Sutton Foster facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sutton Foster
Foster in 2022
Born	Sutton Lenore Foster (1975-03-18) March 18, 1975 (age 50) Statesboro, Georgia, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (attended)
Occupation	Actress singer dancer
Years active	1989–present
Spouse(s)	Christian Borle ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2009)​ Ted Griffin ​ ​ (m. 2014; separated 2024)​
Children	1
Relatives	Hunter Foster (brother) Jennifer Cody (sister-in-law)

Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is famous for her amazing work on Broadway. Sutton has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical seven times. She won this award twice. First, in 2002 for her role as Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie. Then, in 2011 for playing Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes. She also played Reno Sweeney in London in 2021. This earned her a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Sutton has starred in many other Broadway shows. These include Grease, Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, and Shrek the Musical. On television, she played the main character in Bunheads from 2012 to 2013. From 2015 to 2021, she also starred in the TV show Younger.

Sutton Foster's Early Life and Education

Sutton Foster was born on March 18, 1975, in Statesboro, Georgia. She grew up in Troy, Michigan. When she was 15, she appeared on the TV show Star Search. She also tried out for The Mickey Mouse Club. Sutton left Troy High School early to join a national tour. This tour was for the musical The Will Rogers Follies. She later earned her diploma through special courses.

She attended Carnegie Mellon University for one year. But she left to focus on her theater career. Sutton has received honorary doctorates from two universities. Ball State University gave her one in 2012. Boston Conservatory at Berklee gave her another in 2019. Her older brother, Hunter Foster, is also an actor.

Sutton Foster's Amazing Career on Stage

Starting Out: 1995 to 2001

Sutton Foster toured as Sandy in Grease in 1995. She then joined the Broadway show in 1996. After Grease, she was in the Broadway musical The Scarlet Pimpernel. Then she returned to Annie as the Star to Be. In 1998, Sutton performed in What the World Needs Now. She then toured with Les Misérables as Eponine. She later became the understudy for this role on Broadway.

Foster joined Thoroughly Modern Millie before it came to Broadway. She was the understudy for the main role, Millie Dilmount. When the original actress left, Sutton took over the part. She had only nine days to prepare! Before Millie opened on Broadway, Sutton also performed in other shows. These included Dorian, The Three Musketeers, and South Pacific.

Becoming a Star: 2002 to 2010

Thoroughly Modern Millie opened on Broadway in 2002. Critics loved Sutton's performance. They praised her voice, dancing, and charming stage presence. For this role, Sutton won the 2002 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. She also won the Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award. During the show's run, she also appeared in concert versions of Chess and Funny Girl.

In 2005, Sutton starred as Jo March in Little Women. This musical was based on the classic book. She earned her second Tony Award nomination for this role. In 2006, she returned to Broadway in The Drowsy Chaperone. This show was a funny spoof of 1920s musicals. Sutton played Janet van de Graaff, a Broadway star who wants to get married. This role earned her a third Tony nomination. From 2007 to 2008, she played Inga in Young Frankenstein.

In 2007, Sutton guest-starred on the children's show Johnny and the Sprites. She also appeared in three episodes of Flight of the Conchords. In 2008, she played Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical on Broadway. For this, she won another Outer Critics Circle Award. She also received her fourth Tony Award nomination.

Sutton released her first solo album, Wish, in 2009. She performed concerts to promote the album. In 2010, she made her Off-Broadway debut in the play Trust. She also taught master classes at New York University and Ball State University. Sutton appeared on an episode of Law & Order: SVU in 2010. She also performed at the Kennedy Center Honors several times.

New Roles and TV Success: 2011 to 2014

In 2011, Sutton starred as Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of Anything Goes. She won her second Tony Award for this performance. She also won another Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award. Sutton left the show in 2012 to film the TV show Bunheads.

In Bunheads, Sutton played Michelle Simms, a former Las Vegas showgirl. Michelle moves to a small town and teaches ballet. Sutton won a Gracie Award for this role. The show ran for one season. Sutton continued to work with Ball State University. She taught classes and helped with student productions. In 2013, she guest-starred on Psych. She also appeared in the films Gravy (2013) and The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014). From March to August 2014, Sutton starred in the musical Violet. This earned her a sixth Tony Award nomination.

Younger and Beyond: 2015 to Present

Sutton made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2015. She also returned to the Encores! series to play Queenie in The Wild Party. Later in 2015, she began starring as Liza Miller in the TV show Younger. The show was very popular and ran until 2021.

In 2016, Sutton performed in a musical revue called Defying Gravity in Australia. She also starred in an Off-Broadway revival of Sweet Charity. Sutton appeared in Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016. She also made guest appearances on Match Game, The Good Wife, and Mad Dogs. In 2017, she co-directed Shrek: The Musical at Ball State University. She also performed with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for their Christmas concerts.

From July to October 2021, Sutton made her London theatre debut. She reprised her role as Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes at the Barbican Theatre. Her performance received excellent reviews. She was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award. The show was also broadcast in cinemas and on PBS.

In October 2021, Sutton published a memoir called Hooked. In the book, she shares how crafts like cross-stitching and crocheting helped her through tough times. She even crocheted an octopus toilet paper cover for her Younger co-star Hilary Duff's wedding!

In December 2021, Sutton returned to Broadway. She starred as Marian Paroo in a revival of The Music Man with Hugh Jackman. For this role, she received her seventh Tony Award nomination. She also won the Drama League Award. The show closed in January 2023. As of summer 2025, Sutton is teaching theater at Ball State University. In February 2024, she joined the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as Mrs. Lovett. She performed opposite Aaron Tveit. Sutton also starred as Princess Winnifred in a concert production of Once Upon a Mattress. This production moved to Broadway in July 2024 and will play in Los Angeles in December 2024.

Sutton Foster's Personal Life

Sutton Foster met actor Christian Borle in college. They married in 2006 but divorced in 2009. They remain good friends and support each other's careers. In 2013, Sutton got engaged to screenwriter Ted Griffin. They married in 2014. In April 2017, Sutton announced they had adopted a baby girl named Emily, born in March 2017. Sutton filed for divorce from Ted Griffin in October 2024. As of summer 2025, she is in a relationship with actor Hugh Jackman.

Sutton loves dogs and has had three: Linus, Mabel, and Brody. She also creates artwork, which she sells online and at art shows. She has worked with visual artist Julien Havard, who used to be her dresser for many years.

Performances and Works

Film Roles

Television Roles

Theatre Performances

Discography (Music Albums)

• Wish (2009)
• An Evening with Sutton Foster: Live at the Café Carlyle (2011)
• Take Me to the World (2018)

Concert Tours

• An Evening with Sutton Foster (2010–11)
• An Evening with Sutton Foster: Broadway in Concert (2015–16)

Awards and Nominations

Sutton Foster has won and been nominated for many awards. These include the Tony Awards for Broadway and the Laurence Olivier Awards for London theatre.

• 56th Tony Awards: Won Best Actress in a Musical for Thoroughly Modern Millie (2002)
• 59th Tony Awards: Nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for Little Women (2005)
• 60th Tony Awards: Nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for The Drowsy Chaperone (2006)
• 63rd Tony Awards: Nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for Shrek the Musical (2009)
• 65th Tony Awards: Won Best Actress in a Musical for Anything Goes (2011)
• 68th Tony Awards: Nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for Violet (2014)
• 75th Tony Awards: Nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for The Music Man (2022)
• 2022 Laurence Olivier Awards: Nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for Anything Goes (2022)