Annaleigh Ashford Biography

Annaleigh Ashford (born June 25, 1985) is an American actress known for her Broadway credits in Kinky Boots, Wicked, Legally Blonde, and Hair.

Early life

Annaleigh Ashford was born Annaleigh Swanson in Denver, Colorado and raised in a single parent household by her mother, Holli Swanson, a gym teacher. She studied at Denver's Kit Andre Performing Arts Center and acted and sang in numerous performances in her hometown until she graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in three years at the age of 16. She then attended Marymount Manhattan College, where she earned a degree in theater in another three years at the age of 19.

Career

Ashford's professional career began at age nine, when she was cast as the lead in Ruthless at Theatre on Broadway. At fourteen, she was profiled as "The Teen to Watch" by the Rocky Mountain News. She performed in Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey's Feeling Electric as Natalie, and joined Rent's Anthony Rapp at the New York Musical Theatre Festival.

In 2004, while hanging around in New York City's Lower East Side club scene, Ashford met nightlife personality Lady Starlight, a local rock DJ and performance artist. Lady Starlight invited the budding starlet to dance at her 70's glitter rock party "Lady Starlight's English Disco", and christened her Hollywood Starr. Soon after graduating from college, Ashford got her big break performing in the ensemble and understudying the role of Glinda on the First National Tour of Wicked. She joined the cast in December 2005 and left in September 2006. She then originated the role of Margot in Legally Blonde: The Musical, her Broadway debut. She also understudied the lead role of Elle Woods. She was featured on the original cast recording and appeared in the MTV televised airing. She left the show in September 2007.

She then returned to Wicked, this time playing the lead role of Glinda in the Broadway production. She replaced Kendra Kassebaum on October 9, 2007. She departed the company on May 11, 2008 when Kassebaum returned to the role, and transferred to the Chicago production, replacing Kate Fahrner as Glinda on June 3, 2008. She played her final performnance as Glinda on January 25, 2009, when the Chicago production closed.

She worked on a musical adaptation of Catch Me if You Can as Brenda Strong. She previously did a staged reading for the project this past summer under the Tony Award-winning director of Hairspray, Jack O'Brien. In 2008, she made her film debut with a small part in Sex and the City: The Movie playing a "spoiled label queen." She also appeared in the film, Rachel Getting Married as a counter girl.

Recently, Ashford played Wednesday Addams in the staged reading for musical adaptation to The Addams Family with Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth, but she was later replaced by Krysta Rodriguez.

In 2009 it was announced that Ashford would take place as one of the principal characters and singers in the new vaudeville styled Cirque du Soleil show, Banana Shpeel. However, even following a national television broadcast on America's Got Talent, it was announced that Ashford and her colleague Michael Longoria were no longer in the cast of the show. Publicists announced that the two leading vocalists had fallen victims of a creative decision to remove large portions of dialogue from the show, therefore making their characters non-existent. Ashford was originally slated to stay in the production from its premier in Chicago until sometime in 2010.

Ashford starred as Jeanie in the Broadway revival of Hair. She succeeded Kacie Sheik in the role from March 9, 2010 through June 27, 2010 when the production closed.

In January 2012, Ashford ended her run playing Maureen Johnson in the Off-Broadway revival of Rent, which began July 14, 2011 and closed on September 9, 2012. Emma Hunton took over the role of Maureen from her on January 13, 2012. In February 2012, Ashford made a cameo on Smash. From June 27 to August 19, 2012, she appeared in the Off-Broadway musical Dogfight.

In 2013, after first appearing in the role of Lauren in the Chicago try-outs of Kinky Boots, a musical with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper, she is currently featured in the Broadway production. For this role, Ashford received nominations for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.

Readings

In September 2010, Ashford played Veronica Sawyer in a concert in New York City of the new musical Heathers.

In November 2010, Ashford was part of a reading of the musical Carrie.

In December 2010, she participated in a "creative workshop" reading of the stage musical version of Diner, as Beth. Other readings include, The Addams Family, Catch Me If You Can, Bring It On and Pal Joey.