Debbie Shapiro Gravitte is an American actress and singer. She was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

Career

Gravitte made her

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 ...

debut in the chorus of '' They're Playing Our Song'' in 1979. She performed on Broadway in '' Blues in the Night'' in 1982; '' Zorba'' in 1983; ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' as

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young '' grisette'' in Paris who becomes pregnant by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look after their chi ...

replacement, 1994; and ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'' as Matron "Mama" Morton replacement in 2003. In 1989 she appeared in ''

Jerome Robbins' Broadway ''Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' is an anthology comprising musical numbers from shows that were either directed or choreographed by Jerome Robbins. The shows represented include, for example, '' The King and I'', '' On the Town'' and ''West Side Stor ...

'', for which she won the

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 ...

for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She was nominated for the

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 ...

. She was nominated for the 1981 Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, for the

Frank Loesser Frank Henry Loesser (; June 29, 1910 – July 28, 1969) was an American songwriter who wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musicals ''Guys and Dolls'' and ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'', among others. He won a Tony ...

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own dur ...

''Perfectly Frank'' (1990). She has appeared in several

Encores! Encores! is a Tony-honored concert series dedicated to performing rarely heard American musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, Encores! has revived shows by Irving Berlin, Rodgers & ...

staged concerts at

New York City Center New York City Center (previously known as the Mecca Temple, City Center of Music and Drama,. The name "City Center for Music and Drama Inc." is the organizational parent of the New York City Ballet and, until 2011, the New York City Opera. and t ...

, including ''

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival t ...

'' (2002), ''The Boys from Syracuse'' (1997) and '' Tenderloin'' (2000). Her solo album ''Part of Your World'' celebrates the songs of

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer, best known for his scores and songs for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores and songs for '' The Little Mermaid'' (1989), '' Beauty and the Beast'' (1991), ' ...

, and she is featured on the recording ''Unsung Sondheim''. She was a member of the regular cast of the short-lived 1988 television

situation comedy A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use new ...

Trial and Error Trial and error is a fundamental method of problem-solving characterized by repeated, varied attempts which are continued until success, or until the practicer stops trying. According to W.H. Thorpe, the term was devised by C. Lloyd Morgan (18 ...

''. Her only other screen credit is the 2000 Jacqueline Susann biopic ''

Isn't She Great ''Isn't She Great'' is a 2000 biographical comedy-drama film that presents a fictionalized biography of author Jacqueline Susann, played by Bette Midler. An international co-production between the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Ja ...

'', in which she portrayed singer Eydie Gormé. On October 27, 2012, Shapiro Gravitte starred in the Broadway-style musical ''Loving the Silent Tears'', which premiered in Los Angeles, California. On November 11, 2019, Shapiro Gravitte starred as the narrator in the Off-Broadway revival of ''

Over Here! ''Over Here!'' is a musical with a score by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman and book by Will Holt. The original Broadway production was directed by Tom Moore and choreographed by Patricia Birch, with scenic design by Douglas W. Schmidt a ...

'' at The Triad Theatre in New York City with direction by Will Nunziata and music direction by Blake Allen. The production also starred Haley Swindal as Pauline, Jessica Hendy as Paulette, and

Nikka Graff Lanzarone Nikka Graff Lanzarone (born November 20, 1983) is an actress and dancer. Early life On November 20, 1983, Lanzarone was born in Los Angeles, California. Lanzarone's mother is Ilene Graff, an actress. Lanzarone's father is Ben Lanzarone, a com ...

as Mitzi the Nazi. She performs in concerts, including with the National Symphony with

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. Hamlisch was one of only seventeen people to win Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony awards. This collection of all four is referred to as an " E ...

, the Boston Pops, the Atlanta Symphony, the

Cleveland Orchestra The Cleveland Orchestra, based in Cleveland, is one of the five American orchestras informally referred to as the " Big Five". Founded in 1918 by the pianist and impresario Adella Prentiss Hughes, the orchestra plays most of its concerts at Se ...

, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the

Utah Symphony The Utah Symphony is an American orchestra based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The orchestra's principal venue is Abravanel Hall. In addition to its Salt Lake City subscription concerts, the orchestra travels around the Intermountain West serving c ...

, St. Lous, Houston, and San Diego Symphonies.

Family

She is married to actor/singer Beau Gravitte; the couple has three children.Gans, Andrew
"DIVA TALK: Chatting with Big Time's Debbie Gravitte, Your Evita Thoughts and News of Peters and Menzel"
''Playbill'', September 9, 2005 ''The Bay Area Reporter'' noted: "Being at home to rear her three children with actor husband Beau Gravitte was a big reason she turned to the life of a traveling concert performer, with big at-home gaps built into the schedule."Fox, Sandra Diamond
"A Sunday chat with Beau Gravitte"
newstimes.com, August 14, 2010

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravitte, Debbie Living people American film actresses American women singers American stage actresses Actresses from California Tony Award winners 21st-century American women Year of birth missing (living people)