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Kristin Chenoweth (born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth on July 24, 1968) is a Tony Award-winning American stage and film actress and singer.

Chenoweth (sometimes referred to as "Cheno" by her fans) is short in stature, at only 4 ft 11 in (150 cm) tall. She has a distinctive speaking voice; in monthly culture magazine FHM's March 2006 issue, she compared her voice to Betty Boop. Her singing voice has a range of four octaves.

Early life

Chenoweth was born in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and was adopted at birth. Chenoweth's ancestry includes one-quarter Cherokee lineage.

She graduated from Oklahoma City University, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta (Beta Omicron) Sorority. Chenoweth earned a bachelor's degree in musical theater and a master's degree in opera performance. While at OCU, she won the title of "Miss OCU" and went on to win first runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant. She performed at Opryland USA. She won a "most talented up-and-coming singer" award in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, which came with a full scholarship to Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts; she turned down the scholarship when she auditioned and won a part on an off-Broadway show.

Career

Chenoweth made her Broadway debut in a production of Molière's Scapin starring Bill Irwin, followed in the spring of 1997 by the musical Steel Pier by John Kander and Fred Ebb, for which she won a Theatre World award. The following season, she appeared in the City Center Encores! production of the George and Ira Gershwin musical Strike Up the Band and the Lincoln Center Theater production of William Finn's A New Brain. She has performed several times on the radio program A Prairie Home Companion.

During the 1998–1999 season, she performed the role of Sally in the Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown — the originally minor character was expanded substantially with Chenoweth in mind — the production won Chenoweth the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards as the season's Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She then starred in the Broadway comedy Epic Proportions, followed by appearances in ABC's television adaptation of the musical Annie (as Lily St. Regis), and in the leading role of Daisy Gamble in the City Center Encores! production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.

In 2003, Chenoweth performed songs from her album Let Yourself Go in concert for Lincoln Center's 5th American Songbook. She also performed in City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash.

In London, she was involved in Divas at Donmar for director Sam Mendes, then appeared in the Actor's Fund Benefit Concert of the musical Funny Girl in New York City.

Chenoweth was a part of ABC's An American Celebration at Ford's Theater with Kelsey Grammer, NBC's Salute to the Olympic Winners, The Kennedy Center Gala honoring Julie Andrews, and an episode of Frasier on NBC. She also starred as Marian Paroo in the ABC television production of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, opposite Matthew Broderick.

In October 2003, Chenoweth returned to Broadway in Wicked, a musical about the early years of the witches of Oz. She was nominated for a Tony as Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance as Glinda, but lost to co-star Idina Menzel (as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West).

Chenoweth's role in Wicked also brought the opportunity to co-star in Nora Ephron's 2005 film version of Bewitched. The film's star, Nicole Kidman, had attended a performance of Wicked and was so impressed with Chenoweth's charisma and stage presence that Kidman requested to Ephron that Chenoweth be cast in the film. Chenoweth got the part of Maria Kelly, Kidman's character's best friend.

Chenoweth has also performed leading roles at the Goodspeed Opera House and the Guthrie Theatre, and she was chosen by the late Jerome Robbins as the guest soloist in his West Side Story Suite of Dances at New York City Ballet.

In television, Chenoweth starred in a short-lived sitcom, Kristin, for NBC that ran for six episodes. It was a mid-season replacement in 2001 that co-starred Jon Tenney. Beginning in the sixth season (2004–2005) of The West Wing, Chenoweth had a recurring role playing media consultant Annabeth Schott, and became a main cast member in the show's seventh and last season (2005 - 2006). She performed "For Good"[1], a song she had sung in Wicked, at the memorial service for her friend and West Wing costar John Spencer.

Current and upcoming roles

In 2006, she is scheduled to appear in five films including The Pink Panther, RV, Stranger Than Fiction, and Deck the Halls.

Chenoweth then will star in Asphalt Beach, and is slated to portray Dusty Springfield in an upcoming film on the singer's life.

Chenoweth will be returning to Broadway during the production of The Apple Tree, open from December 14, 2006 to March 11, 2007.

Other credits

Chenoweth also appeared in a series of television commercials for Old Navy in late 2005 to early 2006.

She also periodically appears opposite Bill Irwin as Mr. Noodle's sister Ms. Noodle[2] in the Elmo's World segments on Sesame Street.

Personal life

Faith

Chenoweth has spoken publicly about her faith; she describes herself as a liberal Christian.[3] While growing up, she was a Southern Baptist, but now attends a non-denominational church.

Chenoweth also has a large gay fanbase, and was disinvited from a Women of Faith conference in September 2005 because of her accepting attitude toward the gay community.[4]

Chenoweth released an album in April 2005 called As I Am that's a mixture of hymns and contemporary Christian music, with arrangements that sound similar to adult contemporary. To promote the album, she made an appearance on The 700 Club, an appearance that upset some of her gay fans,[5] but she later said that she thought that the "Pat Robertsons and Jerry Falwells of the world are scary."[6]

Relationships

Chenoweth was once engaged to actor Marc Kudisch and previously dated violinist Joshua Bell.

She also dated writer Aaron Sorkin. In Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the character of Harriet Hayes bears significant resemblances to Chenoweth, including having made an appearance on The 700 Club to promote an album. Chenoweth confirmed to The New York Dog Magazine that some of the character was taken from her "verbatim," but stressed that, unlike the character, she supports gay rights.[7]

Works

Filmography

• Topa Topa Bluffs (2002)
• Show Business (2005) (documentary)
• Bewitched (2005)
• The Pink Panther (2006)
• RV (2006)
• Running with Scissors (2006)
• Stranger than Fiction (2006)
• Deck the Halls (2006)

Upcoming:

• Untitled Kristin Chenoweth/Dusty Springfield Project (2007)
• Rapunzel (2009) (voice)

Television work

• Paramour (1999) (mini-series)
• Annie (1999)
• Kristin (2001) (canceled after 6 episodes)
• Frasier (2001) as Frasier's new agent, Portia Sanders in episode Junior Agent
• The Music Man (2003)
• Sesame Street (semi-regular cast member from 2003—)
• The West Wing (semi-regular cast member from 2004—, regular cast member from 2005 — 2006)

Discography

• Let Yourself Go (2001)
• Wicked (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2003)
• As I Am (2005)
• Cole Porter's You Never Know (1991 Pasadena Playhouse production)
• Billion Dollar Baby (1998 York Theatre Company)
• You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (1999 Broadway Revival Cast)
• A New Brain (1998 Original Off-Broadway Cast)
• "Grateful: The Songs of John Bucchino" (2000)
• "Kidults" (2001)
• "The Most Happy Fella" (1992 Broadway Revival Cast)
• "Disney Presents The Music Man" (2003 TV Film)

External links

• Official website
• Kristin Chenoweth Fan Club
• Kristin Chenoweth's Official Sony website
• Kristin Chenoweth Canada
• Review of As I Am, from the Christianity Today website
• Kristin Chenoweth interview with FHM
• Studio 54 on Broadway showing The Apple tree
• Kristin Chenoweth at The Met January 19th 2007
• Chenzel_Love 350+ member Livejournal community based on speculation about the relationship between Kristin Chenoweth and her Wicked co-star Idina Menzel.

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