Laura Michelle Kelly facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laura Michelle Kelly
Born	(1981-03-04) 4 March 1981 (age 44) Totton, Hampshire, England, UK
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Nick Winston ​ (m. 2001⁠–⁠2008)​ Sean Helleren ​ (m. 2019)​
Children	3

Laura Michelle Kelly is a talented English actress and singer. She was born on March 4, 1981. She is most famous for playing the magical character Mary Poppins in the musical Mary Poppins in London's West End. For this role, she won a special award called the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She also played Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in the musical Finding Neverland on Broadway in New York City.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Laura Michelle Kelly was born in Totton, a town near Southampton in Hampshire, England. Her family later moved to a farm on the Isle of Wight.

Her journey into musicals began when she was in middle school. Her first performance was in a play called Bugsy Malone. She learned a lot from her local singing teacher, Barbara Walter. Barbara helped Laura perform in plays at local theaters, including the Shanklin Stagecoach of Performing Arts School.

Laura's Amazing Career

Musical Theatre Roles

Laura Michelle Kelly has performed in many famous musicals in London's West End. Some of her early roles include Beauty and the Beast and Whistle Down The Wind in 2000. She played Eponine in Les Misérables in 2001 and Sophie in Mamma Mia! in 2002. In 2003, she took on the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.

In 2004, Laura made her first appearance on Broadway in New York. She played Hodel in a new version of Fiddler on the Roof.

Becoming Mary Poppins

The musical Mary Poppins first opened in September 2004. Laura played the main character and received excellent reviews. In 2005, she won the prestigious Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. She played Mary Poppins over 400 times before leaving the show in October 2005.

After Mary Poppins, Laura traveled to Singapore in November 2005. There, she starred in a musical called A Twist of Fate.

Other Stage Performances

Laura continued to perform on stage in London. In 2006, she sang in "A Tribute to Dirty Dancing." She also performed with Michael Ball for a BBC Radio 2 show. In December 2006, she was a special guest for Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra. In 2007, she made her debut at The Proms, a famous music festival, singing "The Prayer" with Michael Ball.

From 2007 to 2008, Laura played Galadriel in the London show The Lord of the Rings – The Musical.

Back to Broadway

On October 12, 2009, Laura returned to Broadway to play Mary Poppins again. She performed in the show until October 2011.

In 2010, Laura and her former London co-star, Gavin Lee, performed as Mary Poppins and Bert for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. This special show was called America Celebrates 4 July at Ford's Theatre.

Laura also starred as Anna Leonowens in The King and I in August 2012. She then played Ensign Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in July 2013.

In 2014, Laura was chosen to play Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in the new musical Finding Neverland. She continued this role when the show moved to Broadway in April 2015. She stayed with the show until it closed in August 2016.

From November 2016 to March 2018, Laura toured North America playing Anna Leonowens in The King and I again. In 2018, she was announced to star in Me and My Girl alongside Christian Borle, another former Mary Poppins co-star. She also played Julie in the musical The Royal Family of Broadway.

Music Albums

Laura Michelle Kelly has also released her own music. Her first song, "There Was A Time," came out in April 2006. It was very popular on BBC Radio 2. Her first album, The Storm Inside, was released in May 2006. It included six original songs, three of which Laura wrote herself. It also had a cover of Keane's song "Somewhere Only We Know."

In March 2007, she released a new song called "What's It All For?" This was followed by an album with the same name. Laura also recorded a song called "This is a War" for an audio play called The Screwtape Letters.

Film Roles

Laura made her first movie appearance in 2007. She played Lucy Barker in the film Sweeney Todd, directed by Tim Burton.

Her first main role in a movie was in the 2013 film Goddess. In this movie, she played a mother living on a farm in Tasmania. Her character becomes famous when her songs go viral online without her husband knowing.

Laura's Personal Life

In 2001, Laura married choreographer Nick Winston. They later divorced. On January 24, 2019, she married Sean Helleren in Maui, Hawaii. They have three children: a son born in 2019, and two daughters born in 2021 and 2022.

Laura is the third of four children and the only girl in her family. She comes from a Christian family and her faith is very important to her. She has shared that she prays before every show she performs. When asked what three items she would take to a desert island, she said her Bible, her iPhone, and her guitar.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Laura Michelle Kelly para niños