Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

. She won the

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

for Best Actress in ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Run ...

'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations.

Life and career

Prince was born in

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, and raised in

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner and Abolitionism, abolitionist John Lynch (1740–1820), J ...

, where she attended E.C. Glass High School, and later studied theater at the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music. She made her Broadway debut as the ''Gypsy'' character Tessie Tura in '' Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' (1989) and followed this with a role in the ill-fated '' Nick & Nora''. She was established as a Broadway star with her portrayal of Miss Adelaide in the 1992 revival of ''

'', for which she won both the Tony and

Drama Desk Award 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 ...

as Best Actress in a Musical. In 2001, Prince was once again nominated for Tony and Drama Desk Awards for her portrayal of Ella Peterson in the revival of '' Bells Are Ringing''. She was featured in the 2008 Broadway musical '' A Catered Affair'', for which she received Tony and Drama Desk nominations. She appeared in a concert version of ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial '' The String of Pearls'' (1846–1847). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London legend. A barber from Fleet St ...

'' with the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra in

Orlando Orlando commonly refers to: * Orlando, Florida, a city in the United States Orlando may also refer to: People * Orlando (given name), a masculine name, includes a list of people with the name * Orlando (surname), includes a list of people wit ...

, Florida in March 2009. On April 7, 2009, she took over the role of Ursula from Heidi Blickenstaff in the Broadway musical ''

The Little Mermaid "The Little Mermaid" (), sometimes translated in English as "The Little Sea Maid", is a fairy tale written by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. Originally published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children, the story foll ...

''. She appeared in such films as '' The Last Dragon'' (1985), '' Dave'' (1993), '' Picture Perfect'' (1997), and '' Our Very Own'' (2005), among others. Her television credits include the short-lived ''

High Society High society, sometimes simply Society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth, power, fame and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open ...

'' (1995); recurring roles on '' Spin City'' (1997–2000) and '' Huff'' (2004–2005), as well as guest appearances on such shows as '' Remington Steele'', ''

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

'', ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

'', ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey (screenwriter), Peter Casey, and David Lee (scr ...

'', ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

'', ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

'', '' Drop Dead Diva'', ''

Ugly Betty ''Ugly Betty'' is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from September 28, 2006, to April 14, 2010. It is based on the Colombian telenovela ''Yo soy Betty, la fea' ...

'', and '' Happy Endings''. A live recording of her 2005

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

debut at Joe's Pub, at

The Public Theater The Public Theater is an arts organization in New York City. Founded by Joseph Papp, The Public Theater was originally the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954; its mission was to support emerging playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: ...

, entitled ''A Leap of Faith'', was released on the DRG Records label. A second recording, titled ''Total Faith'' was recorded at the Royal Room,

Palm Beach, Florida Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. Located on a barrier island in east-central Palm Beach County, the town is separated from West Palm Beach, Florida, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth Beach, Florida, ...

.Kramer, Peter
"Faith Prince at Caramoor"
lohud.com, May 4, 2010. She participated in studio recordings of scores from '' Breakfast at Tiffany's'' and Jerry Herman's unproduced musical, '' Miss Spectacular''. She performs her cabaret act in various venues, such as the Orange County Performing Arts Center, California, in April 2010, and at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts,

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...

, in May 2010. Prince appeared in the concert version (and accompanying recording) of the revue '' Life Begins at 8:40'' at the Library of Congress in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on March 22, 2010. She also performed the closing show in the 2002–2003 theatre season at Eisenhower Hall at West Point. Prince played Mrs. Wilkinson in the second United States national tour of ''

Billy Elliot the Musical ''Billy Elliot: The Musical'' is a Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age stage musical based on the Billy Elliot, 2000 film of the same name. The music is by Elton John, and the book and lyrics are by Lee Hall (playwright), Lee Hall, who wrote th ...

'', which began performances in October 2010 and ended in August 2011. In 2012, Prince worked with long-term friend

Jason Graae Jason Graae (pronounced "grah" or "graw", but not "gray") (born 15 May 1958) is an American musical theater actor, best known for his musical theater performances but with a varied career spanning Broadway, opera, television and film. He has ...

on '' The Prince and the Showboy'', a show which pays tribute to composer Jerry Herman ('' La Cage aux Folles'', '' Hello Dolly!'') whom Graae described as "a survivor of the highest degree holives his life as an eternal optimist." Prince and Graae won the New York Nightlife Award for outstanding musical comedy performer in January 2013. She returned to the Broadway stage replacing

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, five Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Gui ...

as Miss Hannigan in the revival of ''Annie'' beginning July 19, 2013. She then appeared as Shirley in the Broadway production of '' Disaster!'' She had a recurring role in the

ABC Family American cable television, cable and satellite television network Freeform (TV channel), Freeform was originally launched as the CBN Satellite Service on April 29, 1977, and has gone through four different owners and six different name changes dur ...

sitcom, '' Melissa & Joey'', as Gloria Longo, and in the Fox musical drama ''

Monarch A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...

'' as Nellie Cantrell.

Personal life

Prince has been married to trumpeter Larry Lunetta since 1992; the couple resides in

Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...

, with their son. She has been predeceased by her brother, Philip. Prince is a Presbyterian.

Selected stage productions

* ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

'' (1982) * ''Carousel'' (1986) * '' Jerome Robbins' Broadway'' (1989) * '' Falsettoland'' (1990) * '' Nick & Nora'' (1991) * ''

'' (1992 revival) * ''What's Wrong with This Picture?'' (1994) * ''

The King and I ''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childr ...

'' (1996 revival) * '' Little Me'' (1998 revival) * '' James Joyce's The Dead'' (2000) * '' The Torch-Bearers'' (2000) * ''

Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 farce by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of '' The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funni ...

'' (2001 revival) * '' Bells Are Ringing'' (2001 revival) * '' A Man of No Importance'' (2002) * ''

Falsettos ''Falsettos'' is a sung-through musical theatre, musical with a book by William Finn and James Lapine, and music and lyrics by Finn. The musical consists of ''March of the Falsettos'' (1981) and ''Falsettoland'' (1990), the last two installment ...

'' (2003) * '' A Catered Affair'' (2008) * ''

'' (2009) * ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age Comedy film, comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall (playwright), Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the fi ...

'' (Second National Tour) (2010–2011) * ''The Prince and the Showboy'' (2012) * '' Annie'' (2013–2014) * '' First Wives Club'' (2015) * '' Disaster!'' (2016) * '' Boop! The Musical'' (2023, 2025)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prince, Faith Living people Actresses from Virginia American musical theatre actresses American television actresses University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music alumni Musicians from Lynchburg, Virginia Tony Award winners Drama Desk Award winners Actresses from Augusta, Georgia Actresses from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Singers from Virginia Singers from Georgia (U.S. state) 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers Year of birth missing (living people)