Eden Espinosa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eden Espinosa
Eden Espinosa in May 2008
Born	Eden Erica Espinosa (1978-02-02) February 2, 1978 (age 47) Anaheim, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	2000–present
Spouse(s)	Joseph Abate ​ ​ (m. 2010; div. 2019)​

Eden Erica Espinosa (born February 2, 1978) is an American actress and singer. She is famous for her powerful voice. Eden is best known for playing the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked. She performed this role on Broadway, in Los Angeles, and in San Francisco.

In 2022, she was nominated for an Emmy Award. This was for her voice role as the Queen of Hearts in Alice's Wonderland Bakery. In 2024, Eden was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. This was for her performance in the musical Lempicka.

Becoming a Star

Early Life and School

Eden Espinosa was born in Anaheim, California. Her family has Mexican roots. She started singing when she was just three years old. By age five, she was already performing for audiences. She even began recording songs at age ten.

At Canyon High School, Eden played the main role of Maria. This was in the famous musical West Side Story. After high school, she worked at fun places like Disneyland and Universal Studios. She was also part of a group called The Young Americans. This group performs all over the world.

Her Big Break: Wicked

Eden Espinosa made her first appearance on Broadway in the musical Wicked. The show opened on October 30, 2003. She started as a standby for the main character, Elphaba. This meant she was ready to perform if the main actress, Idina Menzel, couldn't.

In the summer of 2004, Eden played Elphaba for a whole month. This was while Idina Menzel was away filming a movie. Eden left Wicked on September 5, 2004. She then went to star in a new musical called Brooklyn.

After Brooklyn closed, Eden returned to Wicked. She played Elphaba for the national tour in San Francisco. This was from August 5 to September 11, 2005.

On January 10, 2006, Eden came back to the Broadway production of Wicked. She took over the role of Elphaba. She even performed for the show's 1,000th performance on Broadway! Eden left the Broadway show on October 8, 2006. She won an award for "Favorite Female Replacement" for her amazing performances as Elphaba.

Eden also played Elphaba in the Los Angeles production of Wicked. This show opened on February 21, 2007. She got great reviews for her performance. She returned to the Los Angeles show in 2008. Her last time playing Elphaba was in the San Francisco production in 2010.

Starring in Brooklyn the Musical

Eden Espinosa helped create the main role in Brooklyn the Musical. She worked on it for two years before it opened. The show first premiered in Denver in 2003.

Eden opened Brooklyn on Broadway on October 21, 2004. She stayed with the musical until it closed in June 2005. She was nominated for a Drama League Award for her performance. She also sang on the musical's original Broadway cast recording.

Other Stage Roles

Eden joined the Broadway cast of Rent in May 2008. She performed in the show until it closed in September 2008. She also appeared on TV shows like Good Morning America and at the 2008 Tony Awards with the Rent cast.

She has performed in many other musicals. These include Flora the Red Menace and Cinderella. In 2016, she starred in Rain and Evita. In 2018, she played Daniella in a concert version of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights.

For a year in 2019, Eden toured with the musical Falsettos. She also appeared in the 50th Anniversary concert of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Eden has starred in The Gardens of Anuncia. She played the main character in Lempicka at different festivals. This musical later moved to Broadway in 2024. Her performance earned her a nomination for a Tony Award.

Solo Performances

Eden Espinosa also performs her own concerts. She had her first solo concert in New York City in 2005. She has performed shows like "Me" and "From Eden With Love."

In 2012, she was one of the first big stars to perform at Feinstein's/54 Below. She sang songs by the artist Eva Cassidy. Eden also sang the theme song for Disneyland's firework show "Magical" in 2009.

In 2020, she started a new show called Unplugged & Unplanned. The setlist for each concert was always new. She continued these shows in 2021. Today, her concerts often mix songs from her Broadway career, her own albums, and popular rock songs. She even takes song requests from fans! In 2022, she brought her concert to London.

Solo Albums

In 2012, Eden released her first solo album, Look Around. It featured modern Broadway songs with a pop sound. The album won several awards for independent artists.

Her second album, "Revelation," came out in 2019. This album had original songs. It was inspired by her life experiences.

On the Screen

Television Roles

Eden Espinosa has appeared on many TV shows. These include Law & Order and Dog Whisperer. She also did voice work for Robot Chicken. In 2009, she had a recurring voice role as Sasha Caylo in the animated series Titan Maximum.

In 2007, the TV show Ugly Betty featured songs from Wicked. Eden and other cast members performed in the episode "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

She has also appeared on the Today Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. She performed at the 2008 Tony Awards.

In 2011, she voiced characters on the animated comedy show Mad. She even sang a parody song called "Flammable."

Eden voiced Orizaba the moth fairy in Elena of Avalor. She also voiced Rapunzel’s friend Cassandra in the film Tangled: Before Ever After. She continued this role in Tangled: The Series. For the show, she sang "Waiting in the Wings." This song won a Daytime Emmy Award in 2020.

In 2022, she started voicing the Queen of Hearts in Disney Junior's Alice's Wonderland Bakery. She also sang in an episode of Cars on the Road.

Game Night

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Eden started an online show called Game Night with Eden & Kamilah. She hosted it with her friend Kamilah Marshall. They played musical theatre trivia games. The show started on Instagram Live. Later, it became an interactive Zoom show. Now, Game Night is a live studio game show with Broadway guests.

Personal Life

Eden married Joseph Abate on October 16, 2010. They later divorced in 2019.

Filmography

Recordings

• Top 25 Praise Songs – Updated (2000)
• Top 25 Acoustic Worship Songs (2002)
• The Maury Yeston Songbook (2003)
• Hair – The Actors' Fund of America Benefit Recording (2005)
• Bright Lights, Big City (2005 concept album)
• Brooklyn the Musical (2005 Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan (2007)
• David Burnham – featured duet: "As Long as You're Mine" (2007)
• Magical: Disney's New Nighttime Spectacular of Magical Celebrations (Disneyland, 2009) – Featured Vocals
• Celebrate! Tokyo Disneyland (Tokyo Disneyland, 2018) – Featured Vocals
• Lempicka: Original Broadway Cast Recording (2024)

Solo Albums

• Look Around (2012)
• Revelation (2019)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Eden Espinosa para niños