Anna Myrra Malmberg (born 20 December 1966) is a Swedish singer, dancer, songwriter, and photographer.

Early life

Anna Myrra Malmberg was born in the

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

suburb of

Farsta Farsta is a district in the borough with the same name in the southern part of Stockholm Municipality, Sweden. Farsta is located about eight kilometers south of Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban ar ...

, and spent her childhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota and her teenage years in Stockholm, Sweden. She graduated the Stockholm High School of Music and immediately embarked upon a theatrical career. Early on she took on roles such as Maria in ''

West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...

'', Hodel in ''

Fiddler on the Roof ''Fiddler on the Roof'' is a musical theatre, musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and musical theatre#Book musicals, book by Joseph Stein, set in the Pale of Settlement of Russian Empire, Imperial Russia in or around 19 ...

'' and Grizabella in ''Cats'', but also straight acting roles such as Poppy in ''

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 ...

''.

Career

In London's West End, where she was cast as Christine in ''The Phantom of the Opera'' by director

Hal Prince Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre. One of the foremost figures in 20th-century theatr ...

, Malmberg also played Cosette in ''Les Misérables'', Estella in ''Great Expectations'' and The Narrator in ''

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 ...

''. She caught the attention of

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

and joined the cast of ''The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber'' at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

and elsewhere. Malmberg also appeared in the

Royal Variety Show The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...

, broadcast by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

from the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...

, BBC's ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC ...

'', GMTV and the BBC series ''Showstoppers'', opposite

Gary Wilmot Harold Owen "Gary" Wilmot, MBE (born 8 May 1954) is a British actor who rose to fame as a contestant on ''New Faces''. As a television presenter, he is best known as the host of '' You and Me'', ''So You Want To Be Top'' and ''Showstoppers''. ...

. Other roles include Eva Perón in ''Evita'' at the

Gothenburg Opera The Gothenburg opera house () is an opera house at Lilla Bommen in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Artistic Director for opera is Henning Ruhe since 2019, while Katrín Hall leads the ballet and dance company. History The Gothenburg opera house is re ...

, Emma Carew in ''Jekyll and Hyde'' at Stockholm's China Theatre and Maria in ''West Side Story'' at the Rome Opera in Italy and the Gothenburg Opera, Sweden. Malmberg's Swedish TV credits span drama, including ''Fallet Paragon'', to popular entertainment shows, such as ''Allsång på Skansen'', ''Go'kväll'', ''Söndagsöppet'' and ''Så ska det låta''. She also appeared on ''Celebrity Jeopardy'' (which she won) and participated in ''Melodifestivalen'' (

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...

). She has also performed as a special guest star in Russia's own Eurovision in the early 1990s to 80 million viewers. Her discography includes a Stephen Sondheim retrospective, ''Myrra Malmberg Sings Sondheim: What Can You Lose'', Lloyd Webber's music accompanied by a string quartet on ''Myrra Malmberg Sings Lloyd Webber: Unexpected'', a handful of bossa nova albums especially successful throughout Asia, the singer/songwriter album ''Serendipity'', plus various cast albums and soundtracks. She has been awarded a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

. Malmberg's latest recording is the classical crossover, ''Another World''. Together with the

Norrköping Symphony Orchestra The Norrköping Symphony Orchestra () is a Swedish professional symphony orchestra. It is based at the concert hall Louis de Geer konsert & kongress, De Geerhallen, in the center of Norrköping. History The orchestra was founded in 1912, an ...

and internationally renowned conductor Paul Bateman she explores the musical territory between the classical and popular music genres. Malmberg has lent her voice to a long list of Disney characters in their Swedish incarnations, including Princess Jasmine in ''

Aladdin Aladdin ( ; , , ATU 561, 'Aladdin') is a Middle-Eastern folk tale. It is one of the best-known tales associated with '' One Thousand and One Nights'' (often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights''), despite not being part of the original ...

'', Ariel in ''

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 ...

'', Wendy in ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

'', Megara in ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'' and Norma Jean in ''

Happy Feet ''Happy Feet'' is a 2006 animated jukebox musical comedy film directed and produced by George Miller and written by Miller, John Collee, Judy Morris and Warren Coleman. It stars the voices of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Brittany Murphy, Hug ...

''. She has written songs and lyrics for other recording artists and has translated lyrics and scripts into Swedish from English, French and Danish, including ''Jekyll and Hyde – the Musical'' for Malmö Opera. Her photography includes portraits and album covers for various recording artists such as

Benny Andersson Göran Bror Benny Andersson (; born 16 December 1946) is a Swedish musician, composer and producer best known as a member of the pop group ABBA and co-composer of the musicals ''Chess (musical), Chess'', ''Kristina från Duvemåla'', and ''Mamm ...

, Berndt Rosengren, and The Sweet Jazz Trio. Malmberg has also held solo exhibits of her work. On 14 March 1998 Myrra Malmberg competed at

Melodifestivalen Melodifestivalen (; ) is an annual song competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television (SVT) and Sveriges Radio (SR). It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almo ...

Malmö Malmö is the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, sixth-largest city in Nordic countries, the Nordic region. Located on ...

with the song ''

Julia Julia may refer to: People *Julia (given name), including a list of people with the name *Julia (surname), including a list of people with the name *Julia gens, a patrician family of Ancient Rome *Julia (clairvoyant) (fl. 1689), lady's maid of Qu ...

'', ending up third.

Selected stage performances

Filmography

* 2019 – ''

Toy Story 4 ''Toy Story 4'' is a 2019 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the fourth installment in Pixar's ''Toy Story'' series and the sequel to ''Toy Story 3'' (2010). It was dire ...

'', "Andy's mother" Disney * 2018 – ''

Ralph Breaks the Internet ''Ralph Breaks the Internet'' is a 2018 American animated comedy film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is the sequel to the 2012 film ''Wreck-It Ralph''. The film was directed by Rich Moore and Phil Johnston (filmmaker), Phil Joh ...

'', "Ariel and Princess Jasmine" Disney * 2014 – ''

Song of the Sea The Song of the Sea (, ''Shirat HaYam''; also known as ''Az Yashir Moshe'' and Song of Moses, or ''Mi Chamocha'') is a poem that appears in the Book of Exodus of the Hebrew Bible, at . It is followed in verses 20 and 21 by a much shorter song su ...

'', "Bronagh" Cartoon Saloon * 2012 – ''

Secret of the Wings ''Secret of the Wings'' (originally titled as ''Tinker Bell and the Mysterious Winter Woods'' or alternatively ''Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings'') is a 2012 American animated fantasy film, and the fourth installment in the '' Disney Fairie ...

'', "Healing Fairy" Disney * 2011 – ''

Happy Feet Two ''Happy Feet Two'' is a 2011 animated jukebox musical comedy film directed, produced and co-written by George Miller. It is the sequel to the 2006 film ''Happy Feet''. Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hugo Weaving, Magda Szubanski and Anthony LaPagli ...

'', "Norma Jean" Warner Bros * 2010 – ''

Toy Story 3 ''Toy Story 3'' is a 2010 American animated comedy-drama film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. The third installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' series, it was directed by Lee Unkrich, the editor ...

'', "Andy's mother" Disney * 2009 – '' Hannah Montana: The Movie'', "Lorelai" Disney * 2008 – ''

Kiki's Delivery Service is a 1989 Japanese Anime, animated fantasy film written, produced, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, based on Eiko Kadono's 1985 novel ''Kiki's Delivery Service (novel), Kiki's Delivery Service''. Animated by Studio Ghibli, the film stars Minami ...

'', "Mrs Osono" Studio Ghibli * 2008 – ''Deep Sea'', "Narrator" IMAX * 2008 – '' The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning'', "Ariel" Disney * 2008 – '' Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams'', "Princess Jasmine" Disney * 2007–2015 – ''

Phineas and Ferb ''Phineas and Ferb'' is an American animated series, animated Musical film, musical-television comedy, comedy television series created by Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh for Disney Channel and Disney XD. The series originally aired on t ...

'', "Linda Flynn-Fletcher" Disney * 2007 – ''

Kim Possible ''Kim Possible'' is an American animated Action comedy TV series, action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The Kim Possible (character), title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving ...

'', "Shego" Disney * 2007 – ''

'', "Norma Jean" Warner Bros * 2006 – ''

Underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or wikt:top dog, top dog. In the case where an under ...

'', "Polly" Disney * 2005 – '' The Emperor's New Groove 2: Kronk's New Groove'', "Miss Birdwell" Disney * 2005 – ''

Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus ''Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus'' is a 2005 animated fantasy adventure film directed by Greg Richardson and produced by Mattel Entertainment with Mainframe Entertainment. It first premiered on Nickelodeon on September 18, 2005, and it was rel ...

'', "Brietta" Universal Pictures * 2002 – '' Peter Pan II: Return to Never Land'', "Wendy" Disney * 2000 – '' The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea'', "Ariel" Disney * 1999 – '' The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot'', "Kayley" Warner Bros * 1998 – ''

Mary Poppins Mary Poppins may refer to: * Mary Poppins (character), a nanny with magical powers * Mary Poppins (franchise), based on the fictional nanny ** Mary Poppins (book series), ''Mary Poppins'' (book series), the original 1934–1988 children's fanta ...

'', "Mary Poppins" Disney * 1997 – '' Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas'', "Angelique" Disney * 1997 – ''

'', "Megara" Disney * 1997 – ''

101 Dalmatians 101 Dalmatians may refer to: * '' The Hundred and One Dalmatians'', a 1956 novel written by Dodie Smith * 101 Dalmatians (franchise), a Disney film franchise based on the novel ** '' One Hundred and One Dalmatians'', a 1961 animated film based on ...

'', "Anita" Disney * 1996 – ''

Aladdin and the King of Thieves ''Aladdin and the King of Thieves'' (also known as ''Aladdin 3: The King of Thieves'') is a 1996 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the second sequel to Disney's 19 ...

'', "Princess Jasmine" Disney * 1994 – ''

The Return of Jafar ''The Return of Jafar'' (retroactively titled ''Aladdin: The Return of Jafar'' on later releases) is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical film, musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures Disney Television Animation, and Tele ...

'', "Princess Jasmine" Disney * 1994 – ''Fallet Paragon'', "Ulrika" Swedish Television Drama * 1993 – ''

'', "Wendy" Disney * 1993 – '' We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story'', "Elsa and Dr. Bleeb" Amblin Entertainment and Steven Spielberg * 1992 – ''

'', "Princess Jasmine" Disney

Discography

Solo albums

Cast recording & soundtracks

* 2009 – Bröderna Lejonhjärta, Naxos *2009 – Disney: En magisk värld, Egmont *2001 – Evita, Swedish cast, BMG *1997 – Hercules – Swedish soundtrack, Buena Vista *1995 – Great Expectations – Highlights Cast Recording, TER records *1994 – Aladdin: The Return of Jafar – Swedish soundtrack, Buena Vista *1993 – Aladdin – Swedish soundtrack, Buena Vista

Compilations

*2010 – 100 Moments Lounge *2005 – Svenska Musikalfavoriter

Guest appearances

*2005 – My Rubber Soul/Peter Nordahl Trio, BMG *1998 – Easy Listening för Masochister/Carl-Johan Vallgren, Twin

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malmberg, Myrra Living people 1966 births Swedish women singers Singers from Stockholm Bossa nova musicians