Nikki Michelle James (born June 3, 1981) is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

and singer. James has performed in the popular stage musicals '' The Book of Mormon'' and ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'', her role in the former having earned her 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 ...

Life and career

James was born to immigrant parents, a Vincentian father and a

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

an mother who settled in New Jersey in pursuit of the American dream. James grew up in Livingston, New Jersey where she would graduate from Livingston High School. As a child, she sang and acted in church and in school performances. She was nominated for a Rising Star Award at Paper Mill Playhouse for her performance as Dolly Levi in high school. She later attended the Tisch School of the Arts at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

. James made her Broadway debut in the ill-fated '' The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'', and starred as Ottilie in the New York City Center ''

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & Ha ...

'' production of '' House of Flowers.'' She played Adela in the Off-Broadway run of Michael John LaChiusa's musical adaptation of ''

Bernarda Alba ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' ( es, La casa de Bernarda Alba) is a play by the Spanish dramatist Federico García Lorca. Commentators have often grouped it with ''Blood Wedding'' and ''Yerma'' as a "rural trilogy". Garcia Lorca did not include ...

'' and appeared in the Broadway cast of ''All Shook Up''. James played Dorothy in the revival of '' The Wiz'' at La Jolla Playhouse and also starred in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'' and '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' at the

Stratford Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was formerly known as the Stratford Shakespearean Festival ...

with Christopher Plummer. For her performance as NabulungiIn in '' The Book of Mormon'', she won the 2011

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical has been presented since 1950. The award was not given at the first three Tony Award ceremonies. Nominees were not announced publicly until 1956. Winners and nominees 1950s ...

. During that run, she took a leave in June 2012 to film a screen version of ''

Lucky Stiff ''Lucky Stiff'' is a musical farce. It was the first collaboration for the team of Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (music). The show is based on the 1983 novel ''The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo'' by Michael Butterwo ...

''. From 2014 to January 2015, she played Éponine in the Broadway revival of ''Les Misérables''. In July 2017, James starred in the New York City Center

staged concert of ''The Bubbly Black Girl Sheds Her Chameleon Skin''.

Filmography

Theatre

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:James, Nikki M 1981 births American people of Haitian descent American stage actresses American voice actresses Living people Livingston High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Livingston, New Jersey Tisch School of the Arts alumni Tony Award winners