 1949, in a Church of Scotland ceremony at St. Columba's Church, located in Knightsbridge, London. After their return to the United States, they settled into Lansbury's home in Rustic Canyon, Malibu. In 1951, both Lansbury and Shaw became naturalized citizens of the United States, while retaining their British citizenship.
Meanwhile, Lansbury continued appearing in MGM films. She appeared in 11 MGM films between 1945 and 1952. MGM at times loaned Lansbury to other film studios. She appeared in United Artists' "The Private Affairs of Bel Ami" (1947), and Paramount Pictures' "Samson and Delilah" (1949). In 1948, Lansbury made her debut in radio roles, followed by her television debut in 1950.
In 1952, Lansbury requested the termination of her contract with MGM, instead of its renewal. She felt unsatisfied with her film career as an MGM contract player. She then joined the East Coast touring productions of two former Broadway plays. By 1953, Lansbury had two children of her own and was also raising a stepson. She and her family moved into a larger house, located on San Vincente Boulevard in Santa Monica. In 1959, she and her family moved into a house in Malibu. The married couple were able to send their children to a local public school.
Meanwhile she continued her film career as a freelance actress, but continued to be cast in middle-aged roles. She regained her A-picture actress through well-received roles in the drama film "The Long, Hot Summer" (1958) and the comedy film "The Reluctant Debutante" (1958). She also appeared regularly in television roles, and became a regular on game show "Pantomime Quiz" (1947-1959).
In 1957, Lansbury made her Broadway debut in a performance of "Hotel Paradiso". The play was an adaptation of the 1894 "L'Hôtel du libre échange" ("Free Exchange Hotel"), written by Maurice Desvallières (1857-1926) and Georges Feydeau (1862-1921). Lansbury's role as "Marcel Cat" was critically well received. She continued appearing in Broadway over the next several years, most notably cast as the verbally abusive mother in "A Taste of Honey". She was cast as the mother of co-star Joan Plowright (1929-), who was only four years younger.
In the early 1960s, Lansbury was cast as an overbearing mother in "Blue Hawaii" (1961). The role of her son was played by Elvis Presley (1935-1977), who was only 10 years than her. The film was a box office hit, it finished as the 10th-top-grossing film of 1961 and 14th for 1962 on the "Variety" national box office survey. It gained Lansbury renewed fame, at a difficult point of her career.
Lansbury gained critical praise for a sympathetic role in the drama film "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (1960), and the role of a manipulative mother in the drama film "All Fall Down" (1962). Based on her success in "All Fall Down", she was cast in a similar role in the Cold War-themed thriller "The Manchurian Candidate" (1962). She was cast as Eleanor Iselin, the mother of her co-star Laurence Harvey (1928-1973), who was only 3 years younger than she. This turned out to be one of the most memorable roles in her career. She received critical acclaim and was nominated for a third time for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. The award was instead won by Patty Duke (1946-2016).
Lansbury made a comeback in the starring role of Mame Dennis in the musical "Mame" (1966), by Jerome Lawrence (1915-2004) and Robert Edwin Lee (1918-1994). The play was an adaptation of the novel "Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade" (1955) by Patrick Dennis (1921-1976), and focused on the life and ideas of eccentric bohemian Mame Dennis. The musical received critical and popular praise, and Lansbury won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. Lansbury gained significant fame from her success, becoming a "superstar".
Her newfound fame led to other high-profile appearances by Lansbury. She starred in a musical performance at the 1968 Academy Awards ceremony, and co-hosted the 1968 Tony Awards. The Hasty Pudding Club, a social club for Harvard students. elected her "Woman of the Year" in 1968.
Lansbury's next theatrical success was in 1969 "The Madwoman of Chaillot" (1945) by Jean Giraudoux (1882-1944). The play concerns an eccentric Parisian woman's struggles with authority figures. Lansbury was cast in the starring role of 75-year-old Countess Aurelia, despite her actual age of 44. The show was well received and lasted for 132 performances. Lansbury won her second Tony Award for this role.
In 1970, Lansbury's Malibu home was destroyed in a brush fire. Lansbury and her husband decided to buy Knockmourne Glebe, an 1820s Irish farmhouse, located near the village of Conna in rural County Cork.
Her film career reached a new height. She was cast in the starring role of benevolent witch Eglantine Price in Disney's fantasy film "Bedknobs and Broomsticks" (1971). The film was a box-office hit; it was critically well received, and introduced Lansbury to a wider audience of children and families.
