Kristin Chenoweth

Kristin Dawn Chenoweth is an American actress and singer who has performed across musical theatre, television, and film. She gained wide recognition for her work on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for her role as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and receiving a nomination for originating Glinda in Wicked. On television, her major roles include Annabeth Schott in NBC's The West Wing and Olive Snook in Pushing Daisies, a performance that earned her a Primetime Emmy Award.

Born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth on July 24, 1968, she was adopted at five days old by chemical engineers Junie Smith Chenoweth and Jerry Morris Chenoweth in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. She sang gospel music in local churches during her youth and performed a solo at the Southern Baptist Convention national conference at age 12. She attended Broken Arrow Senior High School and later Oklahoma City University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in musical theatre in 1990 and a master's degree in opera performance in 1992. She also won the Miss OCU title and placed second runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant in 1991.

While studying, Chenoweth performed in regional theatre at Oklahoma City's Lyric Theatre and was named most promising up-and-coming singer in the 1992 Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, receiving a scholarship to Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts. However, after auditioning for and landing the role of Arabella Rittenhouse in the 1993 Paper Mill Playhouse production of Animal Crackers, she declined the scholarship and relocated to New York City to pursue a career in musical theatre.

Chenoweth made her Broadway debut in 1997 in Steel Pier, winning a Theatre World Award. After her 1999 Tony Award win for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, she starred in productions such as Epic Proportions and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever. She originated Glinda in Wicked in 2003, earning Tony, Drama Desk, and Drama League nominations. Her later Broadway credits include The Apple Tree, Promises, Promises, and On the Twentieth Century, which brought her a third Tony nomination and a Drama Desk Award. She also co-produced and starred in The Queen of Versailles.

Her television career includes her 2001 sitcom Kristin, playing Marian in the 2003 TV movie The Music Man, and recurring appearances on shows such as Sesame Street, Ugly Betty, GCB, Trial & Error, and Schmigadoon!. Her recurring role as April Rhodes on Glee earned her Emmy nominations in 2010 and 2011. In film, she played character roles in Bewitched, The Pink Panther, and RV, and lent her voice to animated projects including Rio 2, The Peanuts Movie, and BoJack Horseman.

Chenoweth has released several music albums, including Let Yourself Go, A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas, Some Lessons Learned, Coming Home, The Art of Elegance, and For the Girls. Her work on the Wicked cast album contributed to a 2005 Grammy Award. She is also the author of the 2009 memoir A Little Bit Wicked and the 2023 book I'm No Philosopher, but I Got Thoughts.