Bailey Noel Hanks Weidman (born Bailey Noel Hanks; February 6, 1988) is an American singer, actress, and dancer best known for winning MTV's '' Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods''. She performed on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

as Elle Woods in '' Legally Blonde: The Musical'' in 2008.

Early life and career

Hanks was born on February 6, 1988, in

Anderson Anderson or Andersson may refer to: Companies * Anderson (Carriage), a company that manufactured automobiles from 1907 to 1910 * Anderson Electric, an early 20th-century electric car * Anderson Greenwood, an industrial manufacturer * Anderson Ra ...

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

, to Brad and Angie Hanks. She has one older sister, Brooke, and one younger sister, Bradlee. Her father is a pastor and youth minister in addition to being a highway patrolman, and her mother is a nurse. Hanks attended Westside High School in Anderson. She transferred to and graduated from Pendleton High School in 2006. Hanks performed the National Anthem for president

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

in 2000, at age 12. Growing up in local theater, her notable appearances were as Dorothy in '' The Wizard of Oz''; Gertrude McFuzz in ''

Seussical the Musical ''Seussical'' is a musical comedy by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, based on the many children's stories of Dr. Seuss, with most of its plot being based on ''Horton Hears a Who!'', '' Gertrude McFuzz'', and ''Horton Hatches the Egg'' while inc ...

''; Elle Woods in ''Legally Blonde''; Baby June in ''Gypsy''; ''Hello, Dolly!''; ''The Music Man''; ''A Year With Frog and Toad''; ''Annie''; ''Bye Bye Birdie''; ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum''; and ''High Steppin' Country''."Bailey Hanks"
broadwayworld.com, accessed February 26, 2019 Hanks was crowned Miss Liberty Teen 2005 and competed in the Miss SC Teen Pageant. She attended

Tri-County Technical College Tri-County Technical College is a public community college in Pendleton, South Carolina. It is part of the South Carolina Technical College System. Established in 1962, Tri-County Technical College has four campuses in Pendleton, Anderson, Ea ...

Pendleton, South Carolina Pendleton is a town in Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,489 at the 2020 census. It is a sister city of Stornoway in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The Pendleton Historic District, consisting of the town and i ...

, as well as

Coastal Carolina University Coastal Carolina University (CCU or Coastal) is a public university in Conway, South Carolina. Founded in 1954 as Coastal Carolina Junior College, and later joining the University of South Carolina System as USC Coastal Carolina, it became an in ...

, where she was a member of the

Gamma Phi Beta Gamma Phi Beta (, also known as GPhi or Gamma Phi) is an international college sorority. It was founded in Syracuse University in 1874, and was the first of the Greek organizations to call itself a sorority. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Man ...

sorority, though she did not graduate.

Career

In 2008 Hanks appeared on the reality television show '' Legally Blonde: The Musical – The Search for Elle Woods'' and was declared the winner. She made her Broadway debut as

Elle Woods Elle Woods is the protagonist of Amanda Brown's 2001 novel ''Legally Blonde'' and the 2001 film of the same name as well as the 2003 sequel, '' Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde''. Woods is also the protagonist of the 2007 Broadway adapt ...

in ''

Legally Blonde ''Legally Blonde'' is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic in his List of directorial debuts, feature-length directorial debut, and scripted by Karen McCullah, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith (writer), Kirsten Smith from ...

'' at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

on July 23, 2008, and continued performing in the role until the musical ended its run on October 19, 2008. Later that year she starred as Sharpay Evans in a production of ''

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, th ...

'' which ran from November 5 to December 7, 2008, at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live in ...

. Hanks appeared in the daytime television soap opera ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...

'' in April 2009. She played the part of the NYU Tour Guide in the third installment of Touchstone Pictures' " Step Up" franchise. The film, titled ''

Step Up 3D ''Step Up 3D'' (also known as ''Step Up 3'') is a 2010 American 3D dance film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Amy Andelson and Emily Meyer. It serves as a sequel to 2008's '' Step Up 2: The Streets'' and the third installment in the ''St ...

'', premiered in August 2010.

Personal life

Hanks currently resides in

Piedmont, South Carolina Piedmont is a census-designated place (CDP) along the Saluda River in Anderson and Greenville counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 5,411 at the 2020 census. Piedmont is a part of the Greenville-Anderson metropolitan ...

. Hanks is currently Worship Leader at her father's church, Living Hope, and is a hair stylist. Hanks married Jason Weidman in 2014 and honeymooned in the Dominican Republic. They have one daughter, Noelle "Elle" Marie.

Work

Stage

Television

Film

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanks, Bailey 1988 births American musical theatre actresses Coastal Carolina University alumni Living people People from Anderson, South Carolina Reality casting show winners Actresses from South Carolina 21st-century American actresses