Kristen Vigard (born May 15, 1963) is an American actress and singer.
Vigard made her acting debut at the age of 6 playing a carrot in a production starring Holly Woodlawn, Candy Darling and Jackie Curtis. Vigard continued performing in theatre, appearing in productions with Ruby Dee, Joanne Woodward and Shirley Knight. She also became one of the first clients to be signed to the Children's Division of the Ford Modeling Agency, along with Brooke Shields and Ricky Schroder.
In 1976, she created the title role in the musical Annie at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut. However, the producers soon decided that Vigard's genuinely sweet interpretation was not tough enough for the street-smart character. After a week of performances, Vigard was replaced by Andrea McArdle, who played one of the orphans. Vigard later went on to become McArdle's Broadway understudy.[1]
In 1977, Vigard played "Crissy" in the short-lived revival of Hair. Though the show met with mostly negative reviews, Vigard received some of the best notices. The New York Times wrote, "The very best song of all, and perhaps the best performance as well, is Miss Vigard in the stony and touching saga of a teenybopper, "Frank Mills." Miss Vigard looks like an ancient 12 year old; she sings in a clear, clean style that cuts most satisfyingly through the general lushness." Newsweek noted, Angel-faced Kristen Vigard is the nicest of [the] cast.
In 1978, Vigard was cast as Morgan Richards on the daytime soap opera The Guiding Light. That same year, she appeared on the cover of People as one of the "Torrid Teens of Soaps". She remained on the show for two years. In May 1979, she returned to Broadway as Johanne in I Remember Mama with Liv Ullman. Although show was the last musical to be written by Richard Rodgers, it received mixed reviews.
Vigard made her film debut in the 1979 film The Black Stallion and later appeared alongside Henry Fonda in the TV movie Home to Stay. She continued her work on television on Fame, The Equalizer, Amazing Stories and a two-year stint on One Life to Live. In 1983, she appeared in her first major screen role playing Walter Matthau's daughter in the film The Survivors.
Vigard then pursued a music career and in the 80's toured as a backup singer with Fishbone and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 1988, she released her eponymous debut album. It was chosen as one of the top 100 albums of the year by Playboy and reached the Billboard top 30. In 1996, she sang the lead vocals for Illeana Douglas for the film Grace of My Heart. In 2004, Vigard released her second album, God, Loves and Angels.