In 1972, Lansbury returned to the British stage, performing in London's West End with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In 1973, Lansbury appeared in the role of Rose in London performances of the musical "Gypsy" (1959) by Arthur Laurents. It was quite successful. In 1974, "Gypsy" went on tour in the United States. with the same cast. For her role, Lanbury won the Sarah Siddons Award and her third Tony Award. The musical had its second tour in 1975.
Tired from musicals. Lansbury next sought Shakespearean roles in the United Kingdom. From 1975 to 1976, she appeared as Queen Gertrude in the National Theatre Company's production of Hamlet. In November 1975, Lansbury's mother Moyna Macgill died at the age of 79. Lansbury arranged for her mother's remains to be cremated, and the ashes scattered near her own County Cork home.
In 1976, Lansbury returned to the American stage. In 1978, Lansbury temporarily replaced Constance Towers (1933-) in the starring role of Anna Leonowens (1831-1915) in The King and I. While Towers was on a break from the role, Lansbury appeared in 24 performances.
In 1978, Lansbury appeared in her first film role in seven years, as the novelist and murder victim Salome Otterbourne in the mystery film "Death on the Nile" (1978). The film was an adaptation of the 1937 novel by Agatha Christie (1890-1976); Otterbourne was loosely based on real-life novelist Elinor Glyn (1864-1943). The film was a modest box-office hit, and Lansbury befriended her co-star Bette Davis (1908-1989).
In 1979, Lansbury was cast in the role of meat pie seller Mrs. Lovett in the musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (1979), by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler (1912-1987). The musical was loosely based on the penny dreadful serial novel "The String of Pearls: A Domestic Romance" (1846-1847), which first depicted fictional serial killer Sweeney Todd. Lansbury remained in the role for 14 months, and was then replaced by Dorothy Loudon (1925-2003). Lansbury won her fourth Tony Award for this role. She returned to the role for 10 months in 1980.
Lansbury's next prominent film role was that of Miss Froy in "The Lady Vanishes" (1979), a remake of the 1938 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980). She was next cast in the role of amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple in the mystery film "The Mirror Crack'd" (1980), an adaptation of the novel "The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side" (1962) by Agatha Christie. The novel was loosely inspired by the life of Gene Tierney (1920-1991). The film was a modest commercial success. There were plans for at least two sequels, but they ended in development hell.
In 1982, Lansbury was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame, She appeared at the time in the new play "A Little Family Business" and a revival of "Mame", but both shows were commercial failures. In film, Lansbury voiced the witch Mommy Fortuna in the animated fantasy film "The Last Unicorn" (1982). The film was critically well received, but was not a box-office hit.
Lansbury played Ruth in the musical comedy "The Pirates of Penzance" (1983), a film adaptation of the 1879 comic opera by William Schwenck Gilbert (1836-1911) and Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900). The film was a box office bomb, earning about 695,000 dollars.
Lansbury's next film role was that of Granny in the gothic fantasy film "The Company of Wolves" (1984), based on a 1979 short story by Angela Carter (1940-1992). Lansbury was cast as the grandmother of protagonist Rosaleen (played by Sarah Patterson), in a tale featuring werewolves and shape-shifting. The film was critically well received, but barely broke even at the box office.
At about that time, Lansbury appeared regularly in television films and mini-series. Her most prominent television role was that of Jessica Fletcher in the detective series "Murder, She Wrote" (1984-1996). Jessica was depicted as a successful mystery novelist from Maine who encounters and solves many murders. The character was considered an American counterpart to Miss Marple. The series followed the "whodunit" format and mostly avoided depictions of violence or gore.
The series was considered a television landmark for having an older female character as the protagonist. It was aimed primarily at middle-aged audiences, but also attracted both younger viewers and senior citizen viewers. Ratings remained high for most of its run. Lansbury rejected pressure from network executives to put her character in a relationship, as she believed that Fletcher should remain a strong single female.
In 1989, Lansbury co-founded the production company Corymore Productions, which started co-producing the television series with Universal Television. This allowed Lansbury to have more creative input on the series. She was appointed an executive producer. By the time the series ended in 1996, it tied with the original "Hawaii Five-O" (1968-1980) as the longest-running detective drama series in television history.
Her popularity from "Murder, She Wrote" made Lansbury a much-sought figure for advertisers. She appeared in advertisements and infomercials for Bufferin, MasterCard and the Beatrix Potter Company.
Lansbury's highest-profile film role in decades was voicing the character of singing teapot Mrs. Potts in Disney's animated fantasy film "Beauty and the Beast" (1991). Lansbury performed the film's title song, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.
