Keala Settle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keala Settle
Settle at The Greatest Showman premiere in Japan on 13 February 2018
Born	(1975-11-05) November 5, 1975 (age 49) Lāʻie, Hawaiʻi, U.S.
Alma mater	Brigham Young University-Hawaii Southern Utah University
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	2002–present

Keala Settle (born November 5, 1975) is a talented American actress and singer. She is well-known for her powerful voice and amazing performances on both Broadway and in movies.

One of her most famous roles was playing Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady, in the musical film The Greatest Showman in 2017. She sang the main part of the hit song "This Is Me" from the movie. This song won a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 2017 and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.

About Keala Settle

Her Early Life and Family

Keala Settle was born in Hawaiʻi. She is the oldest of five children. Her mother, Susanne Ti Settle, was a Māori woman from New Zealand. Her father, David James Settle, was from Britain.

Keala went to Kahuku High School. After high school, she studied at Brigham Young University–Hawaii and Southern Utah University.

Keala's Career Journey

Starting on Broadway

Keala Settle first performed on Broadway in 2011. She was in the musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

In 2013, she played Norma Valverde in the musical Hands on a Hardbody. This musical was based on a true story about people trying to win a new truck. Critics praised her performance, saying she was amazing. For this role, Keala was nominated for several big awards, including the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also won the Theatre World Award for her great debut performance.

Later, Keala played Madame Thenardier in the Broadway revival of Les Misérables from 2014 to 2015.

In 2016, she created the role of Becky in the musical Waitress on Broadway.

Other Exciting Roles

Keala Settle has also toured around the country in different musicals. She played Tracy Turnblad in the national tour of Hairspray. She also played Bloody Mary in the national tour of South Pacific. Reviewers often highlighted her strong and memorable performances.

She has performed in many other stage productions, including A Christmas Carol and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Keala has shared that she didn't always see herself as a musical theater performer. She grew up singing R&B music, just like her mother. She even sang backup for famous singers like Gladys Knight.

Movies and TV Shows

In 2017, Keala starred in the movie The Greatest Showman. Her powerful singing of "This Is Me" became a huge hit. The song won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award.

She also released her own music, including an extended play called Chapter One in 2017.

In 2018, she was featured in the visual album Forbidden by Todrick Hall.

In 2019, Keala played Cy in Fox's live TV musical Rent: Live. That same year, she toured globally with Hugh Jackman in his concert series, The Man. The Music. The Show.. She performed "This Is Me" and her own song "Harder" during the tour.

More recently, in 2022, Keala made her West End debut in London. She played Angelique/Nurse in the musical & Juliet. She returned to this role in Sydney, Australia, in June 2024.

Keala also sang "How Many Sleeps 'till Christmas" for the children's show Numberblocks in 2022. She also performed in a pantomime, playing Fairy Sugarsnap in Jack and the Beanstalk.

It was announced that Keala will appear in the movie version of the musical Wicked. The movie includes many famous stars like Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera.

In February 2024, Keala was a contestant on the British TV show The Masked Singer UK. She was known as the character "Air Fryer" and made it to the semi-finals.

Keala Settle's Work

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theatre Performances

Video Games

Music Albums and Songs

Keala Settle has contributed to many soundtrack albums for musicals and movies.

Soundtrack Albums

Extended Plays (EPs)

Singles