Patti LuPone facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patti LuPone
LuPone in 2024
Born	(1949-04-21) April 21, 1949 (age 76) Northport, New York, U.S.
Education	Juilliard School (BFA)
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1971–present
Spouse(s)	Matthew Johnston ​ ​ (m. 1988)​
Children	1
Relatives	Robert LuPone (brother) Adelina Patti (great-great aunt)
Awards	Full list

Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. She started her acting career in 1972. Soon, she became famous for her amazing performances on Broadway and in London's West End. Patti is known for playing strong, determined women in musical theater. She has won many awards, including three Tony Awards, two Olivier Awards, and two Grammy Awards. In 2006, she joined the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Patti made her Broadway debut in the play Three Sisters in 1973. She won three Tony Awards for her musical roles. These include playing Eva Perón in Evita (1980), Rose in Gypsy (2008), and Joanne in Company (2022). She also received Tony nominations for other shows like Anything Goes (1988) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2006).

In London's West End, she won two Laurence Olivier Awards. One was for playing Fantine in Les Misérables (1985). The other was for her role in Company (2019). She also received a nomination for her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard (1993). Patti has two Grammy Awards for her recording of the 2007 opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.

On television, Patti starred in the drama series Life Goes On (1989–1993). She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work in The Song Spinner (1995) and Frasier (1998). She also appeared in popular shows like American Horror Story (2013–2014, 2022), Pose (2019), and Agatha All Along (2024). Her film roles include Witness (1985) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989).

Patti's Early Life and Training

Patti LuPone was born on April 21, 1949, in Northport, New York. Her parents were Angela Louise and Orlando Joseph LuPone. Her great-great aunt was a famous opera singer named Adelina Patti. Patti's older brother, Robert LuPone, was also a Tony-nominated actor.

Patti was part of the first group to graduate from Juilliard School's Drama Division in 1972. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Her training taught her to respect acting and the stage. Patti has a strong singing voice, known as a "Broadway belt." She once said she was "an actor who sings."

Patti's Amazing Career

Starting Out in the 1970s

In 1972, Patti became one of the first members of The Acting Company. This group traveled around the country performing plays. She appeared in many shows with them until 1976. Patti made her Broadway debut in The Three Sisters in 1973. She received her first Tony Award nomination for The Robber Bridegroom in 1975.

In 1976, she was chosen for the musical The Baker's Wife. The show toured but never made it to Broadway. Patti has often worked with playwright David Mamet. She appeared in his plays like The Woods and The Anarchist.

Becoming a Broadway Star with Evita

LuPone became famous for playing Eva Perón in Evita (1979)

In 1979, Patti starred in the first Broadway production of Evita. This musical was about the life of Eva Perón. Patti won her first Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for this role. The song "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" became one of her most famous songs.

In 1983, Patti starred in As You Like It at the Guthrie Theatre. She also performed in a revival of The Cradle Will Rock. In 1985, she went to London to play Fantine in the original London production of Les Misérables. For her work in both The Cradle Will Rock and Les Misérables, Patti won the 1985 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

She returned to Broadway in 1987 to star in Anything Goes. She received another Tony nomination for her performance. Patti has also appeared in films like Witness and Driving Miss Daisy. On television, she played Libby Thatcher in Life Goes On from 1989 to 1993. She also had a role on Law & Order.

In 1993, Patti went back to London to play Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Later, in 1995, Patti performed her one-woman show, Patti LuPone on Broadway. She also took over the role of Maria Callas in the Broadway play Master Class.

Acclaimed Roles in the 2000s

LuPone starred in popular revivals of Stephen Sondheim's musicals Gypsy and Sweeney Todd

In 2001, Patti starred in a Broadway revival of Noises Off. She also performed in many concert versions of musicals in New York. These included Sweeney Todd and Gypsy. Her performances in Sweeney Todd and Candide were even shown on PBS.

Patti also appeared on television shows like Oz (2003), Will & Grace (2005), and Ugly Betty (2007). She had a recurring role on 30 Rock.

In 2005, she returned to Broadway to star as Mrs. Lovett in a new production of Sweeney Todd. For this role, she played the tuba and orchestra bells while singing! She received another Tony Award nomination. In 2007, Patti starred in the opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny. The recording of this opera won two Grammy Awards in 2009.

