Laura Benanti

Laura Benanti has brought her unique abilities to comedies, dramas and musicals since she took Broadway by storm at the age of 18.

She recently starred in the Broadway production of "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" for Lincoln Center, in a role that earned her a Tony nomination. She previously starred in Sarah Ruhl's "In the Next Room" (or "The Vibrator Play"), also at Lincoln Center, which garnered critical acclaim for her heartbreaking and brave performance. Earlier that season, Benanti also demonstrated her breezy comic flair in the Public Theater's production of Christopher Durang's "Why Torture Is Wrong and the People Who Love Them."

Benanti earned the 2008 Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her revelatory portrayal of Gypsy Rose Lee in "Gypsy," opposite Patti Lupone and directed by Arthur Laurents.

Her other Broadway roles include her Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award-nominated performance of Cinderella in Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" and her sultry Tony-nominated turn in "Swing!" Benanti also starred opposite Antonio Banderas as his muse in the celebrated revival of "Nine." She began her multifaceted career as Maria in "The Sound of Music," opposite Richard Chamberlain.

Other distinguished theatre performances include Perdita in "A Winter's Tale" at the Williamstown Theater Festival opposite Kate Burton, Anne in "A Little Night Music" at the LA Opera opposite Victor Garber, and Eileen in City Center Encores' "Wonderful Town" opposite Donna Murphy.

Benanti can be heard on a multitude of recordings and debuted her solo show at the Kennedy Center in the spring of 2010.

In television, Benanti recently starred as Carol-Lynne, the Bunny Mother in charge of supervising all the Bunnies in NBC's provocative drama "The Playboy Club." Other roles included the heralded portrayal of "Billie" in the controversial comedy "Starved," a recurring role on "Eli Stone" and her appearance as Michael Imperioli's wife on "Life on Mars."

Benanti made her leap to the silver screen in 2005 in the film "Take the Lead" opposite her "Nine" costar Antonio Banderas, as his love interest. She can also be seen in the independent films "Falling for Grace" and "Meskada"; the latter debuted at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.

Benanti currently resides in New York City and enjoys songwriting.