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Laura Benanti

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Laura Benanti
Laura Ilene Benanti (born Laura Ilene Vidnovic; July 15, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Over the course of her Broadway career, she has received five Tony Award nominations. She played Louise in the 2008 Broadway revival of Gypsy, winning the 2008 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Benanti then appeared in the stage musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown in 2010, winning the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She played Baroness Elsa Schräder in the 2013 NBC television production of The Sound of Music Live! and in 2015 began playing twin sisters Alura and Astra in the TV series Supergirl. Beginning in 2017, Benanti appeared as Edie Randall in the TBS comedy The Detour. Since 2016, she has had a recurring role as First Lady Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
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Born
1979-07-15
Birth Place
New York City, New York, U.S.
Famous As
Actress, singer
Height
5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Spouse(s)
Chris Barron ​ ​ ( m.  2005; div.  2006) ​ Steven Pasquale ​ ​ ( m.  2007; div.  2013) ​ Patrick Brown ​ ​ ( m.  2015) ​
Children
1
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MusicPlaybill

Celia Keenan-Bolger and Laura Benanti Discuss Women, Power, and Pressure on Latest

The latest episode of Celia Keenan-Bolger’s podcast Sunday Pancakes, “Laura Benanti on the Power and Pressure of Being a Woman,” drops May 16. Together, the Tony winners discuss the ongoing struggle of “comparing and despairing” as a woman and a mother, especially over the last year. They also discuss how to claim your power to become an effective, empathetic leader and discover strength in vulnerability.
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Tony Winner Laura Benanti Has a Message For All Moms This Mother’s Day

I've thought a lot about what I can possibly say this Mother's Day that isn't already contained within a multitude of other "parenting during a pandemic" op-eds. We know that this time has disproportionately affected women, especially moms and, most egregiously, women of color. We know working moms are struggling. We know stay-at-home moms are struggling. Moms. Are. Struggling.
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New York City, NYgoodmorningamerica.com

Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti on Broadway’s reopening

New York City, once the COVID-19 epicenter, expands indoor dining to 75% capacity. Sign up for our newsletter to get GMA delivered to your inbox every morning!. Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that indoor dining in New York City will expand to 75% capacity starting May 7, matching restrictions elsewhere in the state.
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Westhampton Beach, NYNewsday

Laura Benanti, more acts to perform live at Westhampton Beach PAC

The sound of music will be alive — and live — at Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center starting in September. In an announcement describing "Labor Day as the new Memorial Day," the venue revealed a new season of concerts featuring performers ranging from tribute acts (That Motown Band) to Broadway stars (Laura Benanti) beginning Sept. 4.
MoviesPlaybill

Karen Olivo, Laura Benanti, Alia Jones-Harvey, More Are Part of Virtual

Disney on Broadway's fourth annual Women’s Day on Broadway, celebrating International Women's Day, is held virtually March 12 beginning at 1 PM ET. The two-hour event—with the theme "Reflecting Courageously, Transforming Collectively"—coincides with the one-year mark since Broadway’s shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and features two conversations: "Broadway's Moms: How Life Goes on When the Show Doesn’t” and “Broadway’s Second Act: A Conversation about Moving Beyond Intention.”
FestivalPlaybill

Karen Olivo, Laura Benanti, Alia Jones-Harvey, More Set for Virtual

Disney on Broadway's fourth annual Women’s Day on Broadway, celebrating International Women's Day, will be held virtually March 12 beginning at 1 PM ET. The previously announced two-hour event—with the theme "Reflecting Courageously, Transforming Collectively"—coincides with the one-year mark since Broadway’s shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will feature two newly announced conversations: "Broadway's Moms: How Life Goes on When the Show Doesn’t” and “Broadway’s Second Act: A Conversation about Moving Beyond Intention.”
Washington StateBoing Boing

Laura Benanti nails Melania in this Washington farewell

Laura Benanti gives a hilarious musical performance as Melania, happy to be back in New York, a city who wants nothing to do with her (start at 2:09), aired on Colbert last night. "It's so good to be in NYC, the Be-Bestest city on earth. The Huge Apple. The city...
New York City, NYPosted by
Inquisitr.com

Melania Trump Parody Stars Laura Benanti As The First Lady Singing ‘Beauty & The Beast’ Tune On ‘Late Show’

Broadway actress Laura Benanti starred in a Melania Trump parody, her final for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, where she sang a message of love to her New York City home in the tune of a song called “Belle” from the musical Beauty and the Beast. The actress has performed on the program as the outgoing First Lady throughout the Trump administration’s four years. As Donald Trump exits the White House on January 20, the parody dug deep into Mrs. Trump’s plans for her life beyond Washington and how New Yorkers really feel about her family.
New York City, NYDaily Beast

‘Colbert’s’ Laura Benanti Delivers One Last Epic Musical ‘Fuck Off’ to Melania Trump

Laura Benanti took over Times Square to give first lady Melania Trump the “Late Show” send-off she deserves. “We’re planning sort of a great big goodbye to her that I’m really, really excited about,” Laura Benanti told me last month when I asked her if she was finally finished playing first lady Melania Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “It’s going to be pretty, pretty spectacular.”
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The Independent

Laura Benanti bids farewell to Late Show Melania Trump character with Beauty and the Beast-inspired musical number

Melania Trump doppelgänger Laura Benanti made her epic return to Stephen Colbert's A Late Show with a special song and dance routine, announcing her character’s excitement around returning to New York City.The only problem? New Yorkers don't exactly want her to come back.Riffing on the departing First Lady's farewell speech, which she released in a video yesterday (18 January), the Tony Award-winning Benanti sang a musical number set to the tune of “Bonjour” from Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As she twirled around Times Square (sans mask), city residents hurled expletives at her.“Starting to wonder if New York dislikes me?,”...