Vanessa Claire Stewart (born October 15, 1976) is an American actress, producer, and writer.

Early life and education

Born in

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

, Stewart attended the Webster Conservatory for the Performing Arts in

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 ...

. After graduating, she was admitted to the Oxford School of Drama in England.

Career

In 2004, Stewart received an LA Weekly Theatre Award for Best Leading Female Performance, for her gender-bending portrayal of Alex in Los Angeles director

Brad Mays Brad Mays (born May 30, 1955) is an independent filmmaker and stage director, living and working in Los Angeles, California. Background and education Mays was raised in the Edinburg section of West Windsor Township, New Jersey, attending the ...

' controversial multi-media production of

Anthony Burgess John Anthony Burgess Wilson, (; 25 February 1917 – 22 November 1993) who published under the name Anthony Burgess, was an English writer and composer. Although Burgess was primarily a comic writer, his Utopian and dystopian fiction, dy ...

's ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'' at the ARK Theatre Company in 2003. She also directed the popular ''

Return to the Forbidden Planet ''Return to the Forbidden Planet'' is a jukebox musical by Bob Carlton based on the 1956 science fiction film '' Forbidden Planet'', which, in turn, is loosely based on Shakespeare's play ''The Tempest''. The show features a score of 1950s and ...

'' while at ARK. In 2008, she co-wrot
''Louis and Keely: Live at the Sahara''
with actor Jake Broder for Sacred Fools Theatre. The show became an overnight success and was discovered by filmmaker

Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944) is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for '' Teenage Father'' (1979). Hackford went on to dire ...

. Hackford later became director of the show and brought Louis and Keely to a successful 8 month run at the

Geffen Playhouse The Geffen Playhouse is a not-for-profit theater company founded in Los Angeles, California by Gilbert Cates in 1995. It produces plays in two theaters in Geffen Playhouse, which is owned by University of California Los Angeles. The Playhous ...

in 2009. While at the Geffen, Stewart met her future husband actor

French Stewart Milton French-Stewart (born February 20, 1964), known professionally as French Stewart, is an American actor. He played Harry Solomon on the NBC sitcom ''3rd Rock from the Sun'', Inspector Gadget in the superhero comedy film '' Inspector Gadget ...

in the green room before his performance in "''Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas''". In 2010, she received an LA Weekly Theatre Award, a Garland and an

Ovation Award The Ovation Awards were a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They were given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Win ...

for ''Louis and Keely Live at the Sahara,'' for her portrayal of legendary jazz vocalist

Keely Smith Dorothy Jacqueline Keely (March 9, 1928The reference work ''The Encyclopedia of Native Music: More Than a Century of Recordings from Wax Cylinder to the Internet'' gives Smith's date of birth as March 9, 1932. – December 16, 2017), professio ...

. In 2012, Stewart wrote ''Stoneface'' for Sacred Fools Theater Company, about the life of

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

, starring her husband

. Stoneface won the 2013 LA Weekly award for best production. Stoneface appeared in the 2013–2014 season at

Pasadena Playhouse Pasadena Playhouse is a Tony Award-winning historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engag ...

. In 2015, thanks to theater producer Hershey Felder, ''Louis and Keely: Live at the Sahara'' moved to a commercial run in Chicago at the Royal George Theater starring Tony Award winner

Anthony Crivello Anthony Crivello (born August 2, 1955) is an American actor, known for his performances on both stage and screen. He appeared in the original cast of several Broadway shows, including playing Grantaire and Inspector Javert in ''Les Misérables ...

Louis Prima Louis Leo Prima (; December 7, 1910 – August 24, 1978) was an American trumpeter, singer, entertainer, and bandleader. While rooted in New Orleans jazz, swing music, and jump blues, Prima touched on various genres throughout his career: he ...

. The run officially began April 9 and closed eight weeks later on May 17. An additional run at Laguna Playhouse was announced for February 2016. In 2019, her original musical about serial killer HH Holmes entitled ''Deadly'' premiered at Sacred Fools Theatre Company. Written by Stewart and composer Ryan Johnson, the musical later moved to Webster Conservatory for further development and premiered a new revision online in December 2020 due to Coronavirus restrictions on live performances. Stewart has appeared in various film and television productions, including '' Chase The Slut'', '' Shakespeare's Merchant'', ''

Joan of Arcadia ''Joan of Arcadia'' is an American fantasy family drama television series telling the story of teenager Joan Girardi ( Amber Tamblyn), who sees and speaks with God and performs tasks she is given. The series originally aired on Fridays on CBS f ...

'', '' Rules of Engagement'', and ''The List''.

Personal life

She moved to Los Angeles in 1999 where she met and married her first husband, Lance Arthur Smith. They divorced in 2005. In 2009, while performing at the

, she met actor

. They married in 2011 and had a daughter, Helene Claire, in 2013. Once remarried, she took the surname Stewart. Stewart lives in

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 California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

Ovation Awards The Ovation Awards were a Southern California award for excellence in theatre, established in 1989. They were given out by the non-profit arts service organization LA Stage Alliance and are the only peer-judged theatre awards in Los Angeles. Win ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

: Won the award for Lead Actress in a Musical for the role of Keely Smith in "''Louis & Keely, Live at the Sahara''" * 2010 Ovation Awards: Award for Best Musical for the Geffen Playhouse production of "''Louis and Keely: Live at the Sahara''". Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards * 2009 Production of the Year: ''Louis and Keely: Live at the Sahara'' LA Weekly Awards * Best Actress award for her role as Alex in ARK Theatre Company's 'A Clockwork Orange' *2013 LA Weekly Awards: Production of the year: ''Stoneface'' at

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, Vanessa Claire Living people Alumni of the Oxford School of Drama Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from New Orleans American producers Writers from Los Angeles Writers from New Orleans 21st-century American women 1976 births