Faith Prince | |
|---|---|
| Born | Augusta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Education | University of Cincinnati (BFA) |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work onBroadway inmusical theatre. She won theTony Award for Best Actress inGuys and Dolls in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations.
Prince was born inAugusta, Georgia, and raised inLynchburg, Virginia, where she attended E.C. Glass High School, and later studied theater at theUniversity of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music.[1][2] She made her Broadway debut as theGypsy character Tessie Tura inJerome Robbins' Broadway (1989) and followed this with a role in the ill-fatedNick & Nora.[3]
She was established as a Broadway star with her portrayal of Miss Adelaide in the 1992 revival ofGuys and Dolls, for which she won both theTony andDrama Desk Award as Best Actress in a Musical. In 2001, Prince was once again nominated for Tony and Drama Desk Awards for her portrayal of Ella Peterson in the revival ofBells Are Ringing. She was featured in the 2008 Broadway musicalA Catered Affair, for which she received Tony and Drama Desk nominations.[4]
She appeared in a concert version ofSweeney Todd with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra inOrlando, Florida in March 2009.[5] On April 7, 2009, she took over the role of Ursula fromHeidi Blickenstaff in the Broadway musicalThe Little Mermaid.[6]
She appeared in such films asThe Last Dragon (1985),Dave (1993),Picture Perfect (1997), andOur Very Own (2005), among others. Her television credits include the short-livedHigh Society (1995); recurring roles onSpin City (1997–2000) andHuff (2004–2005), as well as guest appearances on such shows asRemington Steele,Law & Order,Monk,Frasier,House,Grey's Anatomy,Drop Dead Diva,Ugly Betty, andHappy Endings.
A live recording of her 2005cabaret debut atJoe's Pub, atThe Public Theater, entitledA Leap of Faith, was released on the DRG Records label. A second recording, titledTotal Faith was recorded at the Royal Room,Palm Beach, Florida.[7] She participated in studio recordings of scores fromBreakfast at Tiffany's[8] andJerry Herman's unproduced musical,Miss Spectacular.[9]
She performs her cabaret act in various venues, such as the Orange County Performing Arts Center, California, in April 2010,[10] and at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts,Westchester County, New York, in May 2010.[7] Prince appeared in the concert version (and accompanying recording) of the revueLife Begins at 8:40 at the Library of Congress inWashington, D.C., on March 22, 2010.[11] She also performed the closing show in the 2002–2003 theatre season at Eisenhower Hall at West Point.
Prince played Mrs. Wilkinson in the second United States national tour ofBilly Elliot the Musical, which began performances in October 2010 and ended in August 2011.[12][13]
In 2012, Prince worked with long-term friendJason Graae onThe Prince and the Showboy, a show which pays tribute to composerJerry Herman (La Cage aux Folles,Hello Dolly!) whom Graae described as "a survivor of the highest degree [who] lives his life as an eternal optimist."[14] Prince and Graae won the New York Nightlife Award for outstanding musical comedy performer in January 2013.[15]
She returned to the Broadway stage replacingJane Lynch as Miss Hannigan in the revival ofAnnie beginning July 19, 2013.[16] She then appeared as Shirley in the Broadway production ofDisaster![17]
She had a recurring role in theABC Family sitcom,Melissa & Joey, as Gloria Longo, and in theFox musical dramaMonarch as Nellie Cantrell.
Since 2024 she has co-led the annual 92NY Summer Cabaret Conference alongside Michael Kirk Lane[18]
She returned to Broadway in 2025 in Boop! The Musical[19]
Prince has been married to trumpeter Larry Lunetta since 1992; the couple resides inSacramento, California, with their son.[20][21] She has been predeceased by her brother, Philip.[22]
Prince is a Presbyterian.[23]
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Jerome Robbins' Broadway | Nominated | |
| Tony Award | Best Featured Actress in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| 1992 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Best Actress in a Musical | Guys and Dolls andNick & Nora | Won | |
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Guys and Dolls | Won | ||
| Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Won | |||
| 2001 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Bells Are Ringing | Nominated | |
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| Helen Hayes Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Non-Resident Production | James Joyce's The Dead | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | A Catered Affair | Nominated | |
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | Nominated | |||
| 2012 | New York Nightlife Award | Outstanding Musical Comedy Performer | The Prince and the Showboy | Won | Joint withJason Graae[15] |
Faculty, Resident Artists, and Alumni ... Alumni continue to hold key positions in the performing and media arts. Numbered among them are ... musical theatre stars Faith Prince, Lee Roy Reams, Michele Pawk, Jason Graae, Jim Walton, Vicki Lewis, and Ashley Brown.
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