During the late 1980s and 1990s, Lansbury lived most of the year in California. In 1991, she had Corymore House, a farmhouse at Ballywilliam, County Cork, built as her new family home. She spend Christmases and summers there.
Following the end of "Murder, She Wrote", Lansbury returned to a career as a theatrical actress. She temporarily retired from the stage in 2001, to take care of her husband Peter Shaw, whose health was failing. Shaw died in 2003, from congestive heart failure at the couple's Brentwood, California home. Their marriage had lasted for 54 years (1949-2003).
Lansbury felt at the time that she could not take on any more major acting roles, but that she could still make cameos. She moved back to New York City in 2006, buying a condominium in Manhattan. Her first prominent film role in years was that of Aunt Adelaide in the fantasy film "Nanny McPhee" (2005). She credits her performance in the film with pulling her out of depression, a state of mind which had lasted since her husband's death.
Lansbury returned to performing on the Broadway stage in 2007, after an absence of 23 years. In 2009, she won her fifth Tony Award. She shared the record for most Tony Award victories with Julie Harris (1925-2013). In the 2010s, she continued regularly appearing in theatrical performances. In 2014, she returned to the London stage, after an absence of nearly 40 years.
In 2015, Lansbury received her first Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress. At age 89, she was among the oldest first-time winners. Also in 2015, November 2015 was awarded the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.
In 2017, she was cast as Aunt March in the mini-series "Little Women". The mini-series was an adaptation of the 1868-1869 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888). The series lasted for 3 episodes, and was critically well received.
In 2018, Lansbury gained her next film role in Disney's fantasy film "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018), a sequel to "Mary Poppins". Lansbury was cast in the role of the Balloon Lady, a kindly old woman who sells balloons at the park. The films was a commercial hit, earning about 350 million dollars at the worldwide box office.
In 2019, Lansbury performed at a one-night benefit staging of Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895). a farce satirizing Victorian morals. She was cast in the role of society lady Lady Bracknell, mother to Gwendolen Fairfax.
By 2020, Lansbury was 95 years old, one of the oldest-living actresses. She has never retired from acting, and remains a popular icon.- Actress
- Producer
- Casting Director
Edith Falco, called Edie, was born on July 5, 1963 in Brooklyn, New York, to Judith Anderson, an actress, and Frank Falco, a jazz drummer. She is of Italian (father) and Swedish, English, and Cornish (mother) descent. Edie grew up on Long Island and attended SUNY Purchase, where she was trained in acting at the prestigious Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film. She moved to Manhattan after graduation, auditioning for roles and supporting herself as best she could; for example, working parties for an entertainment company where she would wear a Cookie Monster costume and urge people to get on the dance floor. Falco began getting film roles, mostly smaller supporting parts, starting in the late 1980s. Her first notable role was a supporting part in Bullets Over Broadway (1994).
Ironically, it was in television where the conservatory-trained Falco's career first flowered. She obtained her first recurring roles in 1993, on the acclaimed police dramas Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), as the wife of a blinded police officer, and Law & Order (1990) as a Legal Aid attorney. Next came a recurring role on the prison drama Oz (1997), as a sympathetic corrections officer. All the while she continued to work in film, still in small supporting roles.
Supporting herself in acting continued to be a challenge until at last Falco found success in 1999, when she was cast in the HBO series The Sopranos (1999), as Carmela, the wife of New Jersey Mafia street boss Tony Soprano. "The Sopranos" gained her a great deal of visibility and praise for her exceptionally strong dramatic skills. In 2000 Falco became one of the few actresses in history to sweep all of the major television awards (the Emmy, the Golden Globe and the SAG Award) in one year for a dramatic role. She is also the first female actor ever to receive the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama.
Interestingly, her roles have frequently put her on one side of the law or the other--a defense attorney, a corrections officer, a cop's wife, a mobster's wife, a police officer (in a pilot for a television adaptation of the movie Fargo (1996)). She has also worked frequently on the stage, such as her award-winning work in the play "Sideman," in "The Vagina Monologues," and in revivals of "Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune" (which was hugely successful) and "'night Mother."
