Cynthia Onyedinmanasu Chinasaokwu Erivo (born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter.
She is known for her performance as Celie in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, the latter two she shared with the rest of the cast.
Erivo ventured into films in 2018, with roles in the heist film Widows and the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. In 2019, she portrayed abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet, for which she earned nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
The movie The Color Purple is currently in theaters and winning over audiences around the country! The film features Celie’s triumphant song “I’m Here,” which is performed by Fantasia Barrino in the movie.
She’s reprising her role as Celie after previously playing the character in the Broadway version of The Color Purple back in 2007. “I’m Here” has been performed around the world and by various talented stars and we’ve rounded up some of the best renditions of the song. Head inside to watch the videos… LaChanze originated the role of Celie on Broadway while Cynthia Erivo originated the role in the Broadway revival.
Both of them won Tony Awards for their performances! Jennifer Hudson performed the song during the Kennedy Center Honors tribute for Oprah Winfrey and Jordan Fisher sang it at the MCC Theater MisCast Gala, where actors perform songs that they normally wouldn’t be able to sing on a Broadway stage.
Watch some of the performances below! Fantasia on Broadway Fantasia – The Color Purple movie soundtrack LaChanze on Broadway Cynthia Erivo on Broadway Jennifer Hudson at the Kennedy Center Honors Adrianna Hicks at 54 Below Jordan Fisher at MisCast
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