Donna Murphy


Donna Murphy is an American actress and singer, best 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 and as Anna Leonowens in The King and I. She was also nominated for her roles as Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town, Lotte Lenya in LoveMusik, and Bubbie/Raisel in The People in the Picture.
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 and Hello Again, as well as the alternate to Bette Midler as the title character of Dolly Gallagher Levi in a Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly!. 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, Rosalie Octavius in Spider-Man 2, Mother Gothel in the animated film Tangled, and government agent Dita Mandy in The Bourne Legacy. As of 2022, she portrays Caroline Schermerhorn Astor in the HBO series The Gilded Age.

Early life and education

Donna Murphy, the eldest of seven children, was born in Corona, Queens, New York, the daughter of Jeanne 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.

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, Privates on Parade 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, 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 Fulquard 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 at the 48th Tony Awards. 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, also recording a cast album. The role earned her a second Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the 50th Tony Awards. She appeared as Ruth Sherwood in a revival of Wonderful Town from 2003 to 2005, and was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical at the 58th Tony Awards 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 a Tony Award nomination at the 61st Tony Awards as well as a Drama Desk Award nomination. 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 at the 65th Tony Awards.
She appeared in the Broadway revival of Hello, Dolly! as Dolly Gallagher Levi, the alternate to Bette Midler on Tuesday evenings and other select performances. She played her last performance on January 7, 2018. Murphy returned to Hello, Dolly! for six performances when Midler rejoined the musical before it closed on August 25, 2018.
Murphy's film roles include Anij, Captain Jean-Luc Picard 's love interest, in Star Trek: Insurrection ; in the film Center Stage, as Juliette Simone, a ballet teacher ; as Rosalie Octavius, wife of Dr. Otto Octavius, the film's villain in Spider-Man 2 ; as Betty, a surgical research assistant in Darren Aronofsky's film The Fountain, and Annie Braddock 's mother Judy Braddock in The Nanny Diaries. In her voice role as Mother Gothel in the animated musical film Tangled, Murphy sang the song "Mother Knows Best". She also played Kathleen Walker, Corinne Walker 's mother in Higher Ground and Marie in Dark Horse. In 2012, she appeared as government secretary Dita Mandy in The Bourne Legacy.
On television, Murphy appeared on the NBC soap opera Another World from 1989 through 1991 as District Attorney Morgan Graves. She won a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special at the 24th Daytime Emmy Awards in 1997, for playing Armanda Agrelo in "Someone Had to be Benny", an episode of the HBO series Lifestories: Families in Crisis. Other television series roles include a recurring role as Abigail Adams on Liberty! The American Revolution, Murder One, Law & Order as Carla Tyrell in a recurring role, Hack, Trust Me and Quantico. Her voice-over work in TV commercials, includes the Le Vian chocolate diamonds series for Jared Jewelry. In 2022, Murphy joined the cast of HBO's The Gilded Age as Caroline Schermerhorn Astor.

Personal life

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.

Stage

YearShowRoleLocationNotes
1979–1981They're Playing Our SongSwing / Sonia WalskImperial TheatreVoice
1984The Human ComedyBess Macauley and Mary ArenaRoyale TheatreUnderstudy
1985–1987The Mystery of Edwin DroodVarious charactersImperial Theatre
1991Song of SingaporeRoseIrving Plaza
1993–1994Hello AgainThe WhoreMitzi E. Newhouse Theater
1994–1995PassionFoscaPlymouth Theatre
1995Twelve DreamsDorothy TrowbridgeLincoln Center
1996–1997The King and IAnna LeonowensNeil Simon Theatre
2002HelenHelen of TroyThe Public Theater
2003–2004Wonderful TownRuth SherwoodAl Hirschfeld Theatre
2004PassionFoscaAmbassador TheatreConcert
2007FolliesPhyllis StoneNew York City Center
2007LoveMusikLotte LenyaBiltmore Theatre
2010Anyone Can WhistleCora Hoover HooperNew York City Center
2011The People in the PictureBubbie / RaiselStudio 54
2012Into the WoodsThe WitchDelacorte TheaterCentral Park
2017–2018Hello, Dolly!Dolly Gallagher LeviShubert TheatreAlternate to Bette Midler
2023Dear WorldCountess AureliaNew York City Center
2024Gutenberg! The Musical!ProducerJames Earl Jones TheatreOne night only

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1995JadeDetective Karen Heller
1998October 22Carole
1998Star Trek: InsurrectionAnij
1999The Astronaut's WifeNatalie Streck
2000Center StageJuliette Simone
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
2011Higher GroundKathleen Walker
2011Dark HorseMarie
2012The Bourne LegacyDita Mandy
2016No Pay, NudityPearl
2020Anastasia: Once Upon a TimeYara the Enchantress
2023Nowhere MenNarratorVoice