Jessica Phillips (born November 3, 1971) is an American actress, best known for her roles in multiple
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 Stre ...
shows and the role of Pippa Cox in ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''.
Early life and education
Phillips is the eldest daughter of Dr. Gary Phillips, a religious historian and writer, and Alice Phillips. She was born in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
, but raised in
Sutton, Massachusetts
Sutton, officially the Town of Sutton, is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,357 in the 2020 United States census. Located in the Blackstone Valley, the town was design ...
. Phillips was a competitive dancer before turning to acting, studying the Linklater Technique as a teen and later training under
Kristin Linklater herself. Phillips attended the
Worcester Academy
Worcester Academy is a co-ed private boarding school in Worcester, Massachusetts serving grades 6-12. It is the oldest school founded in Worcester, Massachusetts, and one of the oldest day-boarding schools in the United States. A coeducation ...
in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...
, where she graduated in 1989. She then earned a
BFA in musical theatre in 1994 from
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It also maintains campuses in Los Angeles and Well, Limburg, Netherlands (Kasteel Well). Founded in 1880 by Charles Wesley Emerson as a "school of Public Speaking, o ...
, where she studied under director Leo Nickole.
Career
Her first audition after college led to the role of Mrs. Walker in the Broadway touring company of The Who's ''
Tommy
Tommy may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tommy (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army
* Tommy Giacomelli (born 1974), Brazilian fo ...
''.
In 1999, she returned to Nashville for five years, where she appeared in the ''
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' is a sung-through musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, based on the character of Joseph from the Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice ...
'' musical and performed on radio as a demo singer.
Phillips has starred in multiple Broadway shows, including all three versions of ''
The Scarlet Pimpernel
''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with her husband Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in Lo ...
'' (Marguerite), ''
Next to Normal
''Next to Normal'' is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her fam ...
'' (Diana), ''
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
''The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert'' is a 1994 Australian road comedy film written and directed by Stephan Elliott. The plot follows two drag queens (played by Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce) and a transgender woman (Terence St ...
'' (Marion), and most recently ''
Leap of Faith
In philosophy, a leap of faith is the act of belief, believing in or accepting something not on the basis of reason. The phrase is commonly associated with Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard.
Idiomatic usage
As an idiom, ''leap of faith'' ca ...
'' (Marla).
[
Phillips performed at the grand re-opening of ]Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...
, hosted by Billy Crystal
William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American comedian, actor, and filmmaker. ...
and has shared the stage with Billy Porter, Estelle Parsons
Estelle Parsons (born November 20, 1927) is an American actress.
After studying law, Parsons became a singer before deciding to pursue a career in acting. She worked for the television program '' Today'' and made her stage debut in 1961. Durin ...
, Marc Kudisch
Marc Kudisch (born September 22, 1966) is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.
Early life and education
Kudisch was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Florence and Raymond Kudisch. His fam ...
, Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton'', which earned him ...
, and Alice Ripley
Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' Next to Normal'' (2009 T ...
. She also starred as Ellen in the world premiere of ''Unknown Soldier'' at the Williamstown Theater Festival in 2015.
Television
She has guest starred in several television series including ''Unforgettable
Unforgettable may refer to:
Film
* ''Unforgettable'' (1996 film), a thriller starring Ray Liotta
* ''Unforgettable'' (2014 film), a Bollywood film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2016 film), a South Korean film
* ''Unforgettable'' (2017 film), an America ...
'', ''Royal Pains
''Royal Pains'' is an American comedy-drama television series that ran on the USA Network from 2009 to 2016. The series is based in part on contemporary concierge medicine practices of independent doctors and companies and follows Hank Lawson, ...
'', and ''Elementary
Elementary may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''Elementary'' (Cindy Morgan album), 2001
* ''Elementary'' (The End album), 2007
* ''Elementary'', a Melvin "Wah-Wah Watson" Ragin album, 1977
Other uses in arts, entertainment, an ...
''. Between 2013 and 2016, Phillips played attorney Pippa Cox in seven episodes of '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' on NBC.
Country music
With Tad Wilson, a former cast member (and her future husband), Phillips sang in the country duo, "10th & Carlisle."
Personal life
Phillips has two sons, Jonah and Malcolm, from a prior marriage to Nicholas Rohlfing.[ She married Tad Wilson on July 15, 2017, and the two split up in 2021. Phillips came out publicly as ]queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
in February 2022.
Theatre credits
•
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillips, Jessica
1971 births
Actresses from Nashville, Tennessee
Actresses from Worcester, Massachusetts
Actresses from New York City
Living people
American stage actresses
21st-century American actresses
American queer actresses
LGBTQ people from Tennessee