Kristin Dawn Chenoweth ( born
Kristi Dawn Chenoweth, July 24, 1968) is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. In 1999, she won a Tony Award for her performance as Sally Brown in
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown on Broadway, and in 2003, she received wide notice for originating the role of Glinda in the musical
Wicked. Her television roles have included Annabeth Schott in NBC's
The West Wing and Olive Snook on the ABC comedy-drama
Pushing Daisies, for which she won a 2009 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Chenoweth also starred in the ABC TV series
GCB in 2012.
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. Besides
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown and
Wicked, Chenoweth's stage work includes five City Center Encores! productions, Broadway's
The Apple Tree in 2006 and
Promises, Promises in 2010, as well as Off-Broadway and regional theatre productions.
Chenoweth had her own TV series
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. 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, done voice work in animated films and the animated TV series
Sit Down, Shut Up, hosted several award shows and released several albums of songs, including
A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas (2008) and
Some Lessons Learned (2011). Chenoweth also penned a 2009 memoir,
A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages.