Amber Renae Gray (born April 2, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She is known for portraying

Hélène Bezukhova Helene or Hélène may refer to: People * Helene (given name), a Greek feminine given name *Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda *Helene, a figure in Greek mythology who was a friend of Aphrodite and helped her seduce Adonis *Helene (A ...

in the 2016

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 ...

musical '' Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812'' and for originating the role of

Persephone In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Persephone ( ; gr, Περσεφόνη, Persephónē), also called Kore or Cora ( ; gr, Κόρη, Kórē, the maiden), is the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. She became the queen of the underworld afte ...

in the musical ''

Hadestown ''Hadestown'' is a musical with music, lyrics, and book by Anaïs Mitchell. It tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Eurydice, a young girl looking for something to eat, goes to work in a hellish industrial underworl ...

'', both off and on Broadway. For the latter 2019 role, she was nominated for the

Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical The Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical has been presented since 1950. The award was not given at the first three Tony Award ceremonies. Nominees were not announced publicly until 1956. Winners and nominees 1950s ...

, additionally earning the 2020

Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album The Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album has been awarded since 1959. The award is generally given to the album producer, principal vocalist(s), and the composer and lyricist if they have written a new score which comprises 51% or more play ...

Early life and education

Gray was born on April 2, 1981, in

Fort Belvoir, Virginia A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. She is a

military brat A military brat (colloquial or military slang) is a child of serving or retired military personnel. Military brats are associated with a unique subcultureDavid C. Pollock, Ruth E. van Reken. ''Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds'', Revi ...

and spent her early childhood across Europe and the United States. She later settled in

Wayland, Massachusetts Wayland is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The town was founded in 1638, and incorporated in 1780 and was originally part of neighboring Sudbury, Massachusetts, Sudbury (incorporated 1639). ...

, where she attended

Wayland High School Wayland High School is the public high school for the town of Wayland, Massachusetts, United States. During the 2021-2022 school year, there were 831 students enrolled at the high school. Wayland High School is consistently ranked as one of the b ...

. She attended

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...

where she received a BFA in acting and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

where she received an MFA in acting.

Career

In 2007, she began her screen career by appearing in an episode of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', titled "Haystack", as a character named Raye. She also worked as a photographer on ''Canada's Top Model'' in 2009 on the episode "Bright Lights: No Pity". In 2012, Gray first became involved with '' Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812''. Gray portrayed Countess

in the musical's performances at the Off-Off-Broadway

Ars Nova Theater Ars Nova is an Off-Broadway, non-profit theater in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Ars Nova develops and produces theater, comedy and music created by artists in the early stages of their careers. The theater was founded in 2002 i ...

. Gray continued with ''Great Comet'' when it moved to Kazino

Meatpacking The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is generall ...

in 2013, Kazino

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

in 2014, and when it opened on

in late 2016. Gray was awarded a 2017

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre s ...

for her performance as Hélène. In 2014, Gray reprised her leading role as Zoe in ''

An Octoroon ''An Octoroon'' is a play written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. It is an adaptation of Dion Boucicault's ''The Octoroon'', which premiered in 1859. Jacobs-Jenkins reframes Boucicault's play using its original characters and plot, speaking much of ...

'' at

Soho Repertory Theatre The Soho Repertory Theatre, known as Soho Rep,The official website'now use "Soho", with a lowercase h, as do most articles from th''New York Times''/ref> is an American Off-Broadway theater company based in New York City which is notable for prod ...

''An Octoroon'' utilized the plot of ''

The Octoroon ''The Octoroon'' is a play by Dion Boucicault that opened in 1859 at The Winter Garden Theatre, New York City. Extremely popular, the play was kept running continuously for years by seven road companies. Among antebellum melodramas, it was cons ...

'', an 1859 melodrama, but turned it into a contemporary new play that discusses America's slave history and both past and present

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

. In an interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' , Gray spoke of the part's difficulty due to many intense racial scenes/ Gray remained with the production when it went on to play at

Theatre for a New Audience The Theatre for a New Audience (TFANA) is a non-profit theater in New York City focused on producing Shakespeare and other classic dramas. Its off-Broadway productions have toured in the U.S. and internationally. History Theatre for a New Audienc ...

in 2015. In 2016, Gray portrayed

New York Theatre Workshop __NOTOC__ New York Theatre Workshop (NYTW) is an Off-Broadway theatre noted for its productions of new works. Located at 79 East 4th Street between Second Avenue and Bowery in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, it hou ...

's production of the new musical ''

'', based on

Anaïs Mitchell Anaïs Mitchell (; born March 26, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and playwright. Mitchell has released eight studio albums, including '' Hadestown'' (2010), ''Young Man in America'' (2012),

's album of the same name and the tragic myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Gray was again directed by

Rachel Chavkin Rachel Chavkin (; born July 20, 1980) is an American stage director best known for directing the musicals '' Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812'' and ''Hadestown,'' receiving nominations for a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical f ...

, whom she collaborated with during ''Great Comet''. Gray was praised by critics, who were impressed by her "vocal dexterity," "charisma," and "powerhouse voice". She reprised this role in the Edmonton

Citadel Theatre The Citadel Theatre is the major venue for theatre arts in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, located in the city's downtown core on Churchill Square. It is the third largest regional theatre in Canada. History It began in a former Salvatio ...

, London National Theatre, and Broadway productions. For the Broadway production, she received a nomination for the

. In 2021, Gray debuted her first leading role in the

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technolog ...

limited series '' The Underground Railroad'' as Gloria Valentine.

Personal life

Gray married Galen Hamilton in 2011. They have two children. Gray is biracial.

Theatre

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Amber 1981 births American musical theatre actresses Grammy Award winners Living people Theatre World Award winners Wayland High School alumni American film actresses 21st-century American actresses American television actresses