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Sutton Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She has been nominated for four Tony Awards, winning one for her performance as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie. She is the sister of actor Hunter Foster.
BiographyFoster was born in Statesboro, Georgia and raised in Troy, Michigan. At age fifteen, she was a contestant on the television show Star Search and also auditioned for the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club. She left Troy High School before graduating (she received her diploma via correspondence courses) to join the national tour of The Will Rogers Follies directed by Tommy Tune. She then attended Carnegie Mellon University for one year, but left to pursue a theatrical career full-time.
Foster's first Broadway role was Sandy Dumbrowski in Grease in 1996. She then appeared in The Scarlet Pimpernel and as Star to Be in Annie in 1997. Foster's next Broadway role was Eponine in Les Misèrables in 2000.
Foster's big break was reminiscent of 42nd Street when, during rehearsals of the pre-Broadway run of Thoroughly Modern Millie at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, she replaced leading lady Erin Dilly. Any apprehension about having an unknown playing the lead in a nearly $10 million Broadway production was proven unfounded when she opened at the Marquis Theatre to primarily rave reviews. Foster went on to win the 2002 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her performance.
In 2005, Foster starred as Jo March opposite Maureen McGovern as Marmee in the musical adaptation of the Louisa May Alcott classic Little Women, for which she was nominated for her second Tony Award
. She returned to the Marquis Theatre in May 2006 in The Drowsy Chaperone, a spoof of 1920s musicals. She played the role of Janet van de Graaff, a famous Broadway starlet who opts to forgo a stage career in favor of married life. Her performance earned her a third Tony nomination.
In 2007, Foster appeared on television in Johnny and the Sprites, a children's musical puppet show, and in a three-episode story arc on the HBO series Flight of the Conchords.
Foster starred in Mel Brooks' musical adaptation of his film Young Frankenstein as the German yodeling fraulein Inga from October 2007 to July 2008. She currently is playing Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical, which opened on Broadway on December 14, 2008. For this role Foster won her second Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was nominated for her fourth Tony Award. She will play her final performance on January 3, 2010 when the show closes on Broadway.
Wish, Foster's debut solo album, was released on the Ghostlight Records label in February 2009. The songs range from jazz to pop to cabaret to Broadway.
Credits- Broadway
- Shrek the Musical as Princess Fiona (November 8, 2008 - present)
- Young Frankenstein as Inga (October 11, 2007 - July 6, 2008)
- The Drowsy Chaperone as Janett Van De Graaff (Apr 3, 2006 - Apr 15, 2007)
- Little Women as Jo March (2005)
- Thoroughly Modern Millie as Millie Dillmount (Mar 19, 2002 - Feb 15, 2004)
- Chess (Concert) as Svetlana (September 22, 2003)
- Funny Girl (Concert) as Fanny Brice (September 23, 2002)
- Les Misérables as Eponine (2000)
- Annie (1997)
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (1997)
- Grease as Sandy Dumbrowski (1996)
- Regional theatre
- Anyone Can Whistle (2010, New York City Center )
- Me and My Girl (2004, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera)
- What the World Needs Now (1998, Old Globe Theatre)
- Dorian (2000, Goodspeed Opera House)
- The Three Musketeers (American Musical Theatre of San Jose)
- South Pacific (Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera)
- Filmography
- p.s. (2004)
- Johnny and the Sprites (2007)
- Flight of the Conchords (2007)
- Discography
- Wish
- Shrek The Musical Original Cast Recording
- Young Frankenstein Original Cast Recording
- The Drowsy Chaperone Original Cast Recording
- Little Women Original Cast Recording
- The Maury Yeston Songbook
- Thoroughly Modern Millie Original Cast Recording
- Jule Styne in Hollywood
Awards and nominations- Awards
- 2002 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical - Thoroughly Modern Millie
- 2002 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Thoroughly Modern Millie
- 2002 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Thoroughly Modern Millie
- 2002 Fred Astaire Award for Best Actress - Thoroughly Modern Millie
- 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Shrek the Musical
- Nominations
- 2002 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance - Thoroughly Modern Millie
- 2005 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Little Women
- 2005 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance - Little Women
- 2005 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical - Little Women
- 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - The Drowsy Chaperone
- 2006 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance - The Drowsy Chaperone
- 2006 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - The Drowsy Chaperone
- 2006 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Little Women
- 2006 Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical - The Drowsy Chaperone
- 2008 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance - Young Frankenstein
- 2009 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance - Shrek the Musical
- 2009 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical - Shrek the Musical
- 2009 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical - Shrek the Musical
Copyright Citations
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