Unlike her brashly assertive alter-ego Carmela Soprano, Falco is self-described as shy, but is clearly a witty and down-to-earth person. She sometimes travels with her beloved dog Marley, driving so that the dog does not have to travel in the baggage compartment. At one point Falco had a relationship with her "Frankie and Johnny" co-star Stanley Tucci. She was treated for breast cancer in 2004 and her prognosis is very good. In December 2004, Falco adopted a baby boy, whom she named Anderson, after her mother's surname. Another adoption, of a baby girl named Macy, followed in 2008.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Richard White was born on 4 August 1953 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. He is an actor, known for Beauty and the Beast (1991), House of Mouse (2001) and Great Performances (1971). He was previously married to Sharon Halley.- Producer
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Bethenny Frankel was born on 4 November 1970 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and writer, known for Hollywood Hills 90028 (1994), The Cure (1995) and Danger in the Dorm. She was previously married to Jason Hoppy and Peter Sussman.- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Robby Benson is an American writer, director, composer, lyricist, actor, professor of film, filmmaker and novelist. He began his career in the theater, (Oliver, The King and I); on Broadway (co-starring in Zelda, The Rothschilds and Joseph Papp's The Pirates of Penzance, where he met and fell in love with the great, Karla DeVito!); Benson wrote the libretto and composed the music for the musical that opened in NYC at The Historic Cherry Lane Theatre (Open Heart), and wrote the best-selling novel, "Who Stole The Funny?" (HarperCollins), along with the medical memoir, "I'm Not Dead... Yet". Benson was nominated for a Golden Globe (one of several) for his second film, "Jeremy" which also won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. He sold his first screenplay to Warner Brothers at 18 years-old entitled, "One on One". He has starred in such films as One on One, Ode To Billie Joe, Ice Castles, Jeremy (Golden Globe nominee) Tribute, Harry and Son, Running Brave, The Chosen, Die Laughing (wrote screenplay & music), Walk Proud (scored the film as well), The End, Lucky Lady, Death Be Not Proud (Golden Globe nominee), The Last of Mrs. Lincoln, and Our Town among a few. He also wrote and directed the feature film, 'Modern Love' and composed the score for Straight Outta Tompkins and co-wrote the hit song in The Breakfast Club ("We are Not Alone" - the iconic John Hughes film - the scene where the kids dance in the library) with his wife and loving partner of 40 years, the great Karla DeVito! Benson and DeVito have received RIAA Gold Records, including Nobody Makes Me Crazy, which was covered by Diana Ross; Benson has also written scores for feature films. Benson also voiced 'Beast" in Disney's Academy Award nominated 'Beauty and the Beast." In television, Benson has exec. produced and directed over one hundred episodes of Network shows: from one-hour single camera to 30-minute sitcoms including many top ten shows such as Ellen, Friends, Dharma & Greg, Jesse, The Naked Truth, Two Guys, A Girl and a Pizza Place, Sabrina The Teenage Witch (also directed the pilot), Dream On (nominated Best Director/Single Camera), Muddling Through, Good Advice, Monty, Evening Shade and many more. Robby Benson has been a professor of film production at several universities for 20 years. At NYU's famed Tisch School of the Arts in the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, Benson received the honor of being nominated for both NYU's Distinguished Teaching Award in 2006, and the David Payne-Carter Award for Teaching Excellence in 2010. Robby is currently developing his second theatrical musical, "I Hear A Song!"- Actress
- Soundtrack
Paige O'Hara's an American actress, singer & painter. She was born on May 10, 1956 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida as Donna Paige Helmintoller. She's best known as the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast (1991).
She started receiving acting lessons around 4 & singing lessons around 12. She enrolled at a performing arts high school, aspiring for a professional career as an actor & singer. She has cited American actress & singer Judy Garland as an inspiration for her career choice.
She started out as a theatrical actress, making her Broadway debut in 1983. She played the role of singer & dancer Ellie May Chipley in a revival of Show Boat, which depicts the life of fictional show-woman Magnolia "Nolie" Hawks over a 40-year period, from her 1st performances to her retirement. From 1985-1987, she played the roles of actress Alice Nutting, disappearance victim Edwin Drood & private investigator Dick Datchery in the The Mystery of Edwin Drood. In 1988, she appeared in the musical's 1st national tour. Other notable roles include Ado Annie Carnes in a 1986 revival of Oklahoma!.
In 1989, Walt Disney Animation Studios started production of Beauty and the Beast (1991). She learned about the upcoming film production from a newspaper article & applied for a voice role. She competed against 500 other applicants & was chosen for the lead role of Belle. The design team of the film had modeled Belle's appearance on Judy Garland so the casting crew wanted an actress & singer whose tone was reminiscent of her. She was thought to offer a decent artistic impression of Garland's style & had considerable experience in stage musicals, making her ideal for the role. After its release in 1991, she gained worldwide fame for voice acting.
In 1993, she joined the cast of the animated TV series The Legend of Prince Valiant (1991). She voiced Princess Aleta of the Misty Isles, a warrior woman who serves as a love interest for Valiant.
