Phillipa Soo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Phillipa Soo
Soo at the White House in March 2016
Born	Phillipa Anne Soo (1990-05-31) May 31, 1990 (age 35) Libertyville, Illinois, U.S.
Other names	Pippa Soo
Alma mater	Juilliard School (BFA)
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	2012–present
Spouse(s)	Steven Pasquale ​ (m. 2017)​

Phillipa Anne Soo (born May 31, 1990) is an American actress and singer. She is famous for her main roles in musicals on Broadway. She has won two Grammy Awards and was nominated for a Tony Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Soo became very well known for playing Eliza Hamilton in the musical Hamilton on Broadway. For this role, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2016. She also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album that same year. Her performance in Hamilton was filmed and released on Disney+ in 2020. This earned her a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Phillipa Soo has also starred in other Broadway shows. These include playing the main character in Amélie (2017) and Rebecca in The Parisian Woman (2017–18). She played Cinderella in Into the Woods (2022) and Guenevere in Camelot (2023). Before Broadway, she played Natasha Rostova in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 (2012). She also played suffragist Inez Milholland in Suffs (2022).

Soo has acted in movies like Over the Moon and The Broken Hearts Gallery (both 2020). She was also in Tick, Tick...Boom! (2021). Her first TV role was in the NBC series Smash in 2013. Currently, she plays a nurse in the ABC / Hulu medical drama Doctor Odyssey (2024). She also had a role in the Apple TV+ series Shining Girls (2022).

Early Life and Education

Phillipa Soo was born in Libertyville, Illinois. Her family background is half Chinese. Her grandparents on her father's side moved from China to the United States. Her father is a doctor, and her mother, who is from Southern Illinois, works in the arts.

Soo went to Libertyville High School near Chicago from 2004 to 2008. She then studied acting at The Juilliard School. She graduated with a special degree in fine arts in 2012.

Career Highlights

Theater Performances

After finishing school in 2012, Soo got a role as Natasha Rostova. This was in the play Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. The play was based on Leo Tolstoy's famous book War and Peace. It started at a theater called Ars Nova. Later, it moved to a special tent theater called Kazino.

Soo (left) performs with Hamilton castmates at the White House (2016)

After seeing her in Great Comet, director Thomas Kail and writer Lin-Manuel Miranda asked her to read for a new musical. This musical was Hamilton, and she read for the part of Eliza (Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton). Soo played Eliza when Hamilton first opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theater. She continued the role when the show moved to Broadway at the Richard Rodgers Theater. For her amazing performance, Soo was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her last show in Hamilton was on July 9, 2016.

Soo then played the main character in Amélie. This show was in Los Angeles from December 2016 to January 2017. She continued her role when Amélie came to Broadway in March 2017. The show closed in May 2017. Later that year, Soo returned to Broadway in The Parisian Woman. This play was written by Beau Willimon. It opened in November 2017 and ran until March 2018.

In 2022, Soo played Inez Milholland in the musical Suffs. Milholland was a suffragist, a woman who fought for the right to vote. The show opened Off-Broadway at The Public Theatre and received great reviews. Critics praised Soo's powerful voice and how she brought emotion to the character. She played this role until May 2022.

On May 26, 2022, it was announced that Soo would play Cinderella. This was for a Broadway revival of Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim. She starred with other famous actors like Sara Bareilles. Critics loved her performance, calling it one of her best since Hamilton. She stayed with the show until September 4, 2022. Soo later won her second Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for her work in Into the Woods.

In August 2022, Soo was cast as Sarah Brown in a revival of Guys and Dolls. This show was at The Kennedy Center. Her husband, Steven Pasquale, also starred in the show. A critic from The New York Times called Soo "a gift to the musical theater."

In November 2022, it was announced that Soo would play Guenevere. This was for the Broadway revival of Camelot. The show opened in March 2023 at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre.

Film and Television Roles

In 2013, Phillipa Soo had a small role in the NBC TV series Smash. She appeared in five episodes.

In 2018, she was cast in the CBS series The Code. The show ran for one season. In 2021, she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. This was for her performance in the Disney+ film of Hamilton, which came out in 2020.

In 2024, Soo was cast as Avery Morgan in the ABC medical drama series Doctor Odyssey.

Other Projects

Phillipa Soo co-wrote a children's book called Piper Chen Sings. She wrote it with her sister-in-law, Maris Pasquale Doran. The book was published in 2024 and became a New York Times best seller.

Soo also plays the character Fox on the 2024 concept album Warriors. This album was created by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis.

Philanthropy

Phillipa Soo was inspired by Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, the character she played in Hamilton. She started a project called "The Eliza Project." This project works with Graham Windham, which was the first private orphanage in New York City. This orphanage is mentioned in the last song of the Hamilton musical.

Through "The Eliza Project," Soo helps students at the Graham School. She provides workshops in acting, dancing, and rap. Soo says the main goal of "The Eliza Project" is to use art. It helps kids express themselves and lets their creative spirit shine.

Personal Life

Phillipa Soo got engaged to actor Steven Pasquale in February 2016. They got married on September 24, 2017. In 2019, they acted together in an episode of The Code. She has a dog named Billie, which she adopted in 2020. She and her husband practice a type of meditation called Transcendental Meditation.

Acting Credits

Film

Television

Theatre

Published Works

• Piper Chen Sings (2024). ISBN: 9780593564691.

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Phillipa Soo para niños

• Chinese Americans in New York City