Courtney Rhodes Reed (born August 10, 1984) is an American actress, best known for originating the role of

Princess Jasmine Princess Jasmine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' 31st animated feature film '' Aladdin'' (1992). Voiced by American actress Linda Larkin with a singing voice provided by Filipina singer Lea Salonga Jasmine is the ...

in Disney's ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; ar, علاء الدين, ', , ATU 561, ‘Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with ''The Book of One Thousand and One Nights'' (''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of ...

on Broadway.''

Early life

Reed was born and raised in

Elgin, Illinois Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook and Kane counties in the northern part of the U.S. state of Illinois. Elgin is located northwest of Chicago, along the Fox River. As of the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 114,797, the seventh-large ...

to a Caucasian American father and a mother of Vietnamese descent who was born and raised in Thailand. She began performing at age 6, playing a mouse in Children's Theatre of Elgin's production of ''

Cinderella "Cinderella",; french: link=no, Cendrillon; german: link=no, Aschenputtel) or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a folk tale with thousands of variants throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsi ...

''. She was later cast as the title role in a community production of ''Annie'', which inspired her to pursue theater as a professional career. She studied at the

Chicago College of Performing Arts Chicago College of Performing Arts is a performing arts college that is housed at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois, United States. While the school is officially a part of Roosevelt University, it has its own distinct personality. The rel ...

Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The unive ...

as a Musical Theatre Major, also participating in their theatre conservatory. She considered moving to LA, believing Broadway success could only start with television fame. However, she was quickly cast in roles on the stage.

Career

Reed performed on Broadway as a replacement understudy for Lisa and Ali in the musical '' Mamma Mia!'' She also appeared in ''

In The Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical theatre, musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a Book (musical theatre), book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is set over the course of three days, involving characters in the larg ...

'', performing as the understudy/replacement for the roles of Vanessa, Nina, and Carla in the final Broadway cast. In 2011, she began performing in the original cast of the musical ''Aladdin'' as Princess Jasmine at the

5th Avenue Theatre The 5th Avenue Theatre is a landmark theatre located in Seattle's Skinner Building, in the U.S. state of Washington. It has hosted a variety of theatre productions and motion pictures since it opened in 1926. The building and land are owned b ...

in Seattle. In 2012, the musical put on several regional and international productions, and was given a Toronto tryout the following year. Reed stayed in the role of Princess Jasmine when ''Aladdin'' opened on Broadway at the

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theater on 214 West 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District of Manhattan in New York City. One of the oldest surviving Broadway venues, the New Amsterdam was built from ...

on March 20, 2014, and took her final bow on January 11, 2018. She later went on to reprise the role in the North American Tour for a limited engagement, and once again in the West End production as part of its closing cast in 2019. Reed returned to the Broadway production for a limited engagement beginning October 16, 2019 and took her final bow as Princess Jasmine on October 27, 2019. In September 2021 she was cast as Satine in the North American touring cast of ''Moulin Rouge! The Musical'', starring alongside Conor Ryan as Christian. She assumed the role on Broadway beginning August 1, 2023 opposite

Casey Cott Casey Morton Cott (born August 8, 1992) is an American actor, known for his role as Kevin Keller on The CW series '' Riverdale''. Early life and education Cott was born in 1992, the middle of three children of Rick Cott, an investment manager ...

as Christian. Other roles include the role of Candy 1 in the 2007 film ''Crime Fiction'' and Ryder in the 2014 film ''A New York Love Story''. Reed's TV appearances include '' Law & Order: SVU'' as the villainous Alana Gonzalez in the episode "Above Suspicion." She also appeared in episodes of '' White Collar'' and '' The Affair''. Reed is also the creator of the company Gagged Chokers. The company features a collection of chokers themed by seasons and holidays, among others.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Courtney 21st-century American actresses American women singers People from Elgin, Illinois Actresses from Illinois Living people American musical theatre actresses American people of Vietnamese descent 1984 births