Megan Hilty
Megan Hilty | |
|---|---|
 At the Henry Fonda Theater on May 5, 2008 | |
| Born | Megan Kathleen Hilty March 29, 1981[1] |
| Education | Carnegie Mellon School of Drama |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981[1]) is an American stage and television actress. She is most well known for her roles as Glinda in Wicked, Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5: The Musical and starring as Ivy Lynn on the new NBC television show Smash.
Early years
Hilty was born in Bellevue, Washington and is the daughter of Jack and Donna Hilty. She attended Sammamish High School in Bellevue and the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School in Redmond, Washington. In 2004, she graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama and is a member of Actors' Equity. She is a recipient of the National Society of Arts and Letters Award for Excellence in Musical Theater. Her regional credits include productions of Café Puttanesca, Suds, and Michael John La Chiusa's The Wild Party.
Wicked
Shortly before graduating from Carnegie Mellon, Hilty auditioned for the hit musical Wicked. She moved to New York City after graduating and, in August 2004, she made her Broadway debut in the show as the standby for Glinda, before taking over the lead role from Jennifer Laura Thompson on May 31, 2005. After playing the role for a year, Hilty ended her run on May 28, 2006 and was succeeded by Kate Reinders.
She then reprised the role on the first national tour of the show from September through December 2006, replacing Kendra Kassebaum. She was succeeded by Christina DeCicco. Soon after, she originated the role in the Los Angeles sit-down production, which began previews on February 10, 2007 and opened February 21. Hilty left the production on May 18, 2008, and was replaced by Erin Mackey, only to return on October 31, 2008 to close the production, which played its final performance January 11, 2009.[2]
Other projects
Hilty starred in a musical called Vanities during its premiere engagement at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Mountain View, California. In addition to her stage work, Hilty has made guest appearances on various television shows including The Closer, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Ugly Betty, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Desperate Housewives, and Shark. She can also be heard as the singing voice of Snow White in the animated feature film Shrek the Third.
In fall 2008 Hilty joined Emmy Award-winning The West Wing star Allison Janney, fellow Wicked alum Stephanie J. Block, and Broadway veteran Marc Kudisch in the new musical adaption of the 1980 film 9 to 5. The production was directed by Joe Mantello, director of Wicked, with a pre-Broadway tryout run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, which opened on Sept. 9, 2008. Hilty had participated in workshops and readings developing and originating the character of Doralee for the musical. Her character, executive secretary Doralee Rhodes, the role played by Dolly Parton in the film. Parton is the composer and lyricist of the musical. The musical began preview performances on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre on April 7, 2009 with an official opening on April 30, 2009. The show ended its Broadway run on September 6, 2009. For this role Hilty was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, the Drama League Award for Distinguished performance, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.[3][4][5] In late 2008, Scott Alan's album Keys was released, featuring Hilty as one of the vocalists. She is featured on the song "The Dance", it being her first vocal recording and release.[6]
In 2009, Hilty appeared in an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation entitled "Deep Friend & Minty Fresh", where she played a fast food manager helping out with a murder at Choozy's Chicken. She also appeared in 2 episodes of Desperate Housewives where she played the other woman to Carlos' boss. Hilty also lent her talents in Rated RSO: The Music and Lyrics of Ryan Scott Oliver at The Boston Court Performing Arts Center in December 2009, alongside Lesli Margherita, Steve Kazee, Morgan Karr, Natalie Weiss, among others. Hilty also branched off into a coffee and tea product line.[7]
Along with her former Wicked co-star Shoshana Bean, Hilty began performing a variety show together called The Meg an' Sho Show. They often perform a "Wicked swap", in which Bean sings a medley of Glinda's songs and Hilty sings Elphaba's. She also continued her television work with appearances in the hit Disney Channel shows The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and Phineas and Ferb.
In 2010 Hilty confirmed that she will be voicing the character of the China Princess in the upcoming animated feature Dorothy of Oz, and she appeared as the "Heckler" in an episode of Louis CK's comedy Louie on FX.
