Mandy Gonzalez (born August 22, 1978)Mandy Gonzalez
on

IMDbPro IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...

. is an American actress and singer, best known for her leading roles on

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 ...

. She originated the role of Nina Rosario in the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

and Broadway productions of the

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

In the Heights ''In the Heights'' is a musical with concept, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by Quiara Alegría Hudes. The story is a romance as well as a celebration of community, culture, and aspirations. It is set over the course of thr ...

''. In 2010 and 2011, she played

Elphaba Elphaba Thropp () is the protagonist of Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel '' Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'', the novel's musical theatre adaptation, and the musical's two-part film adaptation, '' Wicked'' (2024) and '' ...

in the Broadway production of ''

Wicked Wicked may refer to: Books * ''Wicked'' (Maguire novel), a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire that inspired the musical of the same name * ''Wicked'', a 1997 novel series collaboration between Australian children's authors Paul Jennings and Morris ...

''. She also played Angelica Schuyler in the

cast of ''

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

'' for a six-year run, from 2016 to 2022. In 2024, she joined the cast as the alternate Norma Desmond in

Jamie Lloyd Jamie Lloyd is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the ''Halloween'' franchise. Introduced in '' Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers'' as the series' new protagonist after Jamie Lee Curtis declined to return as Laurie ...

's Broadway revival of ''Sunset Boulevard''.Mandy Gonzalez Will Play Norma Desmond in Select Performances of Sunset Blvd. Broadway Revival
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Early life and education

Gonzalez was born and raised in

Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most popul ...

. Her father is Mexican and her mother is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

(of

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...

and

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n origin). She attended Saugus High School. She is also a 1996

YoungArts YoungArts (previously National YoungArts Foundation and National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, or NFAA) is an American charity established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to help nurture emerging high-school artists. The foundation is b ...

alumnus. Then, she attended the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

for one year. Gonzalez then worked as a background singer for

Bette Midler Bette Midler ( ;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and author. Throughout her five-decade career Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Bette Midler, numero ...

's ''The Divine Miss Millennium Tour'' (1999–2000). After that she moved to New York City, where she worked as a coat check attendant while attending

open call An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece giv ...

Theatre career

Prior to her appearances on Broadway, Gonzalez appeared in the off-Broadway production of ''Eli's Comin'', a musical which was based on the lyrics and music of songwriter

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter and singer. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968) and ''Ne ...

that ran off-Broadway in 2001. Gonzalez won an

Obie Award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

for her performance. In 2001, Gonzalez made her debut on Broadway in the role of Princess Amneris in the

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English songwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, '' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ''Jesus C ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, songwriter and pianist. His music and showmanship have had a significant, lasting impact on the music industry, and his songwriting partnership with l ...

musical ''

Aida ''Aida'' (or ''Aïda'', ) is a tragic opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Antonio Ghislanzoni. Set in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, it was commissioned by Cairo's Khedivial Opera House and had its première there on 24 De ...

'' as the standby for

Idina Menzel Idina Kim Menzel ( ; ; born May 30, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Particularly known for her work in Musical theatre, musicals on Broadway theatre, Broadway, she has been Honorific nicknames in popular music, nicknamed the "Queen of ...

. In 2002, she played the role of Sarah in the short-lived Broadway musical ''

Dance of the Vampires ''The Fearless Vampire Killers, or Pardon Me, But Your Teeth Are in My Neck'' (shortened to ''The Fearless Vampire Killers''; originally released in the United Kingdom as ''Dance of the Vampires'') is a 1967 comedy horror film directed by Roman ...

''. She returned to ''Aida'' in 2003, as Amneris, opposite

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven ...

and

Will Chase Frank William Chase (born September 12, 1970) is an American actor, director, and singer, best known for his work on Broadway and for his role as country superstar Luke Wheeler on ABC's ''Nashville''. Early life and education Chase was born i ...

. In 2005, Gonzalez appeared in the Broadway musical '' Lennon'', based on the life of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer-songwriter, musician and activist. He gained global fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. Lennon's ...

and

Yoko Ono Yoko Ono (, usually spelled in katakana as ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking. Ono grew up in Tokyo and moved to New York ...

, She played multiple roles, including Lennon himself. The show played a limited 91 performances on Broadway. Gonzalez then starred as Nina Rosario in the original Broadway cast of ''

''. Gonzalez created the role of Nina in the show's

production and received a

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 ...

for her portrayal. Gonzalez had previously been offered the role of Elphaba on the first national tour of ''

'', which she would have taken over from

Shoshana Bean Shoshana E. Bean (born September 1, 1977) is an Americans, American actress, singer and songwriter. She has appeared in numerous Musical theatre, musicals, performing in major Off-Broadway and Broadway theatre, Broadway theatres, including in the ...

in January 2007; instead, she declined in order to star in ''In the Heights'', with the role of Elphaba going instead to Victoria Matlock. In 2010, the opportunity finally arose for her to play Elphaba in the Broadway production of ''Wicked''. She replaced

Dee Roscioli Danielle Marie Roscioli (born July 20, 1977) is an American singer and actress, who is known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway theatre, Broadway, Chicago, San Francisco, and national touring productions of the musical ''Wicked (mu ...

on March 23, 2010. Not long into her run as the green witch, she won the 2010 Broadway.com Audience Award for Best Female Replacement. On January 30, 2011, she gave her final performance in the role, after which she was replaced by

Teal Wicks Teal Wicks (born September 8, 1982 in Sacramento, California) is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba in the Broadway theatre, Broadway, San Francisco, and Los Angeles productions of the musical ' ...

. Gonzalez also had previously appeared in the ensemble in one of the musical's first readings. In September 2016, Gonzalez joined the Broadway cast of ''

'' as

Angelica Schuyler Church Angelica Church (née Schuyler ; February 20, 1756 – March 6, 1814) was an American socialite. She was the eldest daughter of Continental Army General Philip Schuyler, and a sister of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton and sister-in-law of Alexand ...

, replacing

Renée Elise Goldsberry Renée Elise Goldsberry (born January 2, 1971) is an American actress and singer. Known for her roles on stage and screen she has received a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Grammy Award as well as a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. S ...

. In April 2019, Gonzalez appeared in the John F. Kennedy Center's production of ''

The Who's Tommy ''The Who's Tommy'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics by Pete Townshend and a book by Townshend and Des McAnuff. It is based on the 1969 rock opera '' Tommy'' by The Who. Productions The musical opened at La Jolla Playhouse in San Di ...

'' as Mrs. Walker. The production, being part of their Broadway Center Stage series, ran a limited run roughly a week long. In October 2024, she began performances as

Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...

alternate Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * Alternative comics, or independent comics are an alternative to mainstream superh ...

in the

revival and transfer of

's production of ''Sunset Boulevard'' at the St. James Theatre.

Film and television

Gonzalez appeared on television in ''

The Good Wife ''The Good Wife'' is an American legal political drama television series that aired on CBS from September 22, 2009, to May 8, 2016. It focuses on Alicia Florrick, the wife of the Cook County State's Attorney, who returns to her career in law ...

'', ''

Third Watch ''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 23, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...

'', ''

Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...

'', and '' Madam Secretary''. Her films include ''

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album ''No One's Gonna Change Our W ...

'' (directed by

Julie Taymor Julie Taymor (born December 15, 1952) is an American director and writer of theater, opera, and film. Her stage adaptation of ''The Lion King (musical), The Lion King'' debuted in 1997 and received eleven Tony Awards, Tony Award nominations, with ...

) and Pieter Gaspersz' ''After''. In 2016, Gonzalez starred in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

thriller '' Quantico'' playing the recurring role of Agent Susan Coombs.. In 2021, Gonzalez had a guest appearance in season 1, episode 6 of the

Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...

original series ''

Only Murders in the Building , creator = Steve Martin & John Hoffman , starring = {{Plainlist, * Steve Martin * Martin Short * Selena Gomez * Aaron Dominguez * Amy Ryan * Cara Delevingne * Adina Verson * Michael Cyril Creighton , music ...

'', playing the character Mabel Mora's mother, Silvia. In November 2023, Gonzalez appeared in Salute to Service: A Veterans Day Salute on PBS, hosted by Jon Stewart. Mandy sang a song "Fearless" based on her parents courtship, sight unseen, as pen pals writing for the year her father served in Viet Nam, and her mother was a stateside 17 year old volunteer pen pal to soldiers.

Recording career

Gonzalez can be heard on the original Broadway cast recording of ''In the Heights'' and in the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

animated film ''

Mulan II ''Mulan II'' is a 2004 American animated direct-to-video musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Disneytoon Studios and distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment. The film was directed by Darrell Rooney and Lynne Southe ...

'' as the singing voice of Su. She released her first solo album, ''Fearless'', on October 20, 2017. The title song was written by

Lin-Manuel Miranda Lin-Manuel Miranda (; born January 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, actor, singer, filmmaker, rapper, and librettist. He created the Broadway musicals '' In the Heights'' and ''Hamilton'', and the soundtracks for the animated films '' Moana' ...

, creator and star of ''

'' and ''

''. The song "Fearless" tells the story of how her parents fell in love as pen-pals during the Vietnam War, and of the #FearlessSquad. The album's seven tracks also include songs written by Bill Sherman,

Jennifer Nettles Jennifer Odessa Nettles (born September 12, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer. Nettles is the lead vocalist of the duo Sugarland alongside Kristian Bush, and prior to this she fronted the Atlanta-based bands ...

, and Tom Kitt. It includes an acoustic version of her signature ''In The Heights'' song "Breathe", a remake of the classic song "

Que Sera, Sera "Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" is a song written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and first published in 1955. Doris Day introduced it in the Alfred Hitchcock film '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1956), singing it as a cue to their ...

", and "Life Is Sweet", a duet with Christopher Jackson, her ''

'' and ''

'' co-star and longtime friend. Gonzalez debuted her solo show, also titled ''Fearless'', at the Cafe Carlyle for two weeks from October 24 to November 4, 2017. She performed songs from her album as well as many others. Many of her ''

'' friends visited onstage, such as

Karen Olivo KO, formerly named and credited on stage and screen as Karen Olivo until 2022, (born August 7, 1976) is an American stage and television actor, theater educator, and singer. In 2008, KO originated the role of Vanessa in '' In the Heights'' on Br ...

Janet Dacal Janet Dacal (born in Los Angeles, California) is an American actress, singer, and performer in musical theatre. She received the Drama Desk Award for her performance in the Broadway musical ''In the Heights''. Early life Dacal's parents are f ...

Priscilla Lopez Priscilla Lopez is an American singer, dancer, and actress. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Diana Morales in ''A Chorus Line''. She has had the distinction of appearing in two Broadway landmarks: one of its greatest hits, t ...

and

. Christopher Jackson joined her as an opening night surprise; he joined her on her final show as well.

Theatre credits

Notes

References

Mandy Gonzalez Will Fly Into Wicked in March

Mandy Gonzalez Joins WICKED on Broadway as Elphaba Mar. 23!

Articles from the Daily News

Wicked's Mandy Gonzalez Is 'That Girl' With Broadway.com Audience Award Win

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gonzalez, Mandy American stage actresses American musical theatre actresses Living people Drama Desk Award winners American actresses of Mexican descent American musicians of Mexican descent American people of Polish-Jewish descent American people of Romanian-Jewish descent Hispanic and Latino American actresses Hispanic and Latino American musicians Jewish American actresses People from Saugus, Santa Clarita, California 1978 births Hispanic and Latino American women singers 21st-century American Jews 21st-century American women Jewish American singers