Kelli Christine O'Hara (born April 16, 1976) is an American actress and singer, most known for her work on the
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 ...
and
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libre ...
stages.
A seven-time
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 ce ...
nominee, O'Hara won the 2015
Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical is awarded to the best actress in a musical, whether a new production or a revival. The award has been given since 1948, but the nominees who did not win have only been publicly ...
for her performance as
Anna Leonowens
Anna Harriette Leonowens (born Ann Hariett Emma Edwards; 5 November 1831 – 19 January 1915) was an Anglo-Indian or Indian-born British travel writer, educator, and social activist.
She became well known with the publication of her memoirs, b ...
in the
Lincoln Center Theater
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Broa ...
revival of ''
The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the child ...
''. She also received Tony nominations for her performances in ''
The Light in the Piazza'' (2005), ''
The Pajama Game
''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel ''7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell.
The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ch ...
'' (2006), ''
South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
'' (2008), ''
Nice Work If You Can Get It'' (2012), ''
The Bridges of Madison County
''The Bridges of Madison County'' (also published as ''Love in Black and White'') is a 1992 best-selling romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of a married Italian-American woman ( WWII war bride) living on ...
'' (2014), and ''
Kiss Me, Kate
''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-sta ...
'' (2019). O'Hara also received a 2019
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...
nomination for her performance as Anna Leonowens in the
West End
West End most commonly refers to:
* West End of London, an area of central London, England
* West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England
West End may also refer to:
Pl ...
revival of ''The King and I''.
O'Hara made her debut at
The Metropolitan Opera in a 2014 production of
Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe'').
Life ...
's ''
The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to ...
''. In 2018, she played the role of Despina in the Met Opera's production of
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
's ''
Cosi fan tutte
Cosi, COSI or CoSi may refer to:
* ''Così'', a 1992 play by Louis Nowra
** ''Cosi'' (film), 1996, based on the play
* Così (restaurant), an American fast-casual restaurant chain
* Compton Spectrometer and Imager, or COSI, a NASA telescope to ...
''. In 2022, she returned to the Met Opera, starring as Laura Brown in
Kevin Puts
Kevin Matthew Puts (born January 3, 1972) is an American composer, best known for winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for his first opera, ''Silent Night''.
Early life and education
Puts was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Alma, Mi ...
'
''The Hours''.
She has also played roles in television series, such as ''
Masters of Sex
''Masters of Sex'' is an American period drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2013, on Showtime. It was developed by Michelle Ashford and loosely based on Thomas Maier's biography ''Masters of Sex''. Set in the 1950s through th ...
'' and ''
13 Reasons Why
''13 Reasons Why'' is an American teen drama television series developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. The series revolves around high school student Clay Jensen ( Dylan ...
'', receiving a
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nomination for her starring role in the 2017 web drama series ''The Accidental Wolf''.
Early life
O'Hara was born in
Tulsa
Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
, Oklahoma, and grew up in
Elk City, Oklahoma
Elk City is a city in Beckham County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 11,693 at the 2010 census, and the population was estimated at 11,577 in 2019. Elk City is located on Interstate 40 and Historic U.S. Route 66 in western Oklahom ...
in an Irish American family.
[ Shenton, Mark]
"''The King and I'' star Kelli O'Hara: 'Doing work that feels like it has a message is very satisfying'"
''The Stage
''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...
'', June 6, 2018 She graduated from Deer Creek High School and also attended
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City University (OCU) is a private university historically affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The university offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, graduate master's degrees and doctor ...
, graduating with a bachelor's degree in music in vocal performance/opera. O'Hara studied voice with
Florence Birdwell
Florence Gillam Birdwell (December 31, 1924 – February 15, 2021), sometimes referred to as Flo Birdwell, was an American educator, musician, and singer. She taught musical theater and opera singing for more than six decades. She served as a pro ...
, who also taught
four years earlier. O'Hara and Chenoweth are both alumnae 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 Ma ...
sorority.
Career
Early career
One of O'Hara's earliest professional roles was in a US national tour of the musical ''
Jekyll & Hyde''.
[ She next played the role of Young Hattie in the 2001 Broadway revival of '']Follies
''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman.
The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fo ...
'', and then played the role of Young Phyllis. She next appeared in the 2002 Broadway production of ''Sweet Smell of Success
''Sweet Smell of Success'' is a 1957 American film noir drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from ...
