Donna Murphy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donna Murphy
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Murphy in 2010
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| Born | March 7, 1959 New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1979–present |
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Notable work
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Fosca in Passion (1994) Ruth Sherwood in Wonderful Town (2003) Voice of Mother Gothel in Disney's Tangled (2010) Anij in Star Trek: Insurrection |
| Spouse(s) |
Shawn Elliott
(m. 1990; died 2016) |
| Children | 1 |
Donna Murphy (born March 7, 1959) is an American actress famous for her work on the stage and in movies. You might know her as the voice of the villainous Mother Gothel in the Disney animated movie Tangled.
She is a huge star in musical theater and has been nominated for five Tony Awards. She won the award for Best Actress in a Musical two times. Her first win was for playing Fosca in the musical Passion. Her second was for playing Anna Leonowens in a new version of The King and I.
Besides the stage, Murphy has appeared in many movies and TV shows. She played Anij in Star Trek: Insurrection and Rosalie Octavius in Spider-Man 2. Since 2022, she has played the role of high-society leader Caroline Schermerhorn Astor in the HBO series The Gilded Age.
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Early Life
Donna Murphy was born in Corona, Queens, a part of New York City. She is the oldest of seven children. Her father, Robert Murphy, was an aerospace engineer. Her family has Irish, French, German, and Czech roots.
When she was young, her family moved to Hauppauge, New York. Even at age three, she was already asking for singing lessons. As a child, she loved to put on shows for her family and friends. Later, her family moved to Topsfield, Massachusetts, where she graduated from Masconomet Regional High School in 1977.
Career
Starting on Stage
After high school, Murphy went to New York University to study drama. However, she left during her second year to take a role in the Broadway musical They're Playing Our Song in 1979. She was an "understudy," which means she was prepared to go on stage if one of the main actors couldn't perform.
Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, she acted in many plays in New York City. These shows were often in smaller theaters known as "Off-Broadway" productions. She built a reputation as a talented singer and actress.
Broadway Stardom
In 1994, Murphy starred as Fosca in the musical Passion. Her performance was so amazing that she won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. This award is one of the highest honors in American theater.
Just two years later, in 1996, she starred as Anna Leonowens in a new production of the classic musical The King and I. She won her second Tony Award for this role, proving she was one of Broadway's biggest stars.
Over the years, she has been nominated for three more Tony Awards for her roles in the musicals Wonderful Town (2003), LoveMusik (2007), and The People in the Picture (2011).
Famous Movie and TV Roles
Donna Murphy is also a familiar face in movies and on television. One of her most famous roles was providing the voice for Mother Gothel in Disney's 2010 hit movie Tangled. She sang the popular song "Mother Knows Best" in the film.
Her other movie roles include:
- Anij, the love interest of Captain Picard in Star Trek: Insurrection (1998).
- A ballet teacher in the movie Center Stage (2000).
- Rosalie Octavius, the wife of the villain Dr. Otto Octavius, in Spider-Man 2 (2004).
- A government agent named Dita Mandy in The Bourne Legacy (2012).
On television, she won a Daytime Emmy Award in 1997 for her role in an episode of the HBO series Lifestories: Families in Crisis. She has also appeared in popular shows like Law & Order, The Good Wife, and Quantico. Since 2022, she has been a main character in the historical drama The Gilded Age.
Personal Life
In 1990, Murphy married actor and singer Shawn Elliott. She became a stepmother to his two daughters. In 2005, the couple adopted a daughter from Guatemala. They were married until Elliott's death in 2016.
See also
In Spanish: Donna Murphy para niños
