Linda Balgord (February 18, 1960 – March 5, 2024) was an American

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

actress and singer, most notable for playing

Norma Desmond ''Sunset Boulevard'' is a 1950 American dark comedy film noir directed by Billy Wilder and co-written by Wilder, Charles Brackett and D. M. Marshman Jr. It is named after a major street that runs through Hollywood. The film stars William Ho ...

in the 1996 United States tour of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, United States, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway (California), Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisad ...

'', being the last actress to portray

Grizabella Grizabella the Glamour Cat is a main character in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical ''Cats''. Lonely and decrepit, Grizabella seeks acceptance from the other Jellicle cats but is initially ostracised. She sings the most famous song from the music ...

in the original Broadway run of ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'', and originating the role of

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

in ''

The Pirate Queen ''The Pirate Queen'' is a musical with music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, French lyrics by Alain Boublil and English lyric adaptations by Richard Maltby Jr. and John Dempsey. The French book was written by Boublil and Schönberg and the Englis ...

'' on Broadway. She also played the role of

Madame Giry Madame Giry is a fictional character from Gaston Leroux's 1910 novel '' The Phantom of the Opera''. She is a fairly intermediate character in the novel, although her role is much increased in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical. Madame Giry is ...

in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''

The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom of the Opera may refer to: Novel * The Phantom of the Opera (novel), ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (novel), 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux Characters * Erik (The Phantom of the Opera), Erik (''The Phantom of the Opera''), the title char ...

'', in both the restaged North American tour and on Broadway.

Early life

Linda Balgord was born on February 18, 1960. A native of

New Lisbon, Wisconsin New Lisbon is a city in Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,748 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. History The site of New Lisbon was used as a seasonal winter encampment by Ho-Chunk people, who called it or ...

, and an aspiring actress since grade school, Balgord graduated from

New Lisbon High School New Lisbon High School (or NLHS) is a high school in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, New Lisbon, Juneau County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the New Lisbon School District, School District of New Lisbon. The district serves students residing i ...

in 1978. She was a 1982 graduate of

Viterbo University Viterbo University is a Private university, private Catholic university in La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1890 by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Viterbo is home to three colleges with nine schools offering 48 acad ...

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

, and she received a Master of Fine Arts, Acting, from the

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Univ ...

Career

From 1982 to 1984, between her undergraduate graduation and beginning graduate studies, Balgord acted at the Fireside Theatre in

Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It lies along the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkinson is the largest city ...

. Soon after she finished her graduate studies, Balgord went to Chicago and began acting at the Goodman Theater in ''Sunday in the Park With George''. She moved to New York in 1990 and after five months gained the lead role in a two-year national tour of ''

Aspects of Love ''Aspects of Love'' is a musical with music and book by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart. It is based on the 1955 novel by David Garnett. The piece focuses on the romantic entanglements of actress Rose Vibert, ...

''. Her Broadway debut came in ''Passion''.

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

personally chose Balgord to portray Norma Desmond in ''

''.

Awards

Balgord received the Distinguished Young Alumna Award from Viterbo University in 1990. She received a Helen Hayes Non-Resident Acting award in 1993 and a Helen Hayes Resident Acting award in 1999. She also received a

Drama Desk The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

nomination for Outstanding featured actress in ''

'' for her role as

Personal life and death

Balgord married stage manager Andrew Fenton in July 1993. They met when both worked on the production of ''Aspects of Love'' in Toronto. Linda Balgord died in

Naples, Florida Naples is a city in Collier County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,115, down from 19,539 at the 2010 census. Naples is a principal city of the Collier County, Florida, Naples–Marc ...

, on March 5, 2024, at the age of 64.Broadway Cats, Phantom of the Opera Star Linda Balgord Dies at 64
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Notes

External links

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balgord, Linda 1960 births 2024 deaths Actresses from Wisconsin People from New Lisbon, Wisconsin American musical theatre actresses Viterbo University alumni University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee alumni 21st-century American actresses