Cynthia Erivo

She began her film career in 2018 with appearances in the crime thrillers "Widows" and "Bad Times at the El Royale". She received Academy Award nominations for Best Actress for portraying Harriet Tubman in "Harriet" (2019) and Elphaba in "Wicked" (2024), as well as a nomination for Best Original Song for "Stand Up" from "Harriet". For her role as Elphaba in "Wicked: For Good" (2025), she became the first black actress to receive two Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy. Her recording of "Defying Gravity" with Ariana Grande from the "Wicked" soundtrack won her a second Grammy Award.

On television, Erivo portrayed Holly Gibney in the HBO miniseries "The Outsider" (2020) and Aretha Franklin in the anthology series "Genius: Aretha" (2021), the latter earning her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie. As a singer, she has released singles and two studio albums, "Ch. 1 Vs. 1" (2021) and "I Forgive You" (2025).

Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Owezuke Amarachukwu Echimino Erivo was born on 8 January 1987 in Stockwell, London, England, to Igbo Nigerian immigrant parents. Her mother, Edith, experienced the Nigerian Civil War as a teenager, and Erivo has described her family's migration to the United Kingdom as being connected to the search for safety after the conflict. Her parents separated when she was young, and she and her younger sister Stephanie were raised by their mother, who worked as a nurse. Erivo's production company, Edith's Daughter, was named in tribute to her mother.

Erivo attended La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School in Clapham Park. As a child, she performed in productions including Bertolt Brecht's "The Caucasian Chalk Circle" and appeared on television in "Trust Me, I'm a Teenager". She began studying music psychology at the University of East London in 2004 before transferring to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in acting in 2010.

Erivo began her professional career with appearances in British television programmes including "Chewing Gum" and "The Tunnel". Her first stage role was in Simon Stephens' play "Marine Parade" at the Brighton Festival. Her first musical role was in "I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky" by John Adams and June Jordan at Theatre Royal Stratford East. In 2012, she appeared in Alexander S. Bermange and Stephen Clark's "Living Every Day" as part of the 24 Hour Musicals Celebrity Gala at the Old Vic in London.

In 2013, Erivo played Celie Harris in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of "The Color Purple". She had previously played Sister Mary Clarence and Deloris Van Cartier in a UK tour of the stage musical "Sister Act". She also contributed to the soundtrack of the musical drama film "Beyond the Lights", co-writing and performing the song "Fly Before You Fall".

Erivo originated the role of Chenice in the West End musical "I Can't Sing!" which opened at the London Palladium in 2014. The production closed after a short run. She later starred in the European premiere of "Dessa Rose" at Trafalgar Studios, earning a nomination for Best Leading Actress in a Musical at the 2015 BroadwayWorld UK Awards.

In 2015, Erivo reprised her role as Celie Harris for the Broadway revival of "The Color Purple", which transferred from the Menier Chocolate Factory production. She starred alongside Jennifer Hudson and Danielle Brooks. Her performance received critical acclaim and earned her several awards, including the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

In 2016, Erivo performed as Cathy in a benefit concert production of Jason Robert Brown's "The Last Five Years" alongside Joshua Henry. In 2017, she performed "God Only Knows" with John Legend at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards as part of a tribute to musicians who had died during the previous year. She and the cast of "The Color Purple" later won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program.

In 2018, Erivo made her film debut in the neo-noir thriller "Bad Times at the El Royale" and also appeared in Steve McQueen's heist thriller "Widows". In 2019, she starred in and produced the science fiction thriller podcast "Carrier", portraying the lead character Raylene Watts.

Erivo played Harriet Tubman in the biographical film "Harriet", which was released in 2019. Her performance received critical recognition and earned her nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was also nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards for "Stand Up", which she co-wrote and performed for the film.

In 2020, Erivo portrayed Holly Gibney in the HBO miniseries "The Outsider". She also founded the production company Edith's Daughter and signed a first-look television development agreement with MRC. In 2021, she appeared in the science fiction film "Chaos Walking" and portrayed Aretha Franklin in the third season of the anthology series "Genius". Her performance received nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Critics' Choice Awards and Screen Actors Guild Awards. She released her debut studio album "Ch. 1 Vs. 1" in September 2021.

In 2022, Erivo performed at the BBC Proms, presenting songs associated with women who influenced her. She also performed during the In Memoriam segment of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards alongside Rachel Zegler, Leslie Odom Jr. and Ben Platt. She portrayed the Blue Fairy in Disney's live-action adaptation of "Pinocchio" and later performed "Edelweiss" from "The Sound of Music" in tribute to Julie Andrews.

In 2023, Erivo appeared in the crime thriller film "Luther: The Fallen Sun" and starred in and produced the film "Drift", portraying Jacqueline, a Liberian refugee. For the role, she drew inspiration from her mother's experiences during the Nigerian Civil War. In 2024, she portrayed Petra in a concert production of Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" at David Geffen Hall and performed "Alfie" from the 1966 film "Alfie" as part of a tribute to Dionne Warwick at the Kennedy Center Honors.

In February 2024, Erivo was appointed vice president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Erivo portrayed Elphaba in the 2024 musical fantasy film "Wicked", the first part of a two-film adaptation of the stage musical. Her performance received critical acclaim and earned her nominations for Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards, Critics' Choice Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards and Academy Awards. The soundtrack album, which featured Erivo performing seven songs from the musical, reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. Her recording of "Defying Gravity" became her first UK top-ten hit.

In 2025, it was announced that Erivo would return to the West End in a one-woman adaptation of "Dracula" at the Noël Coward Theatre, where she would perform all 23 roles during a limited engagement from February to May 2026. The production was produced by Michael Cassel and Adam Kenwright and features an original song composed by Clemence Williams.

On 8 June 2025, Erivo hosted the 78th Tony Awards on CBS. Her hosting performance received positive reviews, with critics highlighting her musical performances and stage presence. The ceremony attracted 4.85 million viewers, making it the most-watched Tony Awards ceremony since 2019.

In August 2025, Erivo starred in the title role of a revival of "Jesus Christ Superstar" at the Hollywood Bowl, which ran for three performances.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynthia_Erivo

Studio albums

Ch. 1 Vs. 1 (2021)

I Forgive You (2025)