Bernadette Peters facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bernadette Peters
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Peters in 2011
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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 a long career, lasting over sixty years! During this time, she has starred in many musicals, TV shows, and movies. She also performs in concerts and has released her own music.
Bernadette Peters is well-known for her amazing performances on Broadway. She has been nominated for seven Tony Awards, winning two of them, plus a special honorary award. She also won three Drama Desk Awards. Four of the Broadway musical albums she starred in have even won Grammy Awards!
Many people think Bernadette Peters is the best at performing songs by Stephen Sondheim, a famous composer. She is especially known for her Broadway roles in musicals like Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Into the Woods (1987), and Annie Get Your Gun (1999). She has released six solo albums and many cast albums from her shows. She also often performs her own concerts.
Bernadette Peters started acting as a child. She appeared in films and on television starting 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 Pennies from Heaven (1981), for which she won a Golden Globe Award. Later, she appeared in TV shows like Ally McBeal, Smash, and Mozart in the Jungle.
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Early Life
Bernadette Peters was born in Ozone Park, Queens, New York City. She was the youngest of three children. Her mother, Marguerite, helped her start in show business when Bernadette was just three and a half years old, by putting her on a TV show called Juvenile Jury. Her father, Peter Lazzara, worked as a bread delivery truck driver.
Her Career Journey
Starting as a Child Actor (1958–1974)
In January 1958, when she was nine, Bernadette got her Actors Equity Card. She started using the stage name Bernadette Peters, taking her father's first name, to avoid being typecast. Her first professional stage role was in a comedy called This Is Goggle.
She also appeared on TV shows like A Boy Called Ciske and The Christmas Tree in 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.
At 13, Bernadette was an understudy for "Dainty June" in the national tour of Gypsy. Here, she met Marvin Laird, who would become her long-time accompanist. He noticed her powerful voice even then! She later played Dainty June in summer theater. In 1962, she recorded her first song.
After high school, she began working steadily. She performed in Off-Broadway musicals like Dames at Sea (1968), which earned her great reviews and her first Drama Desk Award. She made her Broadway debut in Johnny No-Trump in 1967. She then appeared in George M! (1968) and won the Theatre World Award.
Bernadette Peters had starring roles in other Broadway shows, including On the Town (1971), which earned her first Tony Award nomination. She also played Mabel Normand in Mack and Mabel (1974), getting another Tony nomination. A critic named Clive Barnes said that with Mack & Mabel, Bernadette Peters became a "major Broadway star." In the early 1970s, she moved to Los Angeles to work more in television and film.
Becoming Famous (1975–1989)
Bernadette Peters has been in over 40 movies and TV films. This includes the 1976 film Silent Movie, for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. She also starred in her own TV series, All's Fair, in 1976–77. She played a young photographer who falls in love with an older writer. Even though the show only lasted one season, Peters was praised for her performance.
She starred with Steve Martin in The Jerk (1979), a role he wrote just for her. They worked together again in Pennies from Heaven (1981). For this movie, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. In the film, she played a schoolteacher named Eileen Everson. Critics said she was "poignant" and had "surprising inner strength."
Peters was also nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for her guest appearance on The Muppet Show (1977). On the show, she sang "Just One Person" to Robin the Frog. She also appeared on The Carol Burnett Show many times and in the 1982 film Annie.
In 1982, Bernadette Peters returned to the New York stage in a play called Sally and Marsha, earning a Drama Desk Award nomination. She then starred as Dot/Marie in the musical Sunday in the Park with George in 1984, which got her a third Tony Award nomination. A critic from The New York Times called her performance "radiant." She also won an ACE Award for her role in the TV version of the musical.
Her next big role was Emma in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance on Broadway in 1985. This performance won her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. She then created the role of the Witch in Into the Woods (1987). Many people believe she is 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."
The 1990s
In the 1990s, Bernadette Peters starred in films like Woody Allen's Alice (1990) and Impromptu (1991). She also lent her voice to the animated musical film Anastasia (1997), playing Sophie. She voiced Rita the stray cat in the cartoon series Animaniacs, where she sang many songs.
Peters continued to perform in concerts featuring Stephen Sondheim's music. She starred in the musical The Goodbye Girl in 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 was "arguably the most talented comedienne in the musical theatre today."
The 2000s
In the 2000s, Bernadette Peters continued her work in TV and film. She was nominated for an Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the TV series Ally McBeal (2001). She also received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for the TV film Bobbie's Girl (2002).
In 2003, Peters starred as Mama Rose in the Broadway revival of Gypsy, earning another Tony nomination. Critics said she created a "complex and compelling" performance. She also appeared in the film It Runs in the Family with the Kirk Douglas family.