In 1995, she played Fantine in productions of Les Misérables. In 1996, she played protagonist Peter Pan in a revival of the musical Peter Pan.
She voiced Belle again in the direct-to-video film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) & the direct-to-video anthology film Belle's Magical World (1998). In 1999, Disney released the compilation film Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999), which had a live-action Belle presenting animated tales. The live-action Belle was played by Lynsey McLeod but she voiced Belle for an animated segment featuring a brand new story. In 2000, she voiced Belle in the video games Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Magical Ballroom (2000), Kingdom Hearts II (2005) & Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ (2007).
In 2007, she played the soap opera character Angela in a story-w/in-a-story featured in the film Enchanted (2007).
In 2011, she received a Disney Legend Award, honoring her for her contributions to Disney productions over the past 20 years. That same year, she stepped down from her role as the official voice of Belle. Her voice had changed considerably over 2 decades, so she could no longer match her original voice. It was announced that she would continue to work as a painter for Disney Fine Art & make promotional appearances for Disney. In 2018, she reprised the role of Belle in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).
She has now mostly retired from acting though she continues to enjoy fame through voice acting in popular productions.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Stephanie Styles is an American actress, singer, and dancer who recently made her Broadway debut in Roundabout Theatre's revival of Kiss Me, Kate. She starred as Lois Lane/Bianca opposite Kelli O'Hara, Will Chase, and Corbin Bleu. For this performance, Styles earned the Outstanding Debut Performance from the Theatre World Awards and the Broadway.com Audience Choice Award. Stephanie Styles stars as Autumn, a lonely barista, in the new NBC series "Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist". Other New York Theatre credits include Suz in the World Premiere of the play Kingdom Come (Roundabout), The Rose in The Little Prince (New York City Opera) and Sandra Dee in The Bobby Darin Story opposite Jonathan Groff in the title role (92Y). Stephanie portrayed the role of Katherine Plumber in the National Tour of Disney's Newsies and starred as Princess Ann in the pre-Broadway engagement of Roman Holiday. Other film/TV credits include Kate in the Netflix series "BONDiNG" and the film Bombshell directed by Jay Roach and starring Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, and Nicole Kidman. Stephanie has a BFA in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan and is a charter member of D23.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Laura Osnes was born on 19 November 1985 in Burnsville, Minnesota, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for One Royal Holiday (2020), Raise a Glass to Love (2021) and BANDSTAND: The Broadway Musical on Screen (2018). She has been married to Nathan Johnson since 11 May 2007.- Producer
- Director
- Additional Crew
Don Hahn was born on 26 November 1955 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and director, known for Maleficent (2014), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) and The Lion King (1994). He has been married to Denise Meara-Hahn since 12 June 1987. They have one child.- Music Department
- Composer
- Producer
Alan Menken is an American composer, songwriter, music conductor, director and record producer.
Menken is best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), and Pocahontas (1995) have each won him two Academy Awards. He also composed the scores and songs for Little Shop of Horrors (1987), Newsies (1992), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Hercules (1997), Home on the Range (2004), Enchanted (2007), Tangled (2010), among others.
He is also known for his work in musical theatre for Broadway and elsewhere. Some of these are based on his Disney films, but other stage hits include Little Shop of Horrors (1982), A Christmas Carol (1994) and Sister Act (2009).
Menken has collaborated with such lyricists as Lynn Ahrens, Howard Ashman, Jack Feldman, Tim Rice, Glenn Slater, Stephen Schwartz and David Zippel. With eight Academy Award wins, Menken is the second most prolific Oscar winner in the music categories after Alfred Newman, who has 9 Oscars. He has also won 11 Grammy Awards, a Tony Award, Emmy Award, 7 Golden Globe Awards and many other honors.- Actress
- Producer
Linda Larkin is an American actress from Los Angeles, California who is known for voicing Princess Jasmine from Disney's Aladdin franchise since the hit 1992 film. She also acted in Grand Theft Auto V, Zapped Again, Two Ninas, The Next Best Thing and Runaway Bride. She is married to Yul Vasquez since 2002.- Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Vanessa Britting was born on 30 August 1980 in Rockaway, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Without a Trace (2002), The Unit (2006) and Desperate Housewives (2004). She has been married to David Krumholtz since 22 May 2010. They have two children.- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
David Krumholtz is an American actor and comedian. He played Mr. Universe in Serenity, Charlie Eppes in the CBS drama series Numb3rs, and starred in the Harold & Kumar and The Santa Clause film franchises. Krumholtz was born in Queens, New York City. He is the son of Michael, a postal worker, and Judy Krumholtz, a dental assistant. He grew up in a "very working-class, almost poor", Jewish family. His paternal grandparents had immigrated from Poland, and his mother moved from Hungary to the U.S. in 1956.- JR Martinez is known for Gun Metal Ghosts the Prologue (2017).