'' as Susan. In 2003 she played Albertine in the Off-Broadway Playwrights Horizons
Playwrights Horizons is a not-for-profit Off-Broadway theater located in New York City dedicated to the support and development of contemporary American playwrights, composers, and lyricists, and to the production of their new work.
Under the ...
production of the musical '' My Life With Albertine'', and, in 2004, Lucy Westenra in the Broadway production of ''Dracula, the Musical
''Dracula, the Musical'' is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton.
The show had its regional premiere at the La Jolla ...
''.
She starred as Clara in the 2005 Broadway production of ''The Light in the Piazza'' at Lincoln Center
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 millio ...
's Vivian Beaumont Theatre
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only ...
. She had appeared in a workshop of the musical at the Theatre Lab at Sundance, and in tryouts in Seattle and Chicago, as the character of Franca. She received a 2005 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 ce ...
nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical. O'Hara has been nominated for, or won, 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 ce ...
for every subsequent role she has played on Broadway.["Kelli O'Hara Broadway"]
Playbillvault.com, accessed May 7, 2015 In her next Broadway musical, she played Babe in the 2006 revival of ''The Pajama Game
''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel ''7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell.
The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ch ...
'', for which she was nominated for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. For this performance, ''New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reviewer Ben Brantley
Benjamin D. Brantley (born October 26, 1954) is an American theater critic, journalist, editor, publisher and writer. He served as the chief theater critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1996 to 2017, and as co-chief theater critic from 2017 to ...
wrote that O'Hara "rockets past the promising ingénue status she attained with ''Light in the Piazza''".
In 2007, O'Hara played the role of Dot/Marie in the Los Angeles Reprise! concert staging of ''Sunday in the Park with George
''Sunday in the Park with George'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. It was inspired by the French pointillist painter Georges Seurat's painting '' A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande ...
'' and Eliza Doolittle in the New York Philharmonic's semi-staged production of ''My Fair Lady
''My Fair Lady'' is a musical theatre, musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion (play), Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flowe ...
'' at Avery Fisher Hall
David Geffen Hall is a concert hall in New York City's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts complex on Manhattan's Upper West Side. The 2,200-seat auditorium opened in 1962, and is the home of the New York Philharmonic.
The facility, designe ...
. She was the voice of producer Beth Totenbag on PBS's 2008 animated series '' Click and Clack's As the Wrench Turns''. From 2008 to 2010, O'Hara starred as Nellie Forbush in the Broadway revival of ''South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
'' at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater
The Vivian Beaumont Theater is a Broadway theater in the Lincoln Center complex at 150 West 65th Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Operated by the nonprofit Lincoln Center Theater (LCT), the Beaumont is the only Broa ...
, for which she was nominated for her third Tony Award. She took maternity leave in March 2009 and returned to the musical in October 2009.
O'Hara played the role of Ella Peterson in the 2010 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 ...
''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 & ...
'' concert presentation of '' Bells Are Ringing''. She played the role of Ellen in the film ''Sex and the City 2
''Sex and the City 2'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film written, co-produced, and directed by Michael Patrick King. It is the sequel to the 2008 film ''Sex and the City'', based on the 1998–2004 television series. Sarah Jessica Parker, ...
'' (2010), and in 2011 she appeared in "Mercy", the first episode of the second season of the CBS show '' Blue Bloods''. Also in 2011, she played the role of Amalia in a benefit concert of ''She Loves Me
''She Loves Me'' is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Bock, and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick.
The musical is the third adaptation of the 1937 play '' Parfumerie'' by Hungarian playwright Miklós László, following the 1940 ...
'', presented by the Roundabout Theater Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.
History
The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabeth ...
, in honor of the company's 20th anniversary. Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American stage director, actor, and television director.
Biography
Ellis graduated from Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago. directed, and the musical director was Paul Gemignani. She had performed one of the best known songs from the show, "Will He Like Me?", the previous evening at Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...
in honor of Barbara Cook
Barbara Cook (October 25, 1927 – August 8, 2017) was an American actress and singer who first came to prominence in the 1950s as the lead in the original Broadway musicals '' Plain and Fancy'' (1955), ''Candide'' (1956) and ''The Music Man'' ( ...
.
She starred on Broadway as Billie Bendix in '' Nice Work If You Can Get It'' from April 2012 to March 2013 and received her fourth Tony Award nomination. In 2012, at the New Year's Eve concert, "Celebrating Marvin Hamlisch", at Lincoln Center, she sang "At the Ballet", from ''A Chorus Line
''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante.
Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is centered on seventeen Broadway dan ...
'', along with Audra McDonald
Audra Ann McDonald (born July 3, 1970) is an American actress and singer. Primarily known for her work on the Broadway stage, she has won six Tony Awards, more performance wins than any other actor, and is the only person to win in all four act ...
and Megan Hilty
Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda the Good Witch in '' Wicked'', Doralee Rhodes in '' 9 to 5: The Musical'' ...
. In 2013, she played the lead character of Julie in the staged concert of ''Carousel
A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in SA) is a type of amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular pla ...
'' presented by the New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...
at Avery Fisher Hall. From January to May 2014, she starred as Francesca Johnson in the Broadway musical ''The Bridges of Madison County
''The Bridges of Madison County'' (also published as ''Love in Black and White'') is a 1992 best-selling romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of a married Italian-American woman ( WWII war bride) living on ...
'', for which she received her fifth Tony Award nomination. Elyse Sommer, the ''CurtainUp.com'' reviewer, noted O'Hara's "superb vocal chops" and her "exquisite" duets with co-star Steven Pasquale. She played Mrs. Darling in the 2014 NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...
telecast ''Peter Pan Live!
''Peter Pan Live!'' is an American television special that was broadcast by NBC on December 4, 2014. The special featured a live production of the 1954 musical adaptation of ''Peter Pan'', televised from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York, sta ...
''. She sang two concerts, titled ''Kelli and Matthew: Home for the Holidays'', in December 2014 at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops
The New York Pops is the largest independent pops orchestra in the United States, and the only professional symphonic orchestra in New York City specializing in popular music. Led by Music Director Steven Reineke, the orchestra performs an ann ...
. On December 31, 2014, O'Hara made her operatic debut at The Metropolitan Opera as Valencienne in Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe'').
Life ...
's ''The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to ...
'', alongside Renee Fleming in the title role.
2015–present
O'Hara returned to Lincoln Center Theatre to star as Anna Leonowens
Anna Harriette Leonowens (born Ann Hariett Emma Edwards; 5 November 1831 – 19 January 1915) was an Anglo-Indian or Indian-born British travel writer, educator, and social activist.
She became well known with the publication of her memoirs, b ...
in the Broadway revival of ''The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the child ...
'' opposite Ken Watanabe
is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in ''Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in ''The Last Samurai'', for which he was nomin ...
as The King. The production began previews at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in March 2015 and opened in April 2015. This role won O'Hara her first Tony Award. O'Hara's final performance as Anna was in April 2016. She gave her debut solo concert at Carnegie Hall in October 2016 and guest-starred as the recurring character Dody on the fourth season of ''Masters of Sex
''Masters of Sex'' is an American period drama television series that premiered on September 29, 2013, on Showtime. It was developed by Michelle Ashford and loosely based on Thomas Maier's biography ''Masters of Sex''. Set in the 1950s through th ...
''. She played Fiona in the ''Encores!'' production of ''Brigadoon
''Brigadoon'' is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, and music by Frederick Loewe. The song " Almost Like Being in Love", from the musical, has become a standard. It features two American tourists who stumble upon Brigadoon, a ...
'' at New York City Center in November 2017. Jeremy Gerard of ''Deadline Hollywood
''Deadline Hollywood'', commonly known as ''Deadline'' and also referred to as ''Deadline.com'', is an online news site founded as the news blog ''Deadline Hollywood Daily'' by Nikki Finke in 2006. The site is updated several times a day, w ...
'' called O'Hara's performance "luminous", writing: "O’Hara is impossibly beautiful, vocally and in conveying Fiona’s romantic determination and heartbreak." In 2017, she starred as Kate Bonner in the first season of the web drama series '' The Accidental Wolf'', earning a 2018 Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nomination.[Kaufman, Gil]
"Emmys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees"
''Billboard'', July 12, 2018
O'Hara appeared in the 2018 season of ''13 Reasons Why
''13 Reasons Why'' is an American teen drama television series developed for Netflix by Brian Yorkey and based on the 2007 novel '' Thirteen Reasons Why'' by author Jay Asher. The series revolves around high school student Clay Jensen ( Dylan ...
'' as Jackie, an anti-bullying advocate. The same year at the Metropolitan Opera, she sang the role of Despina in ''Così fan tutte
(''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte ...
