Cynthia Erivo

Cynthia Erivo is an English actress and singer known for her performances across stage, film, and television. She is the recipient of numerous awards and is among the select group of individuals nominated for an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award, having won three of the four. In the 2026 New Year Honours, she was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her services to drama and music.

Born on 8 January 1987 in Stockwell, London, to Igbo Nigerian immigrant parents, Erivo was raised alongside her younger sister by her mother, a nurse. She attended La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School before beginning a degree in music psychology at the University of East London in 2004. She transferred to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) a year later, graduating with a bachelor's degree in acting in 2010. She was appointed vice-president of RADA in 2024.

Erivo made her West End debut in 2011 in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and appeared in several British stage productions, including Sister Act and Dessa Rose. She played Celie Harris in the 2013 London production of The Color Purple, later reprising the role for her 2015 Broadway debut. Her performance earned her the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and a Daytime Emmy Award.

She expanded into feature films in 2018 with roles in the thrillers Bad Times at the El Royale and Widows. In 2019, Erivo portrayed Harriet Tubman in the biographical film Harriet, earning Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Song for Stand Up, which she co-wrote and performed. She subsequently appeared in films including Chaos Walking, Pinocchio, Luther: The Fallen Sun, and Drift, serving as a producer on the latter.

On television, Erivo played Holly Gibney in the HBO miniseries The Outsider (2020) and Aretha Franklin in Genius: Aretha (2021), receiving a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for her portrayal of Franklin. She launched her production company, Edith's Daughter, in 2020, voiced the lead role in the science fiction podcast Carrier, and released solo music albums in 2021 and 2025.

In 2024, Erivo starred as Elphaba in the musical fantasy film Wicked, receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and winning a Grammy Award for her performance of Defying Gravity. She reprised the role in Wicked: For Good (2025). Her recent projects include hosting the 78th Tony Awards in 2025, starring in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl, and returning to the West End in a one-woman adaptation of Dracula in 2026.