Beth Fowler is an American actress and singer, best known for her performances on Broadway and for her role as Sister Ingalls, on ''

Orange Is the New Black ''Orange Is the New Black'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''OITNB'') is an American comedy-drama streaming television series created by Jenji Kohan for Netflix. The series is based on Piper Kerman's memoir '' Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a ...

''. She is a two-time

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual c ...

nominee.

Life and career

Born in

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Caldwell University Caldwell University is a private Catholic university in Caldwell, New Jersey. Founded in 1939 by the Sisters of St. Dominic, the university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, chartered by the State of New Jersey, ...

in New Jersey and was a music teacher for several years, as well as performing in community theater.Delhauer, Patricia
"Meet Beth Fowler"
omagdigital.com, September 5, 2018 Fowler attended Catholic schools and planned to enter a convent before becoming a music teacher. She had a fondness for Broadway theatre when she decided to audition for '' Gantry'' in 1970. She was signed for the chorus and as understudy for the lead, but the show closed on opening night. She had better luck with her next outing,

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

''. Additional Broadway credits include '' 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue''; ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

''; '' Baby''; ''

Take Me Along ''Take Me Along'' is a 1959 musical based on the 1933 Eugene O'Neill play '' Ah, Wilderness'', with music and lyrics by Bob Merrill and book by Joseph Stein and Robert Russell.Mandelbaum, Ke"Ken Mandelbaum's Musicals On Disc: Remembering Bob Me ...

''; ''

Teddy & Alice ''Teddy & Alice'' is a musical with a book by Jerome Alden, lyrics by Hal Hackady, and music adapted from the work of John Philip Sousa, with some new songs by Richard Kapp. In its very early stages, Alan Jay Lerner contributed material before he ...

''; the 1989 revival of '' Sweeney Todd'', in which she portrayed

Mrs. Lovett Mrs. Lovett is a fictional character appearing in many adaptations of the story ''Sweeney Todd''. Her first name is most commonly referred to as Nellie, although she has also been referred to as Amelia, Margery, Maggie, Sarah, Shirley, Wilhelmina ...

; ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

'', in which she originated the role of Mrs. Potts; '' Bells Are Ringing''; and ''

The Boy from Oz ''The Boy from Oz'' is a Australian jukebox musical based on the life of singer and songwriter Peter Allen, featuring songs written by him. The book commissioned for the musical is by Nick Enright, based on Stephen MacLean's 1996 biography of ...

'', where she portrayed Peter Allen's mother Marion. Fowler has been nominated for two

s: as Best Featured Actress in a Musical for ''The Boy From Oz'' and as Best Actress in a Musical for ''Sweeney Todd'', which garnered her a

Drama Desk Award 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. F ...

nomination as well. During her career, Fowler appeared in a number of films, including ''

Sister Act ''Sister Act'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Emile Ardolino and written by Paul Rudnick (as Joseph Howard). It stars Whoopi Goldberg as a lounge singer forced to join a convent after being placed in a witness protection program. I ...

'' and '' Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit'', '' Friends & Family'', '' Did You Hear About the Morgans?'', ''

I Don't Know How She Does It ''I Don't Know How She Does It'' is a 2011 American comedy film based on Allison Pearson's 2002 novel of the same name. Directed by Douglas McGrath, the film stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. The film was released on Se ...

'', and '' Mulan'', in which she sang "Honor to Us All". On television, Fowler guest-starred on ''

Law & Order ''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise. ''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering ...

'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'', '' Ed'', and ''

Gossip Girl ''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...

''. In 2013, she began appearing in the recurring role as Sister Jane Ingalls in the comedy-drama series ''

''. Along with cast, Fowler received the

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series The Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast (or Ensemble) in a Comedy Series is an award given by the Screen Actors Guild to honor the finest ensemble acting achievements in comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that cons ...

Personal

Since 2000, Fowler has been a resident of New Milford, New Jersey, having previously resided in Rutherford, Teaneck, Hawthorne, and Glen Rock.Beckerman, Jim
"Fowler draws on salon ties for role"
, ''

The Record (Bergen County) ''The Record'' (also called ''The North Jersey Record'', ''The Bergen Record'', ''The Sunday Record'' (Sunday edition) and formerly ''The Bergen Evening Record'') is a newspaper in New Jersey, United States. Serving Bergen, Essex, Hudson and ...

'', March 12, 2008. Accessed March 12, 2008. "Born in Jersey City, raised in Rutherford (she cut her acting teeth with the Bergen County Players in Oradell), she lived in Teaneck, Hawthorne and Glen Rock before settling, eight years ago, in New Milford."Klein, Alvin
"Theater; A Musical Powerhouse Returns to the Stage"
''The New York Times'', November 26, 2000 Fowler married Jack Witham in 1976.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fowler, Beth American musical theatre actresses American women singers 20th-century American actresses Living people People from Hawthorne, New Jersey Actresses from Jersey City, New Jersey People from New Milford, New Jersey People from Rutherford, New Jersey People from Teaneck, New Jersey Singers from New Jersey American television actresses American film actresses 21st-century American actresses Musicians from Jersey City, New Jersey Caldwell University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)