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Donna Murphy
American actress, singer

Donna Murphy

The basics

Quick Facts

Intro
American actress, singer
Gender
Female
Place of birth
New York City
Age
65 years
Family
Spouse:
Shawn Elliott
Stats
Height:
1.7272 m
The details (from wikipedia)

Biography

Donna Murphy (born March 7, 1959) is an American actress and singer, known for her work in musical theater. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she has twice won the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical; for her role as Fosca in Passion (1994–95) and as Anna Leonowens in The King and I (1996–97). She was also nominated for her roles as Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town (2003), Lotte Lenya in LoveMusik (2007) and Bubbie/Raisel in The People in the Picture (2011).
Murphy made her Broadway debut as a replacement in the 1979 musical They're Playing Our Song. Her other stage credits include the original Off-Broadway productions of Song of Singapore (1991) and Hello Again (1993). In 1997, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special for her role in Someone Had to be Benny, an episode of the HBO series Lifestories: Families in Crisis. Her film roles include Anij in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998); Rosalie Octavius in Spider-Man 2 (2004); Mother Gothel in the animated film Tangled (2010), and as one of the government secretaries in The Bourne Legacy (2012).

Personal life

Murphy, the eldest of seven children, was born in Corona, Queens, New York, the daughter of Jeanne (née Fink) and Robert Murphy, an aerospace engineer. Murphy is of Irish, French, German, and Czech ancestry. Her family moved to Hauppauge, Long Island, New York. At age three, she asked for voice lessons, and she put on shows as a child in Hauppauge. She later moved to Topsfield, Massachusetts and graduated from Masconomet Regional High School in 1977.

Murphy was married to actor and singer Shawn Elliott from 1990 until his death in March 2016. She is the stepmother of Elliott's two daughters. In 2005, they adopted a daughter from Guatemala, Darmia Hope.

Career

Murphy dropped out of the New York University drama program in her sophomore year when she was cast to understudy the three backup singers in the 1979 Broadway musical They're Playing Our Song. In a 2007 interview, Murphy explained, "At the end of my sophomore year, I took a leave of absence. I needed to audition without cutting classes." She also studied at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute.

She has appeared in many Off-Broadway productions, including the musical Francis in 1981 at the York Theatre at St. Peter's, The Mystery of Edwin Drood in 1985 at the Public Theater's Delacorte Theatre, Birds of Paradise in 1987 (Promenade Theatre), Privates on Parade (Roundabout Theatre) in 1989, the musical Song of Singapore in 1991, the Michael John LaChiusa musical Hello Again at the Lincoln Center Mitzi Newhouse Theater in 1993, Twelve Dreams at the Mitzi Newhouse Theater in 1995, and Helen at the Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival in 2002. In 2012, she appeared in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods at The Public Theater's Delacorte Theatre as the Witch.

On Broadway, after They're Playing Our Song (1979), she was an understudy in the musical/opera The Human Comedy in April 1984 and played various roles in The Mystery of Edwin Drood from 1985 to 1987. She also played Audrey in Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's Little Shop of Horrors. In 1994, she played the role of Fosca in Stephen Sondheim's and James Lapine's Passion, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. A year later she appeared in Lapine's revival, Twelve Dreams. In 1996, she played Anna Leonowens in the revival of The King and I alongside Lou Diamond Phillips. The role earned her a second Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She appeared as Ruth Sherwood in a revival of Wonderful Town from 2003 to 2005 (having previously performed in the New York City Center Encores! 2000 staged concert of that musical), and was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Actress in a Musical and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. In 2007, she appeared in LoveMusik as Lotte Lenya, opposite Michael Cerveris as Kurt Weill, receiving nominations for Tony and Drama Desk Awards. She appeared in the 2007 New York City Center Encores! staged concert of Follies as Phyllis. She appeared in the Roundabout Theatre production of a new musical, The People in the Picture, which opened on April 28, 2011 and closed on June 19, 2011. She was nominated for a 2011 Tony Award for Leading Actress in a Musical for her role in the production.

Murphy's film roles include, Anij, Captain Jean-Luc Picard's love interest, in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), in the film Center Stage, as a ballet teacher (2000), as Rosalie Octavius, wife of Dr. Otto Octavius, the film's villain in Spider-Man 2 (2004), as Betty, a surgical research assistant in Darren Aronofsky's film The Fountain (2006), Scarlett Johansson's mother in The Nanny Diaries (2007), Mother Gothel in the animated musical film Tangled (2010) and sang the song "Mother Knows Best", Kathleen, Vera Farmiga's mother in Higher Ground (2011) and Marie in Dark Horse (2011). In 2012, she appeared as government secretary Dita Mandy, in The Bourne Legacy.

On television, Murphy appeared in the NBC soap opera Another World from 1989 through 1991 as District Attorney Morgan Graves. She won an Emmy in 1997, for playing Armando Agrelo in Someone Had to be Benny (1996), an episode of the HBO series Lifestories: Families in Crisis. Other television series roles include, a recurring role as Abigail Adams in Liberty! The American Revolution (1997), Murder One (1995–1996), Law & Order as Carla Tyrell in a recurring role (2000), Hack (2002–2003) and Trust Me (2009). Her voice-over work in TV commercials, includes the Le Vian chocolate diamonds series for Jared Jewelry.