After performing Gypsy at the Ravinia Festival, Patti brought the show to Broadway in 2008. She won a Tony Award for her performance as Rose. During one show, she famously stopped to tell an audience member to put away their camera. This moment was shared online and started a discussion about audience behavior in theaters.

Expanding Her Career in the 2010s

LuPone with artist Ken Fallin at The Wall Street Journal's Tony Awards party

In 2010, Patti starred in the Broadway musical Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. She was nominated for a Tony Award for this role. That same year, she released her book about her life and career, called Patti LuPone: A Memoir. It became a New York Times Best Seller.

In 2011, Patti played Joanne in a concert production of Stephen Sondheim's musical Company with the New York Philharmonic. She also performed with her former Evita co-star Mandy Patinkin in a concert series called An Evening with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin.

Patti appeared in the 2013 film Parker. She also voiced the character Yellow Diamond in the animated series Steven Universe (2013–2019) and Steven Universe Future (2019–2020). In 2013, she was cast in American Horror Story. She also appeared in the horror series Penny Dreadful from 2015 to 2016.

In 2017, Patti created the role of Helena Rubinstein in the musical War Paint on Broadway. She starred opposite Christine Ebersole. For her performance as Joanne in the 2018 London revival of Company, she won her second Laurence Olivier Award. This production later moved to Broadway.

In 2019, Patti played a role in the TV series Pose. In 2020, she starred in the Ryan Murphy series Hollywood for Netflix.

Recent Work: 2020s

The Broadway transfer of Company opened in December 2021 after being delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Patti won her third Tony Award for her role in this show. During a performance in May 2022, Patti spoke to an audience member who was not wearing their mask correctly. This incident brought more attention to safety rules on Broadway.

In 2023, she played Mona in the film Beau Is Afraid. Critics praised her performance. Also in 2023, Patti revealed she would play Lilia Calderu in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series Agatha All Along. Her performance in the episode "Death's Hand in Mine" was highly praised. Patti will return to Broadway in August 2024 in the play The Roommate.

Solo Concerts and Tours

Patti LuPone often performs her own solo shows. Some of these include Matters of the Heart and The Lady With the Torch. Her show The Lady With the Torch sold out at Carnegie Hall. She also performs concerts across North America with Mandy Patinkin.

In June 2012, she was the first act to perform at a new cabaret space called 54 Below in New York City. A reviewer from The New York Times said she creates "more raw excitement than any other performer on the Broadway and cabaret axis."

Patti's Unique Style

Patti LuPone is seen as one of the greatest Broadway performers of her time. The London Times once called her the "first lady of the theater." She is known for playing "larger-than-life characters" on stage. She often plays women who fight hard to overcome challenges.

Patti is known for her powerful and emotional singing style. She has performed in many Stephen Sondheim musicals. Sondheim himself has praised her singing and acting. Patti is also known for being very open and honest. She has spoken out about audience behavior in theaters, like people using their phones during shows. She is also considered a gay icon. Patti believes this is because fans see that she has had to fight for her identity, just like the LGBTQ community has fought for acceptance.

Personal Life

Patti LuPone is married to Matthew Johnston. They got married on December 12, 1988, on the stage of the Vivian Beaumont Theater. They have one child. They live in Edisto Beach, South Carolina, and Kent, Connecticut. In the 1970s, Patti dated actor Kevin Kline for seven years.

Acting Roles

Theatre

Film

Television

Music Recordings

Patti LuPone has recorded many albums. Some of her selected recordings include:

• The Baker's Wife (Original cast recording)
• Evita (Original Broadway cast recording)
• Les Misérables (Original London Cast recording)
• Anything Goes (New Broadway Cast Recording)
• Patti LuPone Live (Solo Album)
• Sunset Boulevard (World Premiere/Original London Cast Recording)
• The Lady with the Torch (Solo Album)
• Gypsy (2008 Broadway Revival Cast Recording)
• Patti LuPone at Les Mouches (Live Solo Recording of 1980 club act)
• Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
• Far Away Places (Solo Album)
• Company (New York Philharmonic recording)
• War Paint (Original Broadway cast recording)
• Don't Monkey with Broadway (Solo Album)
• Company (Revival London cast recording)

Her live performance of "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" at the Grammy Awards was released on the 1994 album Grammy's Greatest Moments Volume IV. In 2009, her 1985 recording of "I Dreamed a Dream" became popular in the UK and US.

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Patti LuPone para niños

• List of Italian-American actors