- Soundtrack
- At 13 years old,, Paige Davis found her mother's West Side Story album, and she's been dancing and entertaining ever since. Paige joins the cast of Trading Spaces (2000) as the new host for the show's second season. After graduating from the Meadow School of Arts at Southern Methodist University, Paige moved to Los Angeles to officially begin her career. She proceeded to do commercials, videos and even toured with The Beach Boys, all the while continuing to train in voice and theatre. However, it was her two-and-a-half year stint in the national touring company for the Broadway show "Beauty and the Beast" that allowed her to fulfill her dream of performing in musical theatre. Most recently, Paige danced with the Broadway production of "Chicago". Now, Trading Spaces (2000) lets her bring her genuine energy to a whole new audience. When she's not busy egging on home-owners, Paige resides in Manhattan with her husband.
- Producer
- Director
- Production Manager
Lesli Klainberg has been the Executive Director of Film at Lincoln Center, one of the leading nonprofit film organizations in the United States, since 2014. She is also an award-winning producer and director of documentary films.
Film at Lincoln Center, a 50+ year-old organization dedicated to supporting the art and craft of cinema and enriching film culture, operates the Walter Reade Theater and the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center at Lincoln Center, both of which normally screen films 365 days a year. Film at Lincoln Center also produces the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, as well as many other series and retrospectives.
In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, Film at Lincoln Center was at the forefront of developing a hybrid model-- a digital platform and drive-ins located in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens -- for their annual New York Film Festival. The move to a digital platform allowed the NYFF to extend its reach to all 50 states for the very first time.
Prior to her current role as Executive Director, Lesli was Film at Lincoln Center's Managing Director, the Producer of the New York Film Festival and producer of their annual Chaplin Gala.
Lesli was the Line Producer of Participant Media's A PLACE AT THE TABLE, which premiered at Sundance in 2012 and Insurgent Media's BEWARE GINGER BAKER, which won the Audience Award for documentary at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival. She was also the consulting producer on the documentary BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED, which debuted at the New York Film Festival in 2017.
Through her company, Orchard Films, she co-directed and co-produced FABULOUS! THE STORY OF QUEER CINEMA, which debuted at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006 and was broadcast on IFC, and IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. Other Orchard Films productions include WHO IS ALAN SMITHEE? for AMC, BEAUTY IN A JAR for A&E, and INDIE SEX for IFC. With Lisa Ades, she produced the American Experience documentary MISS AMERICA which premiered at Sundance in 2001.
While living in Los Angeles In 1999, Lesli was the series producer of the Twentieth Century Project for Disney TV and Showtime, which featured six documentaries from such directors as Barry Levinson, Robert Zemeckis, Gregory Nava, and Robert Townsend.
Earlier in her career, Lesli produced the acclaimed independent film PAUL MONETTE: THE BRINK OF SUMMER'S END, which won the Audience Award for documentary at Sundance, Frameline, and Outfest film festivals. It was released theatrically by First Run Features and broadcast on HBO/Cinemax Reel Life and was on the "shortlist" for the 1997 Academy Awards as well as nominated for the IDA Award for Best Documentary.
One of Lesli's passions has been training and nurturing up-and-coming documentary filmmakers. She was a Lab Leader of the prestigious IFP Documentary Film Lab from 2009 through 2011. In 2009, she served as a Consulting Producer for the Sundance Documentary Film Program and has produced the IFP Filmmaker Forum and Independent Film Week.
At Film at Lincoln Center, she has helped to nurture the organization's Critics, Artist, and Industry Academies, which create opportunities for women and people of color to engage with their peers and grow into their careers as critics, filmmakers, and members of the industry.
From 2008 through 2011, she served as Executive Director of NewFest, New York City's LGBTQ Film Festival. From 2014 through 2019, Lesli was the co-publisher, with Eugene Hernandez, of Film Comment magazine, the nation's leading journal of film criticism and culture.
