Patina Miller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patina Miller
Miller at the 74th Tony Awards in 2021
Born	Patina Renea Miller (1984-11-06) November 6, 1984 (age 40) Pageland, South Carolina, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	2006–present
Spouse(s)	David Mars ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	1

Patina Renea Miller (born November 6, 1984) is a talented American actress and singer. She is well-known for her strong voice and exciting performances. Patina first became famous for playing Deloris Van Cartier in the musical Sister Act. She performed this role in London's West End and on Broadway.

She also starred as the Leading Player in the Broadway show Pippin. For this role, she won a Tony Award. This is one of the highest honors in live theater! More recently, she played the Witch in the 2022 Broadway show Into the Woods.

You might also know Patina from her roles in movies and TV. She played Commander Paylor in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay films. She was also Daisy Grant in the TV show Madam Secretary. In 2021, she started playing Raquel "Raq" Thomas in the TV drama Raising Kanan. In 2024, she voiced Sera in the animated musical series Hazbin Hotel.

Early Life and Education

Patina Miller was born in Pageland, South Carolina. She grew up in a home with just her mother. She started singing at a young age in her local church's gospel choir.

She went to the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities. In 2006, she earned a degree in musical theatre from Carnegie Mellon University. Patina has said that her time at Carnegie Mellon was very important. She learned there that she could make her dream of performing come true.

Career Highlights

Early Roles

In 2005, Patina was one of three finalists for a big role in the movie Dreamgirls. The role eventually went to Jennifer Hudson. In 2007, Patina played Pam Henderson in the TV show All My Children. She appeared in 30 episodes.

She also performed in a show called Hair in Central Park in 2008.

Starring in Sister Act

Miller performing in Sister Act in London, 2010

Patina was chosen to play the main role of Deloris Van Cartier in the musical Sister Act. This was after a long search around the world! The show opened in London on June 2, 2009. Critics praised Patina's performance. They loved her "terrific voice" and "powerhouse vocals." For this role, she won the whatsonstage.com Theatregoers Choice Award. She was also nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. She stayed with the show until it closed in October 2010.

Patina then brought her role as Deloris Van Cartier to Broadway. The show opened in New York City on April 20, 2011. This was Patina's first time performing on Broadway! She won a Theatre World Award for her performance. She was also nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She performed in the Broadway show until March 2012.

Winning a Tony for Pippin

Patina played the Leading Player in the musical Pippin. She first performed this role in December 2012. She then brought the role to Broadway in March 2013. For her amazing performance, she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2013. This was a huge achievement!

Film and Television Roles

Patina played Commander Paylor in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015). These movies are part of the popular Hunger Games series.

In May 2014, she was cast as Daisy Grant in the TV show Madam Secretary. She played the press coordinator for the Secretary of State. The show started in September 2014 on CBS.

In 2019, Patina starred as the Witch in a production of Into the Woods. She played this role again in a Broadway revival in 2022.

Personal Life

Patina Miller married David Mars on June 14, 2014, in New York City. Her mother, Robin Burch, who is a Baptist minister, performed the ceremony. Their daughter, Emerson Harper, was born on August 9, 2017.

In 2023, Patina sang the U.S. National Anthem at the start of the New York City Marathon. She then ran and finished the race herself!

Discography

• Sister Act (Original London Cast Recording) (2009)
• What I Wanna Be When I Grow Up by Scott Alan, singing "Taking Back My Life" (2010)
• Out of Our Heads by Kooman and Dimond, singing "Random Black Girl" (2011)
• Pippin (New Broadway Cast Recording) (2013)
• Into the Woods (New Broadway Cast Recording) (2022)

Acting Credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Concerts

In 2014, Patina performed a concert at Lincoln Center. This concert was shown on PBS as Patina Miller in Concert.

Awards and Nominations