Renée Elise Goldsberry facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Renée Elise Goldsberry
Goldsberry at Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards, 2016
Born	(1971-01-02) January 2, 1971 (age 54) San Jose, California, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA) University of Southern California (MM)
Occupation	Actress singer
Years active	1997–present
Spouse(s)	Alexis Johnson ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	2

Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) is an American actress and singer. She is famous for her amazing work on stage and in movies and TV shows. She has won many big awards, like a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Grammy Award. She was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Renée became very well-known for playing Angelica Schuyler in the original Broadway show Hamilton (2015–2016). For this role, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and a Grammy Award for the show's music album. She also played Silvia in the play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2005), which earned her a nomination for the Drama Desk Award. On Broadway, she also starred in Rent (1996), The Color Purple (2005), and Good People (2011).

On TV, Renée played Evangeline Williamson in One Life to Live. She was nominated twice for a Daytime Emmy Award for this role. She also played Geneva Pine in the show The Good Wife (2010–2016). More recently, she starred as Wickie Roy in the Netflix comedy series Girls5eva (2021–present) and Mallory Book in the Disney+ superhero show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022). She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for her role in the filmed version of Hamilton that came out on Disney+ in 2020.

Early Life and School

Renée Elise Goldsberry was born in San Jose, California. She grew up in both Houston, Texas and Detroit, Michigan. Her mom was a psychologist, and her dad worked in the car industry. Renée has one older brother and two younger brothers.

When Renée was 8 years old, she discovered theater at a summer camp in Houston. Her mom signed her and her shy younger brother up for the camp.

After high school, Renée went to Carnegie Mellon University. She earned a degree in theater in 1993. Later, she went to graduate school at the University of Southern California. She earned a master's degree in jazz studies in 1997.

Renée's Career Journey

Starting Out: 1997–2014

From 1997 to 2002, Renée had a regular role on the TV show Ally McBeal. She played one of the backup singers. She was in 43 episodes of the show.

Renée also performed in the national tour of Dreamgirls in 1997. In 2002, she played Nala in the Broadway show The Lion King.

Renée is also a singer and songwriter. She helped write and sang more than half the songs for the 2001 movie All About You. She even won a big songwriting contest in 1997! She released her own music, including an album called Everything But the Kitchen Sink (2001).

In 2005, she starred as Sylvia in Two Gentlemen of Verona in Shakespeare in the Park. She won an award from New York magazine for her performance. Renée then played Nettie Harris in the original Broadway cast of The Color Purple. She was in the show from November 2005 to January 2006.

From 2003 to 2007, Renée played lawyer Evangeline Williamson on the TV show One Life to Live. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award twice for this role.

In 2008, Renée took over the role of Mimi Márquez in the Broadway musical Rent. She was the last actress to play Mimi on Broadway. The final performance of Rent was filmed and released as a DVD and TV movie.

In 2011, she was nominated for an award for her role as Kate Dillon in the Broadway play Good People. After leaving One Life to Live, Renée had a recurring role as Geneva Pine on the TV show The Good Wife. She appeared in 23 episodes between 2010 and 2016.

Big Success with Hamilton: 2015–2019

Renée (right) with her co-star Javier Muñoz in their Hamilton costumes.

Renée Goldsberry created the role of Angelica Schuyler in the hit musical Hamilton. She played her last show on September 3, 2016. In the musical, she performed alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., and Phillipa Soo.

Critics loved her performance. One reviewer said she gave the role "unexpected depth." Another wrote that Renée brought "fierceness and fragility" to her character. She became famous for singing "Satisfied." This song is about Angelica's secret love for Alexander Hamilton. Renée also performed "The Schuyler Sisters" with Phillipa Soo and Jasmine Cephas Jones at the White House in 2016.

For her amazing work in Hamilton, Renée won a Drama Desk Award and a Lucille Lortel Award in 2015. In 2016, she won the big Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also won a Grammy Award because the Hamilton cast album won Best Musical Theater Album.

In October 2015, she even rapped in a "Cypher" at the BET Hip Hop Awards! During this time, she also had small roles in movies like Every Secret Thing (2014) and Sisters (2015).

Renée then played Henrietta Lacks in the HBO TV movie The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017). This movie was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award.

Renée (center) performing with her Hamilton castmates at the White House.

In 2018, she appeared in the Netflix science fiction show Altered Carbon. She played the character Quellcrist Falconer in both seasons. That same year, she had a supporting role in the fantasy comedy movie The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018). She acted alongside Cate Blanchett and Jack Black.

The next year, she was in the movie Waves (2019). Critics praised her performance, saying she was "quietly imposing." She also appeared in an episode of the TV show Documentary Now! (2019). Renée has also made guest appearances on many other TV shows, like Evil, Royal Pains, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Recent Work: 2020–Present

Renée was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for the filmed version of Hamilton that was released on Disney+ in 2020. One reviewer said that her "rapid-fire flow as Angelica Schuyler" and her "sideways glances and obvious pain" were even clearer to see in the film. In 2021, she had a small role in the musical film Tick, Tick... Boom!, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Currently, Renée stars in the Netflix musical comedy series Girls5eva. She plays Wickie Roy, a member of a girl band from the early 2000s. The show is about the band getting back together to try and become famous again. Girls5eva started in May 2021. Renée stars with Sara Bareilles and Paula Pell. For her role, she has been nominated for two Critics' Choice Television Awards.

In 2022, she played Mallory Book in the Disney+ superhero show She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. She also voiced Roxy in the animated series Eureka. In 2023, she returned to the stage to play Prospero in a musical version of The Tempest in Shakespeare in the Park. In 2024, a documentary about her life and career, called Satisfied, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Personal Life

Renée Goldsberry married Alexis Johnson, a lawyer, in 2002. In May 2009, they had their first child, a son named Benjamin. In 2014, they adopted a daughter from Africa named Brielle.

Acting Roles

Movies

Television Shows

Theater Performances

Music Albums

• Everything But the Kitchen Sink (2001)
• The Color Purple (2006, original Broadway cast recording)
• Hamilton (2015, original Broadway cast recording)
• Girls5eva (2021, soundtrack)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Renée Elise Goldsberry para niños