Lesli is a born and bred New Yorker and a proud recipient of a public arts education. She is a graduate of the High School of Music and Art (now LaGuardia HS) and went on to receive a BFA from the Film Conservatory of Purchase College, State University of New York.- Eugene Hernandez is Executive Director of the New York Film Festival and Publisher of Film Comment at Film at Lincoln Center, where he serves as Senior Vice President. His duties include strategic leadership and managing emerging artist, industry, and education programs, as well as special events. He joined Film at Lincoln Center in 2010 as Director of Digital Strategy to develop digital platforms and content. In 1996, Hernandez co-founded IndieWire, which he built over 15 years as it became the leading editorial publication for independent and international films, filmmakers, industry, and audiences. He was named on Out magazine's OUT100 list in 2015 and has served as a juror at Sundance, SXSW, and the Film Independent Spirit Awards and has worked extensively as a consultant for nonprofits including the Creative Capital Foundation, and written for major print and online publications. He is a member of the Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and currently serves on the board of advisors for SXSW, SeriesFest, and Art House Convergence, and works as a programming consultant for the Key West Film Festival.
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- Music Department
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Kristen Anderson-Lopez was born on 21 March 1972 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a writer and composer, known for WandaVision (2021), Winnie the Pooh (2011) and Frozen II (2019). She has been married to Robert Lopez since 12 October 2003. They have two children.- Composer
- Music Department
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Robert Lopez is the Tony®-, Grammy®-, Emmy®- and Oscar®- winning co-creator of the worldwide smash-hit Broadway musicals "Avenue Q" and "The Book of Mormon." Together with his wife and collaborator Kristen Anderson-Lopez, he co-wrote songs for the feature films "Winnie the Pooh (2011)" and "Frozen (2013)", as well as "Finding Nemo: The Musical," a beloved fixture in Disney's Animal Kingdom since 2006.
He shared two Emmy® Awards for his music for Nickelodeon's Wonder Pets! (2006) and an Emmy® nomination for his work on the musical episode of Scrubs (2001). His work has been featured on South Park (1997), The Simpsons (1989) and Phineas and Ferb (2007)," as well as 3rd & Bird (2008) and Johnny and the Sprites (2005)." He has won Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, Lucille Lortel, Frederick Loewe and Edward Kleban awards.
Lopez, a Yale College graduate, lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their two daughters.- Brot Monroe is known for All My Children (1970).
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Sarah Wynter is an Australian actress, known for her roles on American television - such as Kate Warner on the television drama 24, as Beth on Windfall, and as Keitha on Flight of the Conchords. Wynter was born in Newcastle.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Indian-American Neel Sethi was born on December 22, 2003, in New York City. He is a child actor who landed a break-out role as Mowgli in John Favreau's 2016 live-action version of the classic tale 'The Jungle Book'. He also starred in the short film 'Diwali' (2013).
He was selected for the role of Mowgli among thousands who auditioned across the globe. Also, he is the only real human character in The Jungle Book (2016), with everyone else providing voices for the beast characters.- Actor
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Nathan Lee Graham was born on 9 September 1968 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA. He is an actor, known for Zoolander (2001), Sweet Home Alabama (2002) and Zoolander 2 (2016).- Actress
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A Tony and Emmy Award winner, Donna Murphy has forged a career of exceptional diversity, impressing both audiences and critics with her depth and skill. This "seductive actress of major transformative powers" (NY Times) was named one of three "Legit Luminaries," alongside Joan Didion and Christine Ebersole, in Variety's Women's Impact Issue. She will next be seen on Starz' hit series Power as Lorette Walsh, the opponent of Rashad Tate, played by Larenz Tate.
Recognized as a gifted character actress in the film world, she received international critical acclaim for her performance as the mercurial Marie in Todd Solondz' Dark Horse, with Selma Blair, Christopher Walken, and Mia Farrow. In Vera Farmiga's 2011 directorial debut, Higher Ground, she co-starred with Farmiga as Kathleen, the film's troubled matriarch, creating a sensual, heartbreaking characterization. Murphy's animated feature debut, voicing the villainess Mother Gothel in Disney's mega-hit Tangled, earned her rave reviews for her scene stealing performance. She is also widely recognized for her performances as Judy Braddock, the hardworking, suburban single mom to Scarlett Johansson in The Nanny Diaries; the elegant and demanding, but ultimately sympathetic ballet instructor Juliette Simone, in Nicholas Hytner's Center Stage; and Anij, the quietly alluring and wise leader in Star Trek: Insurrection, opposite Sir Patrick Stewart. Other select film credits include: No Pay, Nudity opposite Gabriel Byrne, The Bourne Legacy with Jeremy Renner and Rachel Weisz, Oliver Stone's World Trade Center, Darren Aronovsky's The Fountain, Rosalie Octavius in Spider-Man 2, The Door in the Floor, The Astronaut's Wife with Johnny Depp, and Jade, directed by William Friedkin.
