| Hannah Waddingham | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974 (age 37–38) England |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Website | |
| http://www.hannahwaddingham.com/ | |
Hannah Waddingham (born 1974, London, England) is an English actress and singer. She is best known for her contribution to West End theatre, particularly her original performance in Spamalot and in A Little Night Music. She has also had a successful screen career.
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Waddingham has had a successful career in the London theatre, especially for her portrayal of Suzanne Valadon in Charles Aznavour's Lautrec, for which she won two Musical Theatre awards (for Best Actress and Best Newcomer).[1] Other theatre credits include Christine Warner in The Beautiful Game (Cambridge Theatre), Satan in Rod Stewart's Tonight's The Night (Victoria Palace Theatre), Rizzo in Grease (Victoria Palace Theatre) and the Witch in Into the Woods (Open Air Theatre).
However, it is for her portrayal of the Lady of the Lake in Spamalot (a role she originated in London) for which she is best known, and received an Olivier Award nomination for her efforts. She also sparked controversy when she made comments about the lack of wins for the show at that year's ceremony.[2]
She was given good reviews for her portrayal of Desiree Armfelt in Trevor Nunn's production of A Little Night Music. In a review, she was termed the "Joanna Lumley of musical theatre".[3] Hannah subsequently received a further Olivier nomination in 2010 as best actress in a musical or entertainment for her performance in A Little Night Music.[4]
She recently originated the role of The Wicked Witch of the West/Miss Gulch to critical acclaim, in the new West End production of The Wizard of Oz, which opened on March 1, 2011 at the London Palladium.[5] She left the production on September 4, 2011 and was replaced by her understudy, Marianne Benedict.[6]
In October 2011, he appeared in a concert of the new musical Soho Cinders at the Queen's Theatre, London.
Waddingham's screen credits include:
Billed simply as Hannah, she placed "Our Kind of Love" in the UK Singles Chart in October 2000, where it peaked at #41.[7]