Linda Balgord (born February 18, 1960) is 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 Stree ...

actress and singer, most notable for playing

Norma Desmond ''Sunset Boulevard'' (styled in the main title on-screen as ''SUNSET BLVD.'') is a 1950 American black comedy film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. It was named after a major street ...

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, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

'', 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 musica ...

in the original Broadway run of ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of t ...

'', 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. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

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 has 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 als ...

in Andrew Lloyd Webber's ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

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

Early life

Balgord was raised in

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

, and graduated from New Lisbon High School in 1978. She is a 1982 graduate of

Viterbo University Viterbo University is a private Catholic university in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Founded in 1890 by the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, Viterbo is home to three colleges with nine schools offering 48 academic programs at the associate, ba ...

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of La Crosse County. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population as of the 2020 census w ...

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

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

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 is on the Rock River, a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkinson is the largest city located entirely in Jeffers ...

. 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''. 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 and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...

personally chose Balgord to portray Norma Desmond in ''

''.

Personal life

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

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 Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fol ...

nomination for Outstanding featured actress in ''

'' for her role as

Notes

External links

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