In 2011 it was confirmed that Hilty would star in the NBC musical television series Smash, also starring Debra Messing, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle, Anjelica Houston, and Brian d'Arcy James.[8][9][10] The show was officially picked up on May 11, 2011[11] and made its series premiere on February 6, 2012.[12]
Credits
Broadway
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005—2006 | Wicked | Glinda the Good Witch| | George Gershwin Theatre | Nominated—Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Female Replacement |
| 2009 | 9 to 5: The Musical | Doralee Rhodes | Marquis Theatre | Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical Nominated—Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance Nominated—LA Ovation Award for Lead Actress in a Musical Nominated—Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical |
Other Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Vanities | Mary | Mountain View Center |
Concerts
| Year | Title | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Don't Stop Believing | Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre | June 13, 2010 |
| 2011 | Megan Sings the Blondes | Rrazz Room | January 24, 2011 |
Films
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | What Happens Next | Ruthie | |
| 2010 | Bitter Feast | Peg | |
| 2012 | Dorothy of Oz | China Princess (voice) | Post-production |
| 2012 | Secret of the Wings | Rosetta (voice) | (voice), fills in for Kristin Chenoweth |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | Enid | Episode: "The Arwin That Came to Dinner" |
| 2007 | The Closer | Michelle Edwards | 2 episodes |
| 2007 | Ugly Betty | Glinda | Episode: "Something Wicked This Way Comes" |
| 2008 | Shark | Laurel Hasbrouck | Episode: "One Hit Wonder" |
| 2009 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Kiwi Long | Episode: "Deep Fried and Minty Fresh" |
| 2009 | Desperate Housewives | Shayla Grove | 2 episodes |
| 2009 | Eli Stone | Cheryl | Episode: "Flight Path" |
| 2010 | Phineas and Ferb | Aunt Tiana (voice) | Episode: "Just Passing Through/Candace's Big Day" |
| 2010 | American Dad! | Unknown (voice) | Episode: "Return of the Bling" |
| 2009—2010 | Glenn Martin, DDS | Unknown (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2010 | Bones | Julie Coyle | Episode: "The Death of the Queen Bee" |
| 2010 | Louie | Heckler | Episode: "Heckler/Cop Movie" |
| 2011 | Melissa & Joey | Tiffany Longo | Episode: "#1.13"; "#1.22" |
| 2011 | The Penguins of Madagascar | Frances Alberta | (voice) Guest star |
| 2011 | Tinker Bell and the Pixie Hollow Games | Rosetta | (voice), fills in for Kristin Chenoweth |
| 2012 - Present | Smash | Ivy Lynn |
References
- ^ a b "30 Under 30 - Megan Hilty". BroadwaySpace.com. 2011.
Age: 29 (3/29/1981)
- ^ "Espinosa and Hilty to Return to Los Angeles Cast of Wicked". Playbill.com. October 17, 2008.
- ^ "Billy Elliot and Shrek Top Outer Critics Circle Awards Nominations". Playbill.com. April 20, 2009.
- ^ "75th Annual Drama League Award Nominees Announced". Playbill.com. April 21, 2009.
- ^ "Drama Desk Nominees Announced; 9 to 5 Garners 15 Nominations". Playbill.com. April 27, 2009.
- ^ Apple - iTunes
- ^ Net Worth Coffee Brokers
- ^ "Megan Hilty to Star in NBC's Musical Pilot - SMASH!". BroadwayWorld.com. February 9, 2011.
- ^ "Katharine McPhee cast in NBC musical pilot 'Smash'". Hollywood Reporter. February 13, 2011.
- ^ Smash (TV 2011)
- ^ "Breaking News: NBC Picks Up Broadway-themed SMASH". BroadwayWorld.com. May 11, 2011.
- ^ A Show Just for Us: "Smash," Starry New Drama Series About the Making of a Musical, Debuts on NBC