Stage

YearShowRoleLocationNotes
1979–81They're Playing Our SongSwing / Sonia WalskImperial TheatreVoice
1984The Human ComedyBess Macauley and Mary ArenaRoyale TheatreUnderstudy
1985–87The Mystery of Edwin DroodVarious charactersImperial Theatre
1994–95PassionFoscaPlymouth Theatre
1996–97The King and IAnna LeonowensNeil Simon Theatre
2003–04Wonderful TownRuth SherwoodAl Hirschfeld Theatre
2007LoveMusikLotte LenyaBiltmore Theatre
2011The People in the PictureBubbie / RaiselStudio 54
2017Hello, Dolly!Dolly Gallagher LeviShubert TheatreAlternate to Bette Midler

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987Tales from the Holywood Hills: A Table at Ciro'sJune the VocalistTelevision film
1995JadeKaren Heller
1996PassionFoscaTelevision film
1998The Day Lincoln Was ShotMary Todd LincolnTelevision film
1998October 22Carole
1998Star Trek: InsurrectionAnij
1999The Astronaut's WifeNatalie Streck
2000Center StageJuliette Simone
2000The Last DebateJoan NaylorTelevision film
2004The Door in the FloorFrame Shop Owner
2004Spider-Man 2Rosalie Octavius
2006Ira & AbbyDr. Betsy Goldman
2006World Trade CenterJudy Jonas
2006The FountainBetty
2007The Nanny DiariesJudy Braddock
2008Sherman's WayEvelyn Black
2010TangledMother GothelVoice role
2011Higher GroundKathleen Walker
2011Dark HorseMarie
2012The Bourne LegacyDita Mandy
2013House of VersaceMariaTelevision film
2016No Pay, NudityPearl

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1991Another WorldD.A. Morgan Graves7 episodes
1993Law & OrderKaren UngerEpisode: "Right to Counsel"
1996Lifestories: Families in CrisisArmanda AgreloEpisode: "Someone Had to Be Benny"
1995–96Murder OneFrancesca Cross6 episodes
1996Remember WENNRuth GeddyEpisode: "Behind Every Great Woman"
1997Nothing SacredCamilleEpisode: "Spirit and Substance"
1997–2000Law & OrderCarla Tyrell2 episodes
1997Liberty! The American RevolutionAbigail AdamsMiniseries; 6 episodes
1998The PracticeMarie HansonEpisode: "Axe Murderer"
1998Ally McBealMaries HansonEpisode: "The Inmates"
2000–01What About Joan?Dr. Ruby Stern21 episodes
2002The Education of Max BickfordEsther WeberEpisode: "The Good, the Bad, and the Lawyers"
2002–03HackHeather Olshansky16 episodes
2005CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCaptain Annie KrameEpisode: "Hollywood Brass"
2006The Book of DanielDr. Libby WebsterEpisode: "God's Will"
2006Studio 60 on the Sunset StripBlairEpisode: "Pilot"
2007Law & Order: Criminal IntentMaureen PagolisEpisode: "Albatross"
2007DamagesNancyEpisode: "Do You Regret What We Did?"
2008Law & Order: Criminal IntentDr. Raye MasseyEpisode: "Retro"
2009Trust MeDenise Goodman5 episodes
2010Ugly BettyEveEpisode: "Million Dollar Smile"
2012Made in JerseyDarlene Garetti7 episodes
2013The MentalistDiandra SunderlandEpisode: "Behind the Red Curtain"
2014The Good WifeJudge Alice AdelsonEpisode: "A Material World"
2014Royal PainsBertaEpisode: "Steaks on a Plane"
2014ResurrectionAngela Forrester8 episodes
2015HindsightGeorgie Brady4 episodes
2016Mercy StreetJane Green6 episodes
2017DoubtD.A. Grace RussoUpcoming series

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated WorkResult
1992Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalSong of SingaporeNominated
Outer Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalNominated
1993Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalHello AgainNominated
1994Tony AwardBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a MusicalPassionWon
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalWon
1996Tony AwardBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a MusicalThe King and IWon
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalNominated
Drama League AwardDistinguished PerformanceNominated
1997Daytime Emmy AwardOutstanding Performer in a Children's SpecialLifestories: Families in Crisis (Someone Had to be Benny)Won
2004Tony AwardBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a MusicalWonderful TownNominated
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalWon
Drama League AwardDistinguished PerformanceNominated
Outer Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalWon
2007Tony AwardBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a MusicalLoveMusikNominated
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalWon
Drama League AwardDistinguished PerformanceNominated
Outer Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalWon
2011Tony AwardBest Performance by a Leading Actress in a MusicalThe People in the PictureNominated
Drama Desk AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalNominated
Drama League AwardDistinguished PerformanceNominated
Outer Critics Circle AwardOutstanding Actress in a MusicalNominated

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