Beth Malone
Elizabeth Ann "Beth" Malone is an American actress and singer known for her work in Broadway, off-Broadway and regional theatre. She originated the role of Alison Bechdel in the musical Fun Home, for which she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Life and education
She was born in Auburn, Nebraska, and raised in Castle Rock, Colorado, the daughter of Peggy and Bill Malone. Her mother is a professional country music singer. Malone played the title role in Annie in middle school, and participated in theatre at Douglas County High School. Malone first attended Loretto Heights College for musical theatre. When the school closed in 1989 while she was there, she decided not to continue, because she was successful finding work without a degree. She later completed her degree through the University of Northern Colorado in 1996 and earned an MFA in Acting from UC Irvine in 2000.She began her career working at the Country Dinner Playhouse at the age of 16. Malone moved to New York City at age 21. After a period of not finding work, she returned to Aspen, Colorado, where she was able to play a wide variety of roles. She received her Equity card performing in a production of Baby. She later moved to Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, where she began performing in television commercials and performing in shows in Greater Los Angeles. Malone is married to Rochelle Schoppert, a music technician.
Activism
Malone performs regularly at benefits for LGBTQ groups and nonprofits. She is also involved in organizations that advocate for gender equality, like the Aqua Foundation. When she was performing in Fun Home, she purposefully made time to talk with young people who were struggling with embracing their identities.Career
Malone made her Broadway debut in Ring of Fire in 2006. She appeared off-Broadway in Bingo: A Winning New Musical at St. Luke's Theatre in 2005. She appeared off-Broadway in The Marvelous Wonderettes at the Westside Theatre as Betty Jean in 2008. She also released her first solo album, Lunch Shift, in 2008.She played the title role in Annie Get Your Gun in the music circus at the Wells Fargo Pavilion in Sacramento, California in August 2011, and again at the San Diego Musical Theatre in May 2014.
She played the title role in The Unsinkable Molly Brown at Denver Center Theater Company in September and October 2014, as well as in The Muny's production in July 2017. She played the lead in an industry reading in November 2017 at the Roundabout Theatre Company.
Malone originated the role of Alison Bechdel in Fun Home, from workshops to the 2013 off-Broadway production at The Public Theater. She continued the role in the 2015 Broadway production at the Circle in the Square Theatre, which closed on September 10, 2016. Critic Steven Suskin called her performance "the glue that holds the show together." She received a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance.
Malone played the Angel in certain performances in the Broadway revival of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America at the Neil Simon Theatre. The limited engagement began previews on February 23, opened on March 25, and closed on July 15, 2018.
''Beth Malone: So Far...''
In 2011, Malone created a one-woman cabaret show titled Beth Malone: So Far. The show tells her life story, "from her offbeat childhood in small-town Colorado, to her not-quite-normal entrance into acting, to her left-of-center adult life." Malone describes this production as an "autobiographical tale about what it was like for to be a rural lesbian in the '70s." The one-hour production takes the audience on a journey through her teenage years and young adulthood, highlighting her relationship with her father and how their relationship changed when she came out. Although there are several emotional moments in the show, Malone's presentation is mostly comedic. She has toured with the show in several locations, including Aspen, Colorado, at the Wheeler Opera House in 2011, and in New York City in 2012 at the Davenport Theatre.Theatre credits
Filmography
| Start year | Production | Role | Notes |
| 2003 | One Minute Soap Opera | Various | Series regular |
| Unknown | What's On | Host | TV Guide Channel |
| 2004 | Judging Amy | Marge Bolton/Kelly McClaren | 2 episodes |
| 2005 | Reno 911! | Ms. Striker | Episode: "The Prefect of Wanganui" |
| 2015 | Late Night with Seth Meyers | Self/Alison Bechdel | Episode: "Ed Helms/Alison Bechdel/Fun Home/Brad Wilk" |
| 2015 | The Good Wife | Pro-Life Activist | Episode: "Restraint" |
| 2016 | BrainDead | Claudia Monarch | 8 episodes |
| 2017 | Bull | Tessa Snyder | Episode: "The Devil, The Detail" |
| 2019 | Bluff City Law | Samantha | Episode: "The All-American" |
| 2019 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Doctor | Episode: "We Dream of Machine Elves" |
| 2020 | The Baker and the Beauty | Melanie Caan | 2 episodes |
| 2021 | All Rise | Sylvia Arthur | Episode: "Caught Up in Circles" |
| 2022 | The Blacklist | FBI Agent Aronson | Episode: Helen Maghi |
| 2022 | Five Days at Memorial | Linda Schafer | 3 episodes |
| 2022 | Gaslit | Maria | Episode: "Honeymoon" |
| 2023 | Chicago Med | Deanna Brooks | Episode: "Those Times You Have to Cross the Line" |
| 2023 | City on Fire | Felicia | Main role; 8 episodes |
| 2024 | Chicago P.D. | Diane Harrison | Episode: "Off Switch" |