Paige O'Hara | |
---|---|
Born | Paige O'Hara May 10, 1956 Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1975–present |
Spouses | Lew Resseguie (m. 1980,divorced)Michael Piontek (m. 1990) |
Awards | Disney Legend (2011) |
Website | www |
Paige O'Hara (born May 10, 1956) [1] [2] is an American actress, singer, and painter. O'Hara began her career as a Broadway actress in 1975 when she portrayed Della in The Gift of the Magi . In 1991, she made her motion picture debut in Disney's Beauty and the Beast , in which she voiced the film's heroine, Belle. Following the critical and commercial success of Beauty and the Beast, O'Hara reprised her role as Belle in the film's three direct-to-video follow-ups, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Belle's Magical World (1998), Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999), and for cameo appearances in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Once Upon a Studio (2023).
O'Hara began acting at the age of four, attending acting classes in her home state of Florida. [3] It was not until she was 12 years old that she developed an interest in singing and enrolled in a performing arts high school. [3] O'Hara cites American actress and singer Judy Garland as one of her idols. [4]
O'Hara made her first appearance on the Broadway stage as Della in The Gift of the Magi in 1975. She was later play Ellie May Chipley in the revival of Showboat in 1983 starring Donald O'Connor. She repeated the role for the Houston Grand Opera's 1989 production and continued with them when the show was moved to the Cairo Opera House in Egypt. Continuing her legacy as Ellie, she also sang the part on the 1989 Grammy-nominated recording of the musical with Jerry Hadley, Frederica von Stade, and Teresa Stratas, conducted by