One of the most beloved and honored stage actresses of her generation, New York Magazine named Murphy one of "Three Living Legends" of the New York Theater and in 2003 awarded her one of their prestigious New York Awards. Murphy earned her two Tony Awards for her spellbinding performance in Stephen Sondheim's Passion and for her "resplendent, matchless" (New York Post) portrayal of Anna Leonowens in Rodgers and Hammerstein's classic The King and I. For her hilarious comic tour de force as Ruth Sherwood in the Broadway Revival of Wonderful Town, she received Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Astaire Awards, as well as a Tony® nomination. Her mesmerizing performance as the Austrian chanteuse, Lotte Lenya, in Hal Prince's production of LoveMusik, earned her Drama Desk, Drama League, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and another Tony nomination. She garnered yet another Tony Award nomination and rave reviews for her performance as a Yiddish Theater star during the Holocaust in Roundabout Theatre Company's The People in the Picture.
Murphy's off-Broadway theater highlights include three of the most successful productions in New York City Center Encores! History: Anyone Can Whistle, Follies, and Wonderful Town; Tony Kushner's production of Helen; Lincoln Center Theater's Hello, Again and Twelve Dreams opposite Mischa Barton. For Shakespeare in the Park's 50th Anniversary season, Murphy took on the role of the Witch in Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's Into the Woods, which also starred Amy Adams, Jessie Mueller, and Denis O'Hare. She earned Drama League and Drama Desk nominations for her performance.
Murphy returned to Broadway in 2017 when she shared the iconic role of Dolly Gallagher Levi with the legendary Bette Midler in the Tony Award winning revival of Hello, Dolly! She received great critical acclaim for the "gutsiest star turn in town" (NY Daily News) and "her own megawatt glow; her peerless musical-comedy technique, deep-dish characterization and supple vocals." (The Hollywood Reporter)
Murphy's first television film, HBO's "Someone Had to be Benny," earned her a Daytime Emmy as Best Actress in a Drama Special or Series, as well as a Cable Ace Award, and she starred as Jane Green, the matriarch of a prominent Southern family in PBS' Civil War drama series, "Mercy Street." Select recurring and guest star appearances include NBC's "The Blacklist," ABC's " Quantico", the mysterious "elegant woman" Angela Forrester in ABC's "Resurrection," include USA's "Royal Pains", "The Good Wife", "The Mentalist", "Ugly Betty", "Law & Order: Criminal Intent", "Law & Order: SVU", "Damages", "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip", "CSI", "Law & Order", "The Practice", "Ally McBeal", Stephen Bochco's "Murder One" (ABC), and the PBS Broadcast of the Emmy Award winning "Sondheim! The Birthday Concert," the 2000 and 2002 Kennedy Center Honors (CBS.)
Murphy's additional starring television performances include Darlene Garretti on CBS' "Made in Jersey" alongside Janet Montgomery and Kyle McLaughlin, the steely Denise Goodman on TNT's "Trust Me" with Eric McCormack and Tom Cavanaugh, Heather Olshansky in CBS' "Hack" opposite David Morse, and her critically acclaimed comedic performance as the neurotic psychiatrist Dr. Ruby Stern on ABC's sitcom, "What About Joan." Her television films include Lifetime's "House of Versace," opposite Gina Gershon, Showtime's political drama "The Last Debate,"and Mary Todd Lincoln in "The Day Lincoln Was Shot" (TNT.)
A versatile singer, she can be heard on a number of recordings including Tangled (Disney Soundtrack), The People in the Picture (Kritzerland), LoveMusik (Ghostlight), Wall to Wall Sondheim (Symphony Space), Wonderful Town (DRG), Leonard Bernstein's New York (Nonesuch), Hello Again (RCA Victor), The King and I (Varese Sarabande), the Grammy Award winning Passion (Angel), and Over the Moon: The Broadway Lullaby Project, to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Young Survival Coalition.
Ms. Murphy, born in Queens, New York and raised in Hauppauge, New York and Topsfield, Massachusetts, studied with the legendary Stella Adler and at the Lee Strasberg Institute. For her contribution to the Arts, Culture and Public life, she's received special honors from New York Magazine, Symphony Space, Urban Stages, The Abingdon Theater Company, Greenwich Village's Caring Community, the Women's Project, The Little Orchestra Society, Irish America Magazine, the Breukelein Institute and Emerson College. She donates her time and efforts to a number of organizations, including the Worldwide Orphan's Foundation, Berwin Lee London New York Playwrights, Inc., The Drama League, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, and The Actors Fund. She is the proud mother of one daughter and two stepdaughters, and happily resides in New York City.