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Kristin Chenoweth (born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth on July 24, 1968) is an American singer and Tony Award-winning American musical theatre, film, and television actress.

Chenoweth (sometimes referred to as "Cheno" by her fans) is short in size and has a distinctive speaking voice; in monthly culture magazine FHM's March 2006 issue, she compared her voice to that of Betty Boop. Chenoweth is a coloratura soprano.

Early life

Chenoweth was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and was adopted at birth. Chenoweth's ancestry includes one-quarter Cherokee lineage.

She studied drama at Broken Arrow High School under JoJo Nichols. She graduated from Oklahoma City University, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta (Beta Omicron) Sorority. Chenoweth earned a bachelor's degree in musical theater and a master's degree in opera performance, studying under Florence Birdwell who taught Miss America 1981 Susan Powell and two-time Tony nominee Kelli O'Hara. While at OCU, she won the title of "Miss OCU" and went on to win first runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant in 1991. She performed at Opryland USA. She won a "most talented up-and-coming singer" award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, which came with a full scholarship to Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts; she turned down the scholarship when she auditioned and won a part on an off-Broadway show.

Kristin claims that Madeline Kahn is her idol, and has a pet Maltese dog named Madeline Kahn Chenoweth.

Career

Chenoweth made her Broadway debut in a production of Molière's Scapin starring Bill Irwin, followed in the spring of 1997 by the musical Steel Pier by John Kander and Fred Ebb, for which she won a Theatre World award. The following season, she appeared in the City Center Encores! production of the George and Ira Gershwin musical Strike Up the Band and the Lincoln Center Theater production of William Finn's A New Brain. She has performed several times on the radio program A Prairie Home Companion.

During the 1998–1999 season, she performed the role of Sally in the Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown — although Chenoweth auditioned for the role of Patty, her unique voice and talent led director Michael Mayer and musical director Andrew Lippa to scrap Patty and create the character of Charlie Brown's younger sister, Sally, specifically for Chenoweth — the production won Chenoweth the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards as the season's Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She then starred in the Broadway comedy Epic Proportions, followed by appearances in ABC's television adaptation of the musical Annie (as Lily St. Regis), and in the leading role of Daisy Gamble in the City Center Encores! production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.

In 2003, Chenoweth performed songs from her album Let Yourself Go in concert for Lincoln Center's 5th American Songbook. She also performed in City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash.

In London, she was involved in Divas at Donmar for director Sam Mendes, then appeared in the Actor's Fund Benefit Concert of the musical Funny Girl in New York City.

Chenoweth was a part of ABC's An American Celebration at Ford's Theater with Kelsey Grammer, NBC's Salute to the Olympic Winners, The Kennedy Center Gala honoring Julie Andrews, and an episode of Frasier on NBC. She also starred as Marian Paroo in the ABC television production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, opposite Matthew Broderick.

In October 2003, Chenoweth returned to Broadway in Wicked, a musical about the early years of the witches of Oz. She was nominated for a Tony as Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Glinda, but lost to co-star Idina Menzel (as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West). After playing Glinda for nine months, Chenoweth left Wicked on July 18, 2004 along with co-stars Joel Grey and Norbert Leo Butz.

Chenoweth's role in Wicked also brought the opportunity to co-star in Nora Ephron's 2005 film version of Bewitched. The film's star, Nicole Kidman, had attended a performance of Wicked and was so impressed with Chenoweth's charisma and stage presence that Kidman requested to Ephron that Chenoweth be cast in the film. Chenoweth got the part of Maria Kelly, Kidman's character's best friend.

Chenoweth has also performed leading roles at the Goodspeed Opera House and the Guthrie Theatre, and she was chosen by the late Jerome Robbins as the guest soloist in his West Side Story Suite of Dances at New York City Ballet.

In television, Chenoweth starred in a short-lived sitcom, Kristin, for NBC that ran for six episodes. It was a mid-season replacement in 2001 that co-starred Jon Tenney. Beginning in the sixth season (2004–2005) of The West Wing, Chenoweth had a recurring role playing media consultant Annabeth Schott, and became a main cast member in the show's seventh and final season (2005 - 2006). She performed "For Good"a song she had sung in Wicked, at the memorial service for her friend and West Wing costar John Spencer.

Current and upcoming roles

In 2006, she appeared in five films including The Pink Panther, RV, Stranger Than Fiction, Running with Scissors and Deck the Halls.

Chenoweth then will star in Asphalt Beach, and is slated to portray Dusty Springfield in an upcoming film on the singer's life.

Chenoweth recently starred on Broadway in the production of The Apple Tree, which ran from December 14, 2006 to March 11, 2007.

In May 2007, Chenoweth will return to Encores! in an original revue entitled "Stairway to Paradise."

Chenoweth is currently working on her third album, still untitled.

Chenoweth is slated to perform in the opera Ghosts of Versailles in the 2009 season at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Chenoweth is currently working on a pilot for a new sitcom with Nathan Lane.

Chenoweth was originally going to perform the role of Elizabeth in Mel Brooks' Broadway adaptation of his film Young Frankenstein. However, due to other commitments, (namely the TV pilot "Pushing Daisies," see below), she backed out and instead, Megan Mullally will play her role.

Chenoweth has long been attached to the upcoming Disney version of Rapunzel opposite Dan Fogler.

