Brooke Elliott
Elliott in 2013
Born	(1974-11-16)November 16, 1974 (age 51) Fridley, Minnesota, U.S.
Alma mater	Western Michigan University (BFA)
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2000–present
Known for	Drop Dead Diva Sweet Magnolias

Brooke Elliott (born November 16, 1974) is an American actress and singer. She has appeared in musical theatre, including the US tours ofBeauty and the Beast andWicked, and theBroadway productions ofTaboo andThe Pirate Queen. She is known for her roles asJane Bingum on theLifetime seriesDrop Dead Diva (2009–2014) and as Dana Sue Sullivan in the Netflix romantic dramaSweet Magnolias (2020–present).

Elliott was born inFridley, Minnesota, to Robert, a city manager, and Kathleen Elliott, on November 16, 1974.^[1] Elliott has one sister, Jamie Alexander, and one brother, Adam Elliott.^[2] Her parents have said that she began to sing when she was three years old, and footage exists of her at that age singingYou Light Up My Life.^[3][4] Her family moved on several occasions, first toBlaine, Minnesota, and then out of state to Missouri, Oklahoma, and Illinois.^[5] The family settled inRiverview, Michigan, when Elliott was a junior in high school. She graduated fromGabriel Richard Catholic High School in 1993; she appeared in high school productions while there, including inRichard III andJoseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Elliott went on toWestern Michigan University, and graduated with aBachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre Performance in 1998.^[3][6]

Elliott worked as atemp and a waitress, including working at a 1950s-themed restaurant where she had to dance on the tables every hour.^[7]

For ten weeks in 1999, she was a member of Chicago-basedstage combat theatre companyBabes With Blades.^[8] As part of that role, she performed a scene fromRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves,The Miracle Worker andHeathers.^[9] She left for her first professional theatre role as the Sugar Bowl in the US touring version ofBeauty and the Beast.^[7][10] She also appeared as part of the cast in the North American tour ofWicked alongsideAdam Lambert, whom she later supported when he appeared onAmerican Idol.^[9][11]

She creditsRosie O'Donnell with getting her firstBroadway role alongsideBoy George inTaboo.^[12] Rosie later described her as "fresh off aDisney Cruise", but allowed her to come back for a second attempt. Elliott spent $117 to change her outfit and make-up in order to be better suited to the role; O'Donnell reimbursed Elliott when she was awarded a part in the show.^[13] The show closed after only a hundred performances, but O'Donnell subsequently praised Elliott's passion for the show.^[14] Elliott went on to play Majella inThe Pirate Queen, which opened in Chicago in 2006 and moved to Broadway in 2007.^[15]

Her first film role was in theMel Gibson filmWhat Women Want in 2000.^[1] Her first television role was in an episode ofLaw & Order: Trial by Jury.^[16] In 2009, Elliott was cast as main character Jane Bingum onLifetime'sDrop Dead Diva.^[12] ProducerCraig Zadan said of Elliott's casting, "We had to find somebody who's a beautiful leading lady, who can do the comedy and drama, and with Brooke, she nailed it".^[17] After the pilot,The New York Times described Elliott as "convincing, and even affecting, at every turn",^[18] and theLos Angeles Times said she was "a stage actress with fabulous comic timing and enormous dramatic flexibility".^[13] Elliott also sings on the soundtrack to the series.^[19] The show ended after itssixth season in 2014.^[20]

In 2016, Elliott starred oppositeKatey Sagal in the CBS comedy pilotUpper Middle Bogan inspired by the Australian series.^[21] It was not ordered to series. In 2018, she went to star in the ABC comedy pilot created by Bobby Bowman about a dysfunctional family struggling with mental illness.^[22][23]

In 2019, Elliot was cast in a leading role on the Netflix romantic drama seriesSweet Magnolias.^[24] In 2022, she executive produced and starred as a country music superstar in the Lifetime holiday movieA Country Christmas Harmony.^[25]

During her time as the leading character inDrop Dead Diva, Elliott has discussed the perception ofplus-size actresses on television,^[12] and describes her body type as normal sized, stating: "The majority of women in America look like me. It's one of the things I love about the show."^[26]

• The Pirate Queen – Original Broadway Cast (2007) – as Majella

• Drop Dead Diva – Music from the Original Television Series (2010)

• Brooke Elliott atIMDb 
• Brooke Elliott at theInternet Broadway Database
• Brooke Elliott atTV Guide

• 1974 births
• American television actresses
• American film actresses
• American musical theatre actresses
• Living people
• Actresses from Minnesota
• Western Michigan University alumni
• People from Fridley, Minnesota
• 21st-century American women

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