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 famous for playing the magical character Mary Poppins in the musical 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.

Growing Up and Early Acting

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

Her very first time performing in a musical was in middle school. She was in a play called Bugsy Malone. Laura also took singing lessons from a local teacher, Barbara Walter. This teacher helped her get roles in plays at local theaters, including the Shanklin Stagecoach of Performing Arts School.

Laura's Amazing Career

Musical Theatre Roles

Laura Michelle Kelly has starred in many famous musicals in London's West End. Some of her roles include:

• Beauty and the Beast
• Swallow in Whistle Down The Wind (in 2000)
• Eponine in Les Misérables at the Palace Theatre (in 2001)
• Sophie in Mamma Mia! at the Prince Edward Theatre (in 2002)
• Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (in 2003)

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

Playing Mary Poppins

The musical Mary Poppins first opened in September 2004. It started in Bristol before moving to the West End in London in December. Laura played the main character, Mary Poppins. Critics loved her performance, and she won the 2005 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She performed as Mary Poppins over 400 times before leaving the show in October 2005.

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

Other Stage Performances

In 2006, Laura performed in London in a show called A Tribute to Dirty Dancing. She also sang with famous musician Jools Holland and His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra on tour in December 2006. In August 2007, Laura sang at the BBC Proms, which is a big music festival. She performed "The Prayer" with Michael Ball.

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

Laura returned to Broadway in October 2009 to play Mary Poppins again. She stayed with the show until October 2011. In June 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.

Laura has also starred in other musicals in the United States. She played Anna Leonowens in The King and I in August 2012. She also played Ensign Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in July 2013. In May 2013, she performed as Eliza in a concert version of My Fair Lady in Washington, D.C.

In 2014, Laura was chosen to play Sylvia Llewelyn Davies in the new musical Finding Neverland. She performed this role when the show opened on 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. She starred as Anna Leonowens in The King and I again. In 2018, she played Julie in the musical The Royal Family of Broadway.

Music Albums

Laura Michelle Kelly released her first song, "There Was A Time," in April 2006. Her first album, The Storm Inside, came out in May 2006. This album included six new songs, three of which Laura wrote herself. It also had covers of other songs, like "Somewhere Only We Know" by the band Keane.

In March 2007, she released a new song called "What's It All For?". This was followed by an album with the same name.

Film Roles

Laura Michelle Kelly 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 videos of her singing go viral online.

Laura's Life Outside of Work

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

Laura is the third of four children and the only girl in her family. She comes from a Christian family and has said that her faith is very important to her. She prays before every show she performs.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Laura Michelle Kelly para niños