Bernadette Peters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bernadette Peters
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Peters in 2025
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| Born |
Bernadette Lazzara
February 28, 1948 New York City, U.S.
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| Years active | 1958–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Michael Wittenberg
(m. 1996; died 2005) |
Bernadette Peters (born February 28, 1948) is a famous American actress and singer. She has had an amazing career for over sixty years! She has starred in many musicals, TV shows, and movies. She also performs in concerts and has released her own music.
Bernadette Peters is known as a top performer on Broadway, which is New York City's famous theater district. She has been nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning two of them, plus a special honorary award. She has also won three Drama Desk Awards. Four of the Broadway shows she starred in have won Grammy Awards for their music albums.
Many people think Bernadette Peters is the best at performing songs by the famous composer Stephen Sondheim. She has played lead roles in many popular Broadway musicals. Some of these include Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods (1987), Annie Get Your Gun (1999), and Hello, Dolly! (2018). She also performed in the show Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends in London (2023) and on Broadway (2025). She has released six solo albums and many cast albums from her shows.
Bernadette Peters started acting as a child in the 1960s. She began appearing in films and on TV in the 1970s. People loved her early work, especially on shows like The Muppet Show and The Carol Burnett Show. She also starred in movies such as The Jerk (1979) and Annie (1982). She won a Golden Globe Award for her role in Pennies from Heaven (1981). More recently, she has been in TV series like Smash (2012–2013), Mozart in the Jungle (2014–2018), and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020–2021).
Contents
Early Life and Family Background
Bernadette Peters was born on February 28, 1948. Her family was Italian-American and lived in Ozone Park, a neighborhood in Queens, New York City. She was the youngest of three children.
Her mother, Marguerite, helped her start in show business very early. Bernadette appeared on the TV show Juvenile Jury when she was just three and a half years old. Her father, Peter Lazzara, worked as a bread delivery truck driver. She also appeared on other TV shows as a young child, like Name That Tune and The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour.
Career Highlights
Starting as a Child Actor (1958–1974)
In January 1958, when Bernadette was nine, she got her Actors Equity Card. This card allowed her to work professionally as an actor. She chose the stage name Bernadette Peters, using her father's first name, to avoid being typecast.
Her first professional stage role was in a comedy called This Is Goggle. It closed before reaching New York. She then appeared on NBC television in a show called A Boy Called Ciske in May 1958. She also appeared in a Christmas TV special in December 1958.
At age 10, she performed on the New York stage in The Most Happy Fella (1959). As a teenager, she went to Quintano's School for Young Professionals.
When she was 13, Bernadette was an understudy for a role in the national tour of Gypsy. This is where she met Marvin Laird, who would become her long-time musical partner. He was impressed by her powerful voice. The next summer, she played the role of Dainty June in Gypsy. In 1962, she recorded her first song.
After finishing high school, she started working steadily. She performed in Off-Broadway musicals like Dames at Sea (1968). Her role in Dames at Sea earned her great reviews and her first Drama Desk Award. She made her official Broadway debut in Johnny No-Trump in 1967. She then appeared in George M! (1968), winning the Theatre World Award.
Bernadette Peters continued to star in Broadway shows. She was in La Strada (1969) and a revival of On the Town (1971), which earned her first Tony Award nomination. She also played Mabel Normand in Mack and Mabel (1974), receiving another Tony nomination. Critics said she became a "major Broadway star" with Mack & Mabel. In the early 1970s, she moved to Los Angeles to focus on TV and film.
Becoming a Star (1975–1989)
Bernadette Peters has appeared in over 40 films and TV movies since 1973. She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture for her role in the 1976 film Silent Movie. She also starred in her own TV series, All's Fair, from 1976 to 1977. She played a young photographer who falls in love with an older writer. She was praised for her performance and nominated for a Golden Globe.
She starred with Steve Martin in The Jerk (1979), a role he wrote for her. They worked together again in Pennies from Heaven (1981). For this movie, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Comedy or Musical. Critics praised her performance, calling it "poignant" and "mysteriously right."
Peters was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her appearance on The Muppet Show (1977). She sang "Just One Person" to Robin the Frog. She also appeared on The Tonight Show with the Muppets and hosted Saturday Night Live in 1981. She made 11 guest appearances on The Carol Burnett Show and was in the 1982 film Annie with Carol Burnett.
In 1982, Peters returned to the New York stage in a non-musical play called Sally and Marsha, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination. She then returned to Broadway in the musical Sunday in the Park with George (1984), which earned her a third Tony Award nomination. A critic from The New York Times called her performance "radiant." She won an ACE Award for the TV version of this role in 1987.
Her next role was Emma in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance (1985) on Broadway. She won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for this role.
She then created the role of the Witch in Into the Woods (1987). Many consider her the best at performing Stephen Sondheim's songs. Sondheim himself said, "Like very few others, she sings and acts at the same time... Bernadette is flawless as far as I'm concerned." In 1989, she starred in the films Slaves of New York and Pink Cadillac with Clint Eastwood.
Success in the 1990s
In the 1990s, Bernadette Peters continued to appear in films. She was in Woody Allen's Alice (1990) and Impromptu (1991). She also voiced Sophie in the animated movie Anastasia (1997). She appeared in TV films like The Last Best Year (1990) and Cinderella (1997). She also voiced Rita the stray cat in the animated series Animaniacs.
Peters continued to perform in concerts featuring Stephen Sondheim's music. She starred in the musical The Goodbye Girl (1993). She won her second Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical for her role as Annie Oakley in the 1999 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun. Critics praised her performance, saying she brought new life to the role.
She has been nominated for the Tony Award seven times and won twice, plus an honorary award. She has also been nominated for the Drama Desk Award nine times, winning three times.
Roles in the 2000s
In the 2000s, Bernadette Peters continued her TV work. She was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her role in the series Ally McBeal (2001). She was also nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for the TV film Bobbie's Girl (2002). She appeared on talk shows like The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and Live with Regis and Kelly.
In 2003, Peters starred with three generations of the Kirk Douglas family in the film It Runs in the Family. That same year, she played Rose in the Broadway revival of Gypsy, earning another Tony nomination. Critics said she created a "complex and compelling" portrayal of the character.
She appeared in the film Come le formiche (Wine and Kisses) in 2006, filmed in Italy. She also made guest appearances on TV series like Will & Grace (2006), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2006), Boston Legal (2007), and Grey's Anatomy (2008). In 2009, she appeared in five episodes of the ABC series Ugly Betty.
Performances in the 2010s
Peters starred in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music (2010). Critics were amazed by her performance of the song "Send In the Clowns," calling it an "indelible moment in the history of musical theater."
Her next stage role was Sally Durant Plummer in Follies (2011) at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She reprised the role on Broadway later that year and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award. In 2012, Peters received the honorary Isabelle Stevenson Award at the Tony Awards. This award recognized her significant volunteer work for humanitarian and charitable organizations, especially her work with Broadway Barks.
She appeared in the 2012 film Coming Up Roses. Peters also had a recurring role in the NBC series Smash (2012–2013) as Leigh Conroy, a retired Broadway star and the mother of one of the main characters. She sang an original song, "Hang the Moon," on the show.
From 2014 to 2018, Peters played Gloria Windsor in Mozart in the Jungle, an Amazon Studios web series. She also had a recurring role as Lenore Rindell in the CBS series The Good Fight (2017–2018). In 2020, she played Ms. Freesia in the series Katy Keene.
Peters returned to Broadway in the title role of the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly!. She began performances in January 2018 and played her final show as Dolly in July 2018.
Recent Work (2020s)
She played Deb in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020–2021) and the TV film Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas (2021), earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Since 2023, Peters has played Roslyn in the Apple TV+ comedy series High Desert.
Peters made her West End debut in London in the tribute show Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends from September 2023 to January 2024. This show moved to Broadway in April 2025, with Peters starring again.
Music Recordings
Bernadette Peters has recorded six solo albums and several singles. Three of her albums have been nominated for the Grammy Award. Her 1980 song "Gee Whiz" was a Top 40 hit in the U.S. She has also recorded the music from most of the Broadway and Off-Broadway musicals she has been in. Four of these cast albums have won Grammy Awards.
Her first album, Bernadette Peters (1980), featured 10 songs. The album cover was painted by the famous artist Alberto Vargas. Rolling Stone magazine praised her singing on the album, calling her a "first-rate pop torch singer."
Her next solo album, Now Playing (1981), included songs by famous songwriters like Stephen Sondheim. In 1996, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her album I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, which featured popular songs and Broadway classics. Her live concert recording, Sondheim, Etc. – Bernadette Peters Live At Carnegie Hall, also received a Grammy nomination.
In 2002, her album Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein was released. It was made up entirely of songs by the famous musical duo Rodgers and Hammerstein. This album reached number 14 on the Billboard "Top Internet Albums" chart and was her third Grammy-nominated album in a row. Her most recent solo album, Sondheim Etc., Etc. Live At Carnegie Hall: The Rest of It, was released in 2005.
Critics have often praised her voice, describing it as a powerful instrument that can convey a wide range of emotions.
Concert Performances
Bernadette Peters has performed her solo concert across the United States and Canada for many years. She made her solo concert debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1996. She dedicated half of the concert to the music of Stephen Sondheim. She performed a similar concert in London in 1999.
She continues to perform her solo concerts in various venues and with symphony orchestras. In a review of her 2002 concert at Radio City Music Hall, a critic said she "radiated a preternatural innocence." She was the main performer at the 2009 Adelaide Cabaret Festival in Australia.
Peters often performs concerts to benefit arts organizations or celebrate special events. For example, she performed at the grand opening of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami in 2006. In 2015, she performed in a concert called Sinatra: Voice for a Century at Lincoln Center, celebrating Frank Sinatra's 100th birthday.
Since 2013, she has been touring with her cabaret show, An Evening with Bernadette Peters, and a concert series, "Bernadette Peters in Concert." In 2022, she participated in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, a tribute concert in London.
Children's Books
Bernadette Peters sings four songs on a CD that came with a children's picture book called Dewey Doo-it Helps Owlie Fly Again (2005). The money from this book helps the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
To support Broadway Barks, the animal adoption charity she co-founded, Peters has written three children's books. These books are illustrated by Liz Murphy.
Her first book, Broadway Barks (2008), is about a dog named Kramer (after her own dog) and the joy of adopting a pet. The book includes a CD with an original lullaby called "Kramer's Song," written and performed by Peters. This book reached #5 on The New York Times Children's Best Sellers list.
Her second children's book, Stella is a Star (2010), is about a pit bull named Stella (after Peters's dog) who wants to be a pig ballerina. The story teaches children to accept themselves. This book also includes a CD with an original song by Peters.
The third book, Stella and Charlie Friends Forever (2015), is about her rescue dog Charlie joining her home and how he got along with her older dog, Stella.
Helping Others: Activism and Charity Work
Broadway Barks
In 1999, Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore started Broadway Barks. This is an annual event where people can adopt animals. Every July, Peters hosts the Broadway Barks event in New York City. In November 2009, she held a special concert to raise money for both Broadway Barks and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The concert raised about $615,000 for these charities.
In 2018, Peters received the Brooke Astor Award from the Animal Medical Center for her dedication to animal welfare. Broadway Barks has helped over 2,000 animals find homes.
Other Charity Work
Peters is on the board of trustees for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. She takes part in their events, like the annual Broadway Flea Market. She is also on the Board of Directors for Standing Tall, a program for children with multiple disabilities.
In 2007, Peters helped celebrate the end of a stagehand strike in a "Broadway's Back" concert. In 2008, she helped raise money for the Westport Country Playhouse and attended the dedication of the renovated TKTS discount ticket booth in Times Square. She also presented an award to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for breast cancer research.
In 2010, Peters helped celebrate Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday at a benefit concert. She also performed at the Olivier Awards ceremony in 2014.
Personal Life
Bernadette Peters and actor Steve Martin were in a relationship for about four years, starting in 1977.
Peters married investment adviser Michael Wittenberg on July 20, 1996. They were married at the home of her friend Mary Tyler Moore. Sadly, Michael Wittenberg passed away at age 43 on September 26, 2005, in a helicopter accident while on a business trip.
Bernadette Peters has a mixed-breed dog named Charlie. She has adopted all of her dogs from animal shelters.
Awards and Honors
Bernadette Peters has received many awards for her work. These include two Tony Awards and the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2012. She has also won three Drama Desk Awards and a Golden Globe Award. She has been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Grammy Awards.
She has also received many special honors. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1987). She was named the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year in 1987. In 1996, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame, becoming the youngest person to receive this honor. Other awards include an honorary doctorate from Hofstra University (2002) and the Hollywood Bowl Hall of Fame (2002). In 2011, she received the Sondheim Award.
In 2012, New Dramatists gave Peters their Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013, the Drama League gave her a special award for her contributions to musical theater. She was also honored at the Drama League Centennial Gala in 2015. She received the John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre in 2016. In 2019, she received the Prince Rainier III Award for her amazing artistry and charity work.
See also
In Spanish: Bernadette Peters para niños