''.[McPhee, Ryan]
"Kelli O'Hara Will Return to the Metropolitan Opera in 2018 for Cosi fan tutte; New Season Announced"
''Broadway.com'', February 15, 2017, accessed March 1, 2018 She reprised her role in ''The King and I'' at the London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...
for a limited run from June to September 2018.
She returned to Broadway in February 2019 in a revival of ''Kiss Me, Kate
''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-sta ...
'' at Studio 54
Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater ...
, as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine. The production was directed by Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis (born April 19, 1957) is an American stage director, actor, and television director.
Biography
Ellis graduated from Goodman School of Drama at the Art Institute of Chicago (now at DePaul University) in Chicago. and choreographed by Warren Carlyle. The revival was produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the League of Resident Theatres.
History
The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist, Michael Fried and Elizabeth ...
, which had produced a benefit concert of the show with O'Hara, Ellis, and Carlyle in 2016. O'Hara received her seventh Tony Award nomination for the revival.
In a 2022 interview with ''Theatermania'', she discussed working on three projects at once: HBO's costume drama ''The Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...
'', from ''Downton Abbey
''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on ...
'' creator Julian Fellowes
Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, (born 17 August 1949) is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, and a Conservative peer of the House of Lords.
He is primarily known as the author of ...
; a new season of ''The Accidental Wolf'', in a role that earned her a 2018 Emmy nomination, as a woman who becomes embroiled in a scandal after receiving a phone call from a stranger being murdered; and a role in the operatic adaptation of Michael Cunningham's novel '' The Hours''. She said "I love the fact that you have these things at the same time, because I don't ever want to be put in one box. I couldn't be happier or more challenged to have these three things happening at once."
Personal life
O'Hara is married to Greg Naughton of The Sweet Remains, son of actor James Naughton
James Naughton (born December 6, 1945) is an American actor and director. He is best known as Michael Bower on '' Who's the Boss?'' (1984-1992) and was also notable for his earlier role as the astronaut Pete Burke in the 1974 single-season telev ...
. Their first child, Owen James, was born in 2009. Their daughter, Charlotte, was born in 2013.
Filmography
Film
Television
Web
Stage roles
;Broadway
* '' Jekyll & Hyde'' (2000) as Kate (replacement) / Emma (understudy)
* ''Follies
''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman.
The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fo ...
'' (2001) as Young Hattie/Ensemble, then as Young Hattie
* '' Sweet Smell of Success: The Musical'' (2002) as Susan
* ''Dracula, the Musical
''Dracula, the Musical'' is a musical based on the original 1897 Victorian novel by Bram Stoker. The score is by Frank Wildhorn, with lyrics and book by Don Black and Christopher Hampton.
The show had its regional premiere at the La Jolla ...
'' (2004) as Lucy Westenra
* '' The Light in the Piazza'' (2005) as Clara Johnson
* ''The Pajama Game
''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel ''7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell.
The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ch ...
'' (2006) as Babe Williams
* ''South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
'' (2008) as Nellie Forbush
* '' Nice Work If You Can Get It'' (2012) as Billie Bendix
* ''The Bridges of Madison County
''The Bridges of Madison County'' (also published as ''Love in Black and White'') is a 1992 best-selling romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of a married Italian-American woman ( WWII war bride) living on ...
'' (2014) as Francesca Johnson
* ''The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the child ...
'' (2015) as Anna Leonowens
* ''Kiss Me, Kate
''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-sta ...
'' (2019) as Lilli Vanessi/Katharine
; West End
* ''The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the child ...
'' (2018) as Anna Leonowens
;Off-Broadway and regional theatre
* ''Beauty'' by Tina Landau (2003) (La Jolla Playhouse
La Jolla Playhouse is a not-for-profit, professional theatre on the campus of the University of California, San Diego.
History
La Jolla Playhouse was founded in 1947 by Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire, and Mel Ferrer. In 1983, it was revived under ...
)
* '' My Life with Albertine'' (2003) as Albertine (Off-Broadway)
* '' The Light in the Piazza'' (2004) as Franca (in Seattle and Chicago)
* '' Far From Heaven'' (2012) as Cathy Whitaker (developmental premiere, Williamstown Theatre Festival
The Williamstown Theatre Festival is a resident summer theater on the campus of Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1954 by Williams College news director Ralph Renzi and drama program chairman David C. Bryant. I ...
)
* ''The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the child ...
'' (2019) as Anna Leonowens (Tokyu Orb Theatre)
;Operatic repertoire
* ''The Merry Widow
''The Merry Widow'' (german: Die lustige Witwe, links=no ) is an operetta by the Austro-Hungarian composer Franz Lehár. The librettists, Viktor Léon and Leo Stein, based the story – concerning a rich widow, and her countrymen's attempt to ...
'' by Franz Lehár
Franz Lehár ( ; hu, Lehár Ferenc ; 30 April 1870 – 24 October 1948) was an Austro-Hungarian composer. He is mainly known for his operettas, of which the most successful and best known is '' The Merry Widow'' (''Die lustige Witwe'').
Life ...
(2014) as Valencienne (Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...
)
* ''Dido and Aeneas
''Dido and Aeneas'' (Z. 626) is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell with a libretto by Nahum Tate. The dates of the composition and first performance of the opera are uncertain. It was c ...
'' by Henry Purcell
Henry Purcell (, rare: September 1659 – 21 November 1695) was an English composer.
Purcell's style of Baroque music was uniquely English, although it incorporated Italian and French elements. Generally considered among the greatest En ...
(2016) as Dido ( MasterVoices and the Orchestra of St. Luke's)[Tommasini, Anthony]
"Review: Kelli O'Hara’s Operatic Turn in ''Dido and Aeneas''"
''The New York Times'', April 29, 2016, accessed July 19, 2017
* ''Così fan tutte
(''All Women Do It, or The School for Lovers''), K. 588, is an opera buffa in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It was first performed on 26 January 1790 at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria. The libretto was written by Lorenzo Da Ponte ...
'' by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...
(2018) as Despina (Metropolitan Opera)[
* '' The Hours'' by ]Kevin Puts
Kevin Matthew Puts (born January 3, 1972) is an American composer, best known for winning a Pulitzer Prize in 2012 for his first opera, ''Silent Night''.
Early life and education
Puts was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and grew up in Alma, Mi ...
(2022) as Laura Brown (Metropolitan Opera)
Discography
*2008 '' Wonder in the World''
*2011 ''Always''
;Cast recordings
* 2002 ''Sweet Smell of Success
''Sweet Smell of Success'' is a 1957 American film noir drama film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, and Martin Milner, and written by Clifford Odets, Ernest Lehman, and Mackendrick from ...
''
* 2003 '' My Life with Albertine''
* 2005 '' The Light in the Piazza''
* 2006 '' Harry on Broadway, Act I''—two-disc set: 1. Original 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 ...
cast recording ''The Pajama Game
''The Pajama Game'' is a musical based on the 1953 novel ''7½ Cents'' by Richard Bissell.
The book is by George Abbott and Richard Bissell; the music and lyrics are by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. and dances were staged by Bob Fosse in his ch ...
''; 2. Songs from '' Thou Shalt Not'', Harry Connick, Jr. featuring Kelli O'Hara
* 2008 ''South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
''
* 2012 '' Nice Work If You Can Get It''
* 2014 ''The Bridges of Madison County
''The Bridges of Madison County'' (also published as ''Love in Black and White'') is a 1992 best-selling romance novel by American writer Robert James Waller that tells the story of a married Italian-American woman ( WWII war bride) living on ...
''
* 2015 ''The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the child ...
''
* 2019 ''Kiss Me, Kate
''Kiss Me, Kate'' is a musical written by Bella and Samuel Spewack with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The story involves the production of a musical version of William Shakespeare's ''The Taming of the Shrew'' and the conflict on and off-sta ...
''
* 2020 '' Christmas Day in the Morning''
;Soundtracks
* 2014 ''Peter Pan Live!
''Peter Pan Live!'' is an American television special that was broadcast by NBC on December 4, 2014. The special featured a live production of the 1954 musical adaptation of ''Peter Pan'', televised from Grumman Studios in Bethpage, New York, sta ...
''
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
*
*
*
*
Kelli O'Hara from ''The Pajama Game''
''Downstage Center'' interview at American Theatre Wing.org
Kelli O'Hara Interview by Beth Stevens on Broadway.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ohara, Kelli
1976 births
Living people
21st-century American actresses
21st-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
Actresses from Oklahoma
American musical theatre actresses
American people of Irish descent
American sopranos
Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute alumni
Musicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma
Oklahoma City University alumni
Singers from Oklahoma
Tony Award winners