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Biography


Kristin Chenoweth was born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth (she added an "n" in her first name later because she thought that "Kristin" was a more operatic name than "Kristi") in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma on July 24, 1968. Adopted at birth, Kristin was recognized as a vocal prodigy early on in life. Her faith was a big part of her life as she was growing up, so it was fitting that it was at church where her gift was discovered. One day, during a song Kristin noticed was able to sing as loud as all the other congregation combined. This wasn't just enthusiasm for a hymn, this was talent. By the age of 12, Kristin was singing solo in front of the entire Southern Baptist Church. This experience of performing in front others thrilled and excited her. Her passion for performing and music was officially cemented. Throughout grade school, Kristin was known for her remarkable voice by the other children. After she graduated high school, she attended Okalahoma City University where she joined the Gamma Phi Beta (Beta Omicron) Sorority. She also accomplished winning the title of "Miss OCU" and went on to win first runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant while there. By the time she left, she had received her bachelor’s degree in musical theatre and a master's degree in opera performance. With an impressive educational background under her belt, Kristin set off to audition for the Metropolitan Opera National Council. She won the "most talented up-and-coming singer" award and was given a prestigious scholarship to attend Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts. However, Kristin declined in order to be in an off-Broadway play she had auditioned for on a whim. Kristin jetted off to New York City to start her burgeoning career.

In 1993 Kristin had her first show, Animal Crackers, which opened at New Jersey's Paper Mill Playhouse. Just 4 short years later Kristin made her Broadway debut in Richard Rodgers Theatre production of Steel Pier as Precious McGuire. Although the show wasn’t a huge success, Kristin did win a Theatre Work Award and was able to follow it up with roles in Strike up the Band, Moliere's Scapin with Bill Irwin, and William Finn’s A New Brain. Kristin’s life changing role came in 1999 when she got the role of Sally Brown, Charlie Borwn’s stubborn golden haired little sister, in the Broadway revival of You’re a Goodman Charlie Brown. Kristin won the Tony for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, and was able to perform Sally’s number "My New Philosophy" at the ceremony to an audience of her peers and other legends of the theatre. The role also earned her a Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award. Her wonderful portrayal of Sally had skyrocketed her career. The little Okalahoma girl with the a love with music and a voice of gold had made it. Mainstream now caught on to musical theatre’s best kept secret. That same year Kristin landed a major role in the miniseries Paramour and not long after that, she starred as the scheming Lily St. Regis opposite Academy Award winner Kathy Bates in the ABC network’s made for TV version of the musical Annie. Even with the new television roles, Kristin’s heart still belonged to the theatre and she made time to star in the Broadway hit Epic Proportions, something that could also aptly described the status Kristin was rising to, and play Daisy Gamble in the City Center Encores! production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.

Demand for Kristin grew. People just could not get enough of the bubbly blonde. In 2001, Kristin started production on a new NBC TV sitcom named Kristin loosely based on the first few years of her life in the city. She played Kristin Yancey a Midwestern girl who leaves the farm and goes into the Big Apple in search of her big break. She gets a job as a receptionist to pay the bills. While working there she has to deal with her colorful and quirky co-workers as well as her charming playboy boss. The show lasted only a couple episodes before it was prematurely canceled. That didn’t deter Kristin, however. In that same year, she released her debut album, Let Yourself Go, which featured her showing off her vocal talents with a range of famous Broadway ballads. After the release of the CD, she performed concerts with the Washington Symphony and the Virginia Symphony. She also sung at the Lincoln Center's 5th American Songbook and The City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash. In addition to performing concerts, Kristin made a couple appearance as Ms. Noodle on the beloved Emmy winning children’s show, Sesame Street. Kristin also starred in another ABC made for TV musical. This time it was The Music Man where she played Marian opposite Matthew Broderick. A steady flow of work kept Kristin busy throughout 2002.

On October 30, 2003 Kristin returned to Broadway as Glinda the Good Witch in the brand new musical Wicked composed by Academy Award winning composer Stephen Schwartz and based off Gregory Maguire‘s novel of the same name. The musical told the story of friendship between the two witches of Oz (from The Wizard of Oz) before Dorothy dropped in. Instantaneously, the musical soared to a level of success Broadway had rarely seen. The musical worked its magic and brought in hundreds of people every night to sold out performances. The soundtrack rose up the music charts like wildfire and even earned a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album. Kristin along with her co-star Idina Menzel were featured everywhere. Kristin gained her second Tony nomination for the role. She also got to perform again during the ceremony with Idina. They sang the memorable hit song Defying Gravity from the musical. Idina won the Tony that year, but in reality, it was a victory for both. Kristin left the show to the heartbreak of fans on July 18, 2004. It was undoubtedly Kristin’s most successful role to date.

In 2004, Kristin began work on her second album, As I Am. This album was a dramatic departure from her last album, showcasing her more spiritual side with a repertoire of Christian songs. In the mean time, she held a concert at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York and also got a recurring role as media consultant and press secretary Annabeth Schott on the NBC political drama, The West Wing. As the shrewd and political savvy Annabeth, Kristin was able to display another range of her versatile acting abilities. The show ended its run gracefully in the spring of 2006. Her character, in the finale, became press secretary to the first lady.

“As I Am” was finally released in the Spring of 2005 to the delight of Kristin fans everywhere. It was also at this time where Kristin decided to concentrate on her movie career. Kristin got a role alongside Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman in the 2005 movie Bewitched. Nicole had offered Kristin the role after seeing her performance in Wicked. Despite the mismatched proportions between Kristin and Nicole (Kristin is 4’11 and Nicole is 5’10) onscreen chemistry was visible. As usual, however, Kristin’s zest for musical theatre was still present and she joined the production of The Apple Tree at The New York City Center Encores!

In 2006, Kristin filmed five start studded movies - RV, Pink Panther, Running with Scissors, Stranger Than Fiction and Deck the Halls. Kristin in currently co-starring in a new ABC's new series entitled Pushing Daisies playing Olive Snook. She is scheduled to have her Metropolitan Opera debut in March 2010 as Samira in John Corigliano’s The Ghost of Versailles. Keep checking KChenoweth.Net for the latest news on Kristin and her upcoming projects!

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