Bernadette Peters
Tony award-winning actress Bernadette Peters has dazzled audiences and critics in Broadway's most popular musicals throughout her illustrious career. In 1996, she made her highly-anticipated solo debut at Carnegie Hall in an exclusive, one-night-only concert benefiting Gay Men's Health Crisis. Later that year, Angel Records released the Grammy-nominated live recording of her Carnegie Hall concert, "Sondheim Etc...Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall".
Most recently, Peters performed on PBS' "Hey Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh" for Great Performances; she hosted "Disney's Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra " TV special and was featured in "Quincy Jones: The First 50 Years", a star-studded tribute to Quincy Jones, airing on ABC-TV.
She also appeared as the love of Tom Selleck's life in an episode the CBS television series "The Closer", and starred in the highly-acclaimed ABC-TV movies "Cinderella" with Brandy and Whitney Houston: "Holiday In Your Heart" with Leann Rimes;
"What The Deaf Man Heard" on CBS; and NBC-TV's miniseries "The Odyssey", starring Armand Assante. Peters recorded the original title song for the 1998 feature film "Barney's Great Adventure: The Movie", written by famed Tony Award-winning Broadway composer Jerry Herman ("Hello Dolly!", "Mame") She can also be heard as the voice of "Sophie" in the feature film "Anastasia" and the voice of "Angelic" in the special home video "Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas.
A native of Ozone Park, New York, Peters began her performing career at the age of 3 1/2 with appearances on "Juvenile Jury", the classic TV game show "name That Tune", and "The Horn & Hardart Children's Hour. She made her theatrical debut in "This is Goggle", starring James Daly and Kim Hunter and directed by the legendary Otto Preminger. Still in her teens, she appeared in "The Most Happy Fella" and "The Penny Friend", played Dainty June in the national touring company of "Gypsy".
Peters made her Broadway debut in 1967 in "Johnny No-Trump", and in 1968 starred with Joel Grey in the musical "George M", earning a Theatre World Award for her memorable portrayal of Josie Cohan. That same year, she received a Drama desk Award for her show stopping performance in the smash hit off-Broadway musical "Dames at Sea", and quickly became one of the most sought-after stars in musical theatre.
One of Broadway's brightest stars, Peters received both the Tony award and The Drama Desk Award for her critically-acclaimed performance in Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical "Song and Dance". She garnered Tony nominations for her memorable performances in the 1992 musical "The Goodbye Girl"; Stephen Sondheim's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Sunday in the Park with George"; the Jerry Herman/Gower Champion ode to the movies, "Mack and Mable"; and the Leonard
Bernstein/Comden and Green musical "On the Town". In addition to these honors, Peters earned a Drama Desk nomination for her electrifying portrayal of the Witch in Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods". She also appeared at Carnegie Hall with Madeline Kahn, Angela Lansbury, and Scott Bakula in a concert version of "Anyone Can Whistle", benefiting Gay Men's Health Crisis.
While Peters is best known for her work in the theatre, her career doesn't end at the footlights. She boasts an impressive list of television credits ranging from performing arts specials such as PBS' "Evening at Pops", and "The Kennedy Center Honors" to appearances in variety shows, such as "The Carol Burnett Show" and an Emmy-nominated performance on "The Muppet Show". She appeared in the star-studded "Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall and has also played a diva-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown in Terrence McNally's "The Last Mile", both for PBS's highly acclaimed "Great Performances" series. Peters is also the voice of Rita the Cat in the popular Steven Spielberg animated program "Animaniacs, and has starred in several TV-movies, among them "David, Fall From Grace", and "The Last Best Year" with Mary Tyler Moore.
A performer of unparalleled versatility, Peters has lit up the silver screen in 14 films throughout her distinguished career. She received a Golden Globe Award for her memorable performance in "Pennies From Heaven". Her additional film credits include "The Longest Yard" with Burt Reynolds, "Silent Movie" with Mel Brooks, "The Jerk" with Steve Martin, "Annie" with Carol Burnett, "Pink Cadillac" with Clint Eastwood, Slaves of New York with Mercedes Ruehl, Woody Allen's "Alice" with Mia Farrow, and "Impromptu" with Hugh Grant and Mandy Patinkin.
In addition to numerous original Broadway cast albums, Peters has recorded four solo albums, including "Bernadette Peters", "Now Playing", both for MCA Records. Her Grammy-nominated CD, "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, garnered rave reviews upon its August 1996 release by Angel Records, becoming an instant bestseller. The recording features an eclectic array of tunes, ranging from the pop/rock songs of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Lyle Lovett, and Billy Joel to musical theatre favorites by Broadway legends such as Stephen Sondheim, Leonard Bernstein, Comden & Green, and Rogers and Hammerstein.
Peters has received numerous accolades throughout her distinctive career, ranging from the Tony Award to a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is the youngest person to be inducted into the theatre Hall of Fame, and in 1995, she received the prestigious President's Award at the 11th Annual "Mr. Abbott" Awards Dinner. Her honors also include the Sara Siddons Actress of the Year Award and Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the year for her "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment"
Bernadette Peters appears regularly in concert with most prominent symphony orchestras across the country. She happily resides in New York City with her husband, investment advisor Michael Wittenberg.
Recently, Ms Peters performed in the Broadway production of "Annie Get Your Gun."