Chenoweth has signed on to star in the ABC pilot Pushing Daisies. The comedic drama revolves around a man who falls in love with a deceased woman after he figures out how to bring the dead back to life. She will co-star with Lee Pace, Anna Friel and Chi McBride. The pilot will be produced for Warner Brothers TV by executive producers Bryan Fuller, Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen and Barry Sonnenfeld, who also directs.

Other credits

Chenoweth also appeared in a series of television commercials for Old Navy in late 2005 to early 2006.

She also periodically appears opposite Bill Irwin as Mr. Noodle's sister Ms. Noodle in the Elmo's World segments on Sesame Street.

She was ranked #49 on the FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2006.

She was included in Blender's hottest women of film and TV in late 2006.

On January 1, 2007, she attended and sang the theme opening "Our Good Nature" for the 118th Annual Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California.

On January 19, 2007 Kristin performed a solo concert at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, only the third musical theatre star ever to present a solo concert at the Met.

Personal life

Faith

Chenoweth has spoken publicly about her faith; she describes herself as a liberal Christian. While growing up, she was a Southern Baptist, but later chose to make her faith not based in any one denomination. When in California, she attends a church in Malibu. In NY, she attends a Methodist Church.

Chenoweth also has a large gay fanbase, and was uninvited from a Women of Faith conference in September 2005 because of her accepting attitude toward the gay community.

Chenoweth released an album in April 2005 called As I Am that's a mixture of hymns and contemporary Christian music, with arrangements that sound similar to adult contemporary. To promote the album, she made an appearance on The 700 Club, an appearance that upset some of her gay fans, but she later said that she thought that the "Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells of the world are scary."

Relationships

Chenoweth was once engaged to actor Marc Kudisch and previously dated violinist Joshua Bell.

She also dated writer Aaron Sorkin. In Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the character of Harriet Hayes bears significant resemblances to Chenoweth, including having made an appearance on The 700 Club to promote an album and being disinvited from a benefit concert for a fictional group called "Women United Through Faith" because of her accepting attitude toward the gay community. Chenoweth is now engaged to Chris Evans, star of Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Chenoweth confirmed to The New York Dog Magazine that some of the character was taken from her "verbatim," but stressed that, unlike the character, she supports gay rights.

Works

Filmography

• Topa Topa Bluffs (2002)
• Show Business (2005) (documentary)
• Bewitched (2005)
• The Pink Panther (2006)
• RV (2006)
• Running with Scissors (2006)
• Stranger than Fiction (2006)
• Deck the Halls (2006)

Upcoming:

• Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)
• Untitled Kristin Chenoweth/Dusty Springfield Project (2007)
• Tinker Bell (2007) (voice)
• Rapunzel (2009) (voice)

Television work

• Paramour (1999) (mini-series)
• Annie (1999)
• Kristin (2001) (canceled after 6 episodes)
• Frasier (2001) as Frasier's new agent, Portia Sanders in episode Junior Agent
• The Music Man (2003)
• Sesame Street (semi-regular cast member from 2003—)
• Candide (2005) (PBS Great Performances broadcast of New York Philharmonic concert version)
• The West Wing (semi-regular cast member from 2004—, regular cast member from 2005 — 2006)

Upcoming:

• Ugly Betty (2007) as Diane "an orthodontic technician who loves romantic comedies and becomes overly involved in her patients' lives – including Betty's" in "The Number 23"
• "Pushing Daisies" (2007)

Discography

• West Side Story Tribute Album (2007)
• Feels Like Home with Nathan Gunn (2007)
• As I Am (2005)
• "Disney Presents The Music Man" (2003 TV Film)
• Wicked (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2003)
• Let Yourself Go (2001)
• "Kidults" (2001)
• "Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino" (2000)
• You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999 Broadway Revival Cast)
• A New Brain (1998 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
• Billion Dollar Baby (1998 York Theatre Company)
• "The Most Happy Fella" (1992 Studio Cast)
• Cole Porter's You Never Know (1991 Pasadena Playhouse production)

References

1. "Biography for Kristin Chenoweth". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2006-06-27.
2. "FreeJose.com". FHM 100 Sexiest Women of 2006. Retrieved January 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
3. "http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=2464&src=blender_ed"
4. ""Tony Winner Chenoweth to Guest Star on "Ugly Betty" Finale"". 2007-04-14. Retrieved 2007-04-14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)

External links

• Official website
• Kristin Chenoweth Fan Club
• Kristin Chenoweth's Official Sony website
• Kristin Chenoweth at IMDb
• Kristin Chenoweth at the Internet Broadway Database
• Template:Nndb name
• Template:Tvtome person
• Kristin Chenoweth Canada
• Review of As I Am, from the Christianity Today website
• Kristin Chenoweth interview on NY1 on YouTube
• Kristin Chenoweth interview with FHM
• Studio 54 on Broadway showing The Apple tree
• Kristin Chenoweth at The Met January 19th 2007
• Star File: Kristin Chenoweth at Broadway.com
• Kristen Chenoweth on Downstage Center XM radio interview at American Theatre Wing
• Performance Working in the Theatre seminar video at American Theatre Wing, September 1999

• American adoptees
• American television actors
• American film actors
• American voice actors
• American musical theatre actors
• American female singers
• Sopranos
• The West Wing cast members
• People from Oklahoma
• People from Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Cherokee people
• Performers of Christian music
• Tony Award winners
• 1968 births
• Living people
• Actors from Oklahoma