She made guest appearances on popular TV shows 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 series Ugly Betty.
The 2010s
Peters starred in the Broadway revival of Sondheim's A Little Night Music (2010).
Her next big stage role was Sally Durant Plummer in the musical Follies in 2011. She earned a Drama Desk Award nomination for this role. In 2012, Bernadette Peters received the honorary Isabelle Stevenson Award at the Tony Awards. This award recognized her amazing work with Broadway Barks, a charity she co-founded to help animals.
She also appeared in the NBC series Smash in 2012 and 2013, playing Leigh Conroy, the mother of one of the main characters. From 2014 to 2018, Peters played Gloria Windsor in the web series Mozart in the Jungle. She also had a recurring role in the TV series The Good Fight in 2017 and 2018.
In 2018, she returned to Broadway in the main role of the musical Hello, Dolly!, taking over from Bette Midler. Critics praised her performance, saying she brought a "twinkle and charm" to the character.
The 2020s
More recently, Bernadette Peters played Deb in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020–2021) and the TV film Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas (2021), earning another Primetime Emmy Award nomination. Since 2023, she has been playing Roslyn in the Apple TV+ comedy series High Desert.
In 2023, she made her debut in London's West End in a tribute show called Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends. This show is planned to come to Broadway in 2025.
Music Recordings
Bernadette Peters has recorded six solo albums and many singles. Three of her albums have been nominated for a Grammy Award. Her 1980 song "Gee Whiz" even reached the top forty on the U.S. Billboard pop charts. She has also recorded most of the Broadway musicals she has been in, and four of these cast albums have won Grammy Awards.
Her first album, Bernadette Peters (1980), featured 10 songs. The cover art was a painting by the famous artist Alberto Vargas. Her next album, Now Playing (1981), included songs by well-known songwriters like Stephen Sondheim.
She was nominated for a Grammy Award for her album I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (1996), which had popular songs by artists like John Lennon and Billy Joel. Her live concert recording, Sondheim, Etc. – Bernadette Peters Live At Carnegie Hall, also received a Grammy nomination. Her 2002 album, Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein, was her third album in a row to be nominated for a Grammy.
Concert Performances
Bernadette Peters has performed her solo concert across the United States and Canada for many years. She first performed her solo concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1996. She also performed a similar concert in London in 1999. She continues to perform with symphony orchestras in famous venues like Walt Disney Concert Hall.
A reviewer from The New York Times described her as "the peaches-and-cream embodiment of an ageless storybook princess." Her concerts often help raise money for 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 to celebrate Frank Sinatra's 100th birthday.
Since 2013, she has been touring with her show, An Evening with Bernadette Peters. In 2022, she took part in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends, a special tribute concert in London.
Children's Books
Bernadette Peters has written three children's books, illustrated by Liz Murphy. These books help support Broadway Barks, the animal adoption charity she co-founded.
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 a lullaby called "Kramer's Song," written and sung by Peters. This book became a bestseller on The New York Times list!
Her second book, Stella is a Star (2010), is about a pit bull named Stella (after Peters's other dog) who wants to be a pig ballerina. It teaches children to accept themselves. This book also comes with a CD featuring an original song by Peters.
Her third book, Stella and Charlie Friends Forever (2015), tells the story of her rescue dog Charlie joining her home and how he got along with 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. She also held a special concert in 2009 that raised over $615,000 for Broadway Barks and another charity called Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
In 2018, Peters received an award for her dedication to animal welfare, including helping over 2,000 animals find homes through Broadway Barks.
- Other Charity Work
Peters is also on the board of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and helps with their events. She is also on the Board of Directors for Standing Tall, a program that helps children with multiple disabilities.
She has helped celebrate important events, like the end of the 2007 Broadway stagehand strike. In 2008, she helped raise money for the Westport Country Playhouse and presented an award to New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for breast cancer research. In 2009, she helped celebrate Senator Ted Kennedy's birthday with President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in attendance.
Personal Life
Bernadette Peters was in a relationship with actor Steve Martin for about four years.
She married investment adviser Michael Wittenberg on July 20, 1996. Sadly, Michael passed away in 2005.
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, including two Tony Awards, the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2012, three Drama Desk Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. She has also been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Grammy Awards.
She has also received many special honors. She got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 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. She also received an honorary doctorate from Hofstra University in 2002. In 2011, she received the Sondheim Award.
In 2012, New Dramatists gave Peters their Lifetime Achievement Award, saying she "has brought a new sound into the theatre." In 2013, the Drama League gave her a special award for her "contribution to the musical theatre." She also received the 2016 John Willis Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. In 2019, she received the Prince Rainier III Award for her amazing artistry and charity work.
See also
In Spanish: Bernadette Peters para niños
