Kristin Dawn Chenoweth (; born Kristi Dawn Chenoweth; July 24, 1968) is an American actress and singer, with credits in musical theatre, film, and television. In 1999, she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway. In 2003, Chenoweth was nominated for a second Tony Award for originating the role of Glinda in the musical Wicked. Her television roles include Annabeth Schott in NBC's The West Wing and Olive Snook on the comedy drama Pushing Daisies, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2009.
Chenoweth sang gospel music as a child in Oklahoma and studied opera before deciding to pursue a career in musical theatre. In 1997, she made her Broadway debut in Steel Pier, winning a Theatre World Award. Her other Broadway credits include Eve in The Apple Tree (2006); Fran in Promises, Promises (2010); Lily in On the Twentieth Century (2015), for which she received a third Tony Award nomination; and the title role in The Queen of Versailles (2025). She has also appeared in five City Center Encores! productions, Off-Broadway, and in regional theatre.
Chenoweth had her own sitcom, Kristin, in 2001, and has guest-starred on many shows, including Sesame Street and Glee, for which she was nominated for Emmy Awards in 2010 and 2011. She also starred in the ABC TV series GCB in 2012, played Lavinia in Trial & Error in 2018, and played the characters Mildred Layton and Miss Codwell in the musical comedy series Schmigadoon! in 2021 and 2023, respectively. In films, she has played mostly character roles, such as in Bewitched (2005), The Pink Panther (2006) and RV (2006). She has played roles in made-for-TV movies, such as Descendants (2015) and several Christmas-themed ones; done voice work in animated films such as Rio 2 (2014) and The Peanuts Movie (2015) along with the animated TV series Sit Down, Shut Up and BoJack Horseman; hosted several award shows; and released several albums of songs, including A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas (2008), Some Lessons Learned (2011), Coming Home (2014), The Art of Elegance (2016) and For the Girls (2019). Chenoweth also wrote a 2009 memoir, A Little Bit Wicked.
Early life Chenoweth was adopted when she was five days old by Junie Smith Chenoweth and Jerry Morris Chenoweth, both chemical engineers from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a suburb of Tulsa,Chenoweth, Chapters 1 and 5Randall, Henry P. Who's who among students in American universities and colleges, vol. 57, Randall Publishing Co., 1991, p. 249, accessed August 29, 2012 and named Kristi Dawn Chenoweth.Chenoweth (2009), Chapters 4 and 5. On the advice of her voice teacher, Florence Birdwell, she added the "n" at the end of her first name, hoping that it would make people take her more seriously as an opera singer. See Beaujon, Ewa. "Keeping it Clean: Kristin Chenoweth, 'A Little Bit Wicked. expressnightout.com, , 2009 She revealed in her 2023 book I'm No Philosopher, but I Got Thoughts that her biological parents were bassist Billy Ethridge (briefly a member of ZZ Top) and Wanda Lynn Cooper, to whom Chenoweth referred as "Mama Lynn".Chenoweth (2023), p. 189 Ethridge (some sources spell it Etheridge) was also a member of The Chessmen. Chenoweth eventually met her biological mother."Video: Kristin Chenoweth Sings 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' Accompanied by Katie Couric on Piano" , BroadwayWorld.com, December 6, 2019 She believed that she was of one-quarter Cherokee descent,Brady, James. "In Step With Kristin Chenoweth" , Arizona Daily Star, May 15, 2005, p. 138, accessed February 12, 2017 but genetic testing showed that she is 4% Native American.
At an early age, she performed gospel songs for local churches. A performing highlight of her childhood was a solo appearance at the Southern Baptist Convention national conference at the age of 12, where she performed the Evie song "Four Feet Eleven". The chorus begins, "I'm only 4 feet 11, but I'm going to Heaven" (Chenoweth is in height). After graduating from Broken Arrow Senior High School, where she participated in school plays, Chenoweth attended Oklahoma City University, where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta (Beta Omicron) sorority. eduinreview.com, accessed , 2010. She earned a bachelor's degree in musical theatre in 1990Allen, Silas. "Kristin Chenoweth says success is a combination of training, ambition" , NewsOK.com, May 12, 2013, accessed December 5, 2014 and a master's degree in opera performance in 1992,"Oklahoma City University to Honor Kristin Chenoweth at Spring Commencement", The Oklahoman, May 3, 2013, accessed February 12, 2017 studying under voice instructor and mentor, Florence Birdwell."Florence Birdwell, Emeritus Professor of Music" , Oklahoma City University, accessed February 12, 2017 While at OCU, Chenoweth competed in beauty pageants, winning the title of Miss OCU and was the second runner-up in the Miss Oklahoma pageant in 1991.Chenoweth (2009), chapter 3 In 1992, Chenoweth participated in a studio recording of The Most Happy Fella.
While she was in college and working towards her master's degree, Chenoweth performed at the Lyric Theatre in Oklahoma City, among other regional theatres, in roles like June in Gypsy, Liesl in The Sound of Music, Fran in Promises, Promises,Rogers, Rick. "Lyric Production Keeps Promises to Lift Spirits of Tired Businessmen" , NewsOK.com, July 5, 1990, accessed December 5, 2014 and Tuptim in The King and I.Curtright, Bob. "Getting to know a more culturally accurate King and I at MTW" , The Wichita Eagle, July 7, 2013, accessed December 5, 2014 As she completed her master's degree, Chenoweth participated in several vocal competitions and was named "most promising up-and-coming singer" in the Metropolitan Opera National Council auditions, which came with a full scholarship to Philadelphia's Academy of Vocal Arts.Culwell-Block, Logan. "Over 20 Years of Popular: Kristin Chenoweth on Stage and Screen" , Playbill, February 7, 2015, February 12, 2017 Two weeks before school started, however, she went to New York City to help a friend move. While there, she auditioned for the 1993 Paper Mill Playhouse production of the musical Animal Crackers and was cast in the role of Arabella Rittenhouse. She turned down the scholarship and moved to New York to play the role and pursue a career in musical theatre.
Career
Theatre
After Animal Crackers, Chenoweth continued to appear in regional theatre productions, such as Babes in Arms at The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis,"Babes in Arms" , Ovrtur.com, accessed October 1, 2024 and Phantom (as Christine; she also toured in Germany in this role),Johnson, Lottie Elizabeth. "The Phantom of the Opera story that never made it to Broadway teaches us something about villains" , Deseret News, October 25, 2019 playing roles in Off-Broadway productions like Luisa in The FantasticksSuskin, Steven. "Kristin Chenoweth Returns to Carnegie Hall with The Evolution of a Soprano" , Playbill, May 5, 2014 and Kristy in Box Office of the Damned (both in 1994)."Kristen Chenoweth" , New York Theatre Guide, accessed October 1, 2024 In 1997, she appeared as Hyacinth in the Roundabout Theater Company production of Moliere's farcical Scapin, earning her first New York Times review, with Ben Brantley writing "Kristin Chenoweth's sob-prone ingenue is delightful".Brantley, Ben. "M. Moliere, Meet Mr. Irwin. He Clowns Around a Bit, Too". The New York Times, , 1997, accessed , 2010. She made her Broadway debut in the spring of 1997 as Precious McGuire in the musical Steel Pier by Kander and Ebb, for which she won a Theatre World Award. In 1998 she reprised one of her regional theatre roles, Anne Draper,"Strike Up the Band", About the Artists, accessed April 21, 2024 in the City Center Encores! staged concert of the George and Ira Gershwin musical Strike Up the BandBrantley, Ben. "Theater Review: Jingoism Parodied: Gershwins' War of '27" . The New York Times, February 14, 1998 and created roles in the original Lincoln Center Theater production of William Finn's A New Brain."Lincoln Center, 'A New Brain'" . LCT.org, accessed April 6, 2011 Ben Rimalower, in Playbill, wrote: "It's unlikely anyone will equal Kristin Chenoweth in the role of 'Nancy D., the waitress.'"Rimalower, Ben. "Let Yourself Go: The 11 Kristin Chenoweth CDs You Should Know" , Playbill, October 11, 2014, accessed February 12, 2017
Chenoweth played Sally Brown, the title character's little sister, in the 1999 Broadway revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Sally was not present in the original production. Chenoweth won Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance."You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Ambassador Theatre, Broadway, 1999" . IBDB.com, accessed , 2012. Later that year, she starred on Broadway in the short-lived comic play Epic Proportions,"Epic Proportions listing, Helen Hayes Theatre, Broadway, 1999" ibdb.com, accessed , 2010. followed by starring as Daisy Gamble in the Encores! production of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever in .Brantley, Ben. "Theater Review; Reincarnation With a Green Thumb". The New York Times, , 2000
After this, Chenoweth split her time between stage and TV or film roles and released her first solo album, Let Yourself Go (2001). In 2002, she performed in the City Center Encores! 10th Anniversary Bash.Simonson, Robert; Gans, Andrew. "Chenoweth, Ebersole, Errico, Neuwirth Expected for Encores! Bash Nov. 24–25" , Playbill.com, November 1, 2002, accessed February 12, 2017 In October 2003, she returned to Broadway (after the San Francisco tryout) in the musical Wicked, as Glinda the Good Witch. She was nominated for a 2004 Tony Award as Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her performance; her co-star Idina Menzel (who played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West) won the award."Tony Awards, 2004" . Broadwayworld.com, accessed April 6, 2011 Chenoweth was also nominated for the Drama Desk AwardGans, Andrew; Simonson, Robert; Allen, Morgan. "Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced; Wicked Leads Pack with 11 Nominations" , Playbill.com, April 29, 2004, accessed February 12, 2017 and the Drama League Award for this role.Simonson, Robert. "Drama League Announces Roster of Honorees" , Playbill.com, April 23, 2004, accessed February 12, 2017 Ben Rimalower, in Playbill, wrote that, for Glinda, "the gold standard was unquestionably and indelibly set" by Chenoweth's performances. After playing Glinda for nine months, Chenoweth left Wicked, on , 2004,Simonson, Robert. "Original Glinda's Bubble Floats Away When Chenoweth Leaves Broadway's Wicked" . Playbill.com, , 2004 soon joining the cast of The West Wing in Los Angeles. The Wicked cast album earned a 2005 Grammy Award.
Chenoweth played Cunegonde in the New York Philharmonic revival of Candide, directed by Lonny Price, in .Chenoweth performing "Glitter and Be Gay" . YouTube.com, accessed , 2010 The production was also broadcast on PBS's Great Performances. A performance of the rarely sung duet "We Are Women", between Cunegonde and the Old Lady (played by Patti Lupone), was included in the production.Tommasini, Anthony. "Music Review: Voltaire Via Bernstein, Donald Trump Reference Included". The New York Times, , 2004Chenoweth and LuPone performing "We Are Women" . YouTube.com, accessed , 2010