Randy Graff (born May 23, 1955) is an American actress and singer.

Early years

Born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

on May 23, 1955, Graff was part of a musically oriented family. Her grandmother "was the lead soprano in temple", and her uncle sang with, and arranged for, vocal groups of the swing era. She graduated from Port Richmond High School and

Wagner College Wagner College is a private university in Staten Island, New York. It was established in 1883 and, as of the 2023–2024 academic year, it enrolled approximately 1,932 students, including 1,592 undergraduates and 340 graduates. Its theatre prog ...

Career

Graff's professional debut occurred at the Village Dinner Theater in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1976. She has been in feature films such as '' Keys to Tulsa'' and '' Rent'' as well as being in television shows such as

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

's ''

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 ...

'' a number of times. In addition to film and television, Graff has been in several Broadway shows. In 1990 Graff won a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award for her work in '' City of Angels'', and in 2001 she was nominated for a Tony Award for her performance in '' A Class Act''. She originated the role of

Fantine Fantine (French pronunciation: ) is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. She is a young ''Grisette (person), grisette'' in Paris who is impregnated by a rich student. After he abandons her, she is forced to look ...

in the musical ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...

'' when the production opened on Broadway in 1987, which included " I Dreamed a Dream", also on the soundtrack released in 1990. According to Graff, she was the first person to sing "I Dreamed a Dream" in the U.S., which is not entirely true.

Patti LuPone Patti Ann LuPone (born April 21, 1949) is an American actress and singer. After starting her professional career with The Acting Company in 1972, she soon gained acclaim for her leading performances on the Broadway and West End stage. Known f ...

sang it on '' The Joan Rivers Show'' shortly before the show opened in New York. She has also appeared in Broadway revivals of the musicals ''

Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., d ...

'' and ''

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 ...

''. Graff teaches at the

Manhattan School of Music The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music a ...

Filmography

* '' Working It Out:'' "Pilot" (1990) TV Episode – Andy #1 * ''

'' ** "Sonata for Solo Organ" (1991) TV Episode – Dr. Martha Kershan ** "Attorney Client" (2002) TV Episode – Hillary Morton ** "Publish and Perish" (2005) TV Episode – Helen DeVries * '' Drexell's Class'' (1991) TV Series – Principal Francine E. Itkin * '' Mad About You:'' "Bedfellows" (1993) TV Episode – Sharon, Paul's older sister * '' Bless This House:'' "Pilot" (1995) TV Episode – Marion * '' Keys to Tulsa'' (1997) – Louise Brinkman * '' Ed:'' "The Stars Align" (2001) TV Episode – Attorney * '' Rent'' (2005) - Mrs. Cohen * '' Learning to Drive'' (2014) – Attorney

Theatre

;Broadway *'' Grease'' (1972) *'' Saravá'' (1979) *''

'' (1987) – Original Broadway cast *'' City of Angels'' (1989) – Original Broadway cast, Tony Award winner for Best Featured Actress in a Musical *''

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 ...

'' (1992) *'' Laughter on the 23rd Floor'' (1993) *'' Moon Over Buffalo'' (1995) *''

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 ...

'' (1998) *'' A Class Act'' (2001) – Original Broadway cast, Tony Awards nominee for Best Actress in a Musical *''

'' (2004) – Revival *'' Mr. Saturday Night'' (2022) ;Off-Broadway * '' A... My Name Is Alice'' (1983 and 1984) *'' Do Re Mi'' (1999)

Encores! Encores! is a Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, Tony-honored concert series dedicated to reviving United States, American Musical theatre, musicals, usually with their original orchestrations. Presented by New York City Center since 1994, E ...

, New York City – Kay Cram *'' Hotel Suite'' (2000) – Millie *'' A Class Act'' (2000) – Sophie *''

'' (2008) – Revival *''The Babylon Line'' (2016–2017) Lincoln Center Newhouse Theater – Frieda Cohen; Lucille Lortel Award for Featured Actress ;Regional * ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film '' Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'' (2002) – "Charlotte",

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

Washington, DC 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, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

*''Elegies: A Song Cycle'' (2006) – "Reprise! Broadway's Best "Marvelous Musical Mondays",

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, California *'' Hello, Dolly!'' (2007) – "Dolly",

The Muny The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre (commonly known as The Muny) is an amphitheater located in St. Louis, Missouri. The theatre seats 11,000 people with about 1,500 free seats in the last nine rows that are available on a first come, first s ...

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

*''Broadway: Three Generations'' (2008) –

*''Damn Yankees'' (2008) – The New York City Center *''Motherhood Out Loud'' (2009) – Bay Street Theatre,

Sag Harbor, New York Sag Harbor is an Administrative divisions of New York#Village, incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns of Southampton, New York, Southampton and East Hampton (town) ...

Hetrick, Ada
Graff and Kellerman Added to Motherhood Out Loud at Bay Street"
Playbill.com, July 27, 2009

References

External links

The Official Website for Randy Graff
* * *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graff, Randy 1955 births Living people American television actresses Drama Desk Award winners Tony Award winners Wagner College alumni American stage actresses American film actresses American musical theatre actresses Actresses from Brooklyn Musicians from Brooklyn 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women Port Richmond High School alumni