Denée Ayana Benton (born December 31, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her performance as

Natasha Rostova Natasha (russian: Наташа) is a name of Slavic origin. The Slavic name is the diminutive form of Natalia. Notable people * Natasha, the subject of '' Natasha's Story'', a 1994 nonfiction book * Natasha Aguilar (1970–2016), Costa Rican sw ...

in the 2016 musical '' Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812'' 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 ...

, for which she was nominated for a

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

. Benton assumed the role of Eliza Hamilton in the

production of ''Hamilton'', beginning performances on October 30, 2018. Her television acting credits include ''

UnREAL Unreal may refer to: Books and TV * ''Unreal'' (short story collection), a 1985 book of short stories by Paul Jennings * ''Unreal'' (TV series), a 2015 television drama series on Lifetime Computing and games * ''Unreal'' (video game series), ...

'' and '' The Gilded Age''.

Early life and education

Benton was raised in Eustis, Florida. She named Rodgers and Hammerstein's ''Cinderella'' as an early inspiration for her desire to act. She attended

Trinity Preparatory School Trinity Preparatory School of Florida is an independent college preparatory day-school for students in grades 6 to 12, located in Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando. It is affiliated with the Episcopal Church and is accredited by the Florida Coun ...

Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was fo ...

, before graduating from

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

in 2014.

Career

Benton's first prominent professional role was her role as Nabulungi in the West End and U.S. national tour of ''

The Book of Mormon The Book of Mormon is a religious text of the Latter Day Saint movement, which, according to Latter Day Saint theology, contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from 600 BC to AD 421 and during an interlude date ...

''. Later she was cast in the titular role of Natasha in ''

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 ''Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812'' (or simply ''The Great Comet'') is a sung-through musical adaptation of a 70-page segment from Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace'' written by composer/lyricist Dave Malloy and directed by Rache ...

'' with the

American Repertory Theatre The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to ne ...

; she made her

debut when that show opened at the

Imperial Theatre The Imperial Theatre is a Broadway theater at 249 West 45th Street (George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1923, the Imperial Theatre was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed fo ...

on November 14, 2016. Benton received a

for Best Actress in a Musical nomination for her role in the show. She appeared on ''

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'' is an American late-night news and liberal political satire talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert, which premiered on September 8, 2015. Produced by Spartina Productions and CBS Studios, it is the second it ...

'' on December 12, 2016, to discuss the role. Benton gained wider prominence in her recurring role on the second season of the

Lifetime Lifetime may refer to: * Life expectancy, the length of time a person is expected to remain alive Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Lifetime (band), a rock band from New Jersey * ''Life Time'' (Rollins Band album), by Rollins Band * ...

series, ''

'', as Ruby Carter in 2016. On October 17, 2018, it was announced that Benton would assume the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway production of ''Hamilton'', beginning performances on October 30. She left the show on February 24, 2019. As of 2022, Benton is a main cast member on the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

historical drama series '' The Gilded Age'', playing Peggy Scott. It was announced in February 2022 that HBO was going to renew this show for a second season. In May 2022, Benton played the role 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 ...

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's ''Into the Woods'' at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and th ...

opposite

Heather Headley Heather Headley (born October 5, 1974) is a Trinidadian-born American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the titular role of ''Aida''. She also won the 2010 Grammy Aw ...

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received multiple accolades throughout ...

Sara Bareilles Sara Beth Bareilles (, ; born December 7, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She has sold over three million albums and over 15 million singles in the United States. She has earned various awards and nominations including nin ...

, and

Gavin Creel Gavin James Creel (born April 18, 1976) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter best known for his work in musical theater. Creel made his Broadway theatre, Broadway debut in 2002 in the leading role of Jimmy in ''Thoroughly Modern Millie ( ...

. In November, she reprised her role replacing

Krysta Rodriguez Krysta Anne Rodriguez (born July 23, 1984) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her roles as Ana Vargas in the NBC series '' Smash'', Summer Henderson in the NBC series '' Trial & Error'', Maxine Griffin in the ABC series '' Q ...

in the Broadway revival of the show. She left the production December 24. She would star opposite Creel, Brian d’Arcy James,

Patina Miller Patina Renea Miller is an American actress and singer. Miller's breakout role was as originating the role of disco diva wannabe Deloris Van Cartier in the 2009 West End and 2011 Broadway productions of ''Sister Act'' for which she earned a Lauren ...

Stephanie J. Block Stephanie Janette Block (born September 19, 1972) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on the Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway stage. Block made her Broadway debut in 2003, originating the role of Liza Minnelli in ''The Boy f ...

Montego Glover Montego Glover (born February 9, 1974) is an American stage actress and singer. She has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the musical ''Memphis'' and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress i ...

Andy Karl Andy Karl (born August 28, 1974 as Andrew Karl Cesewski) is an American actor and singer, best known for performing in musical theatre. He appeared on Broadway in the original productions of the musical version of ''Groundhog Day'' (for which he ...

Joshua Henry Joshua Anthony Charlton Henry (born September 2, 1984) is a Canadian-American actor and singer of stage and screen. He is best known for portraying Haywood Patterson in Kander and Ebb's 2010 musical '' The Scottsboro Boys'', for which he rec ...

, and

Joaquina Kalukango Joaquina Kalukango is an American actor and singer best known for playing Nelly O'Brien in the Broadway musical'' Paradise Square'', for which she won the 2022 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She was nominated for Best Actress in a Play ...

Personal life

Benton began dating Carl Lundstedt in 2014, whom she met in her acting program at

. They married in 2020.

Theatre credits

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Benton, Denee Living people Actresses from Florida Place of birth missing (living people) American musical theatre actresses People from Winter Park, Florida Carnegie Mellon University alumni 21st-century American actresses African-American actresses American television actresses American film actresses American stage actresses 1991 births Theatre World Award winners African-American women singers Trinity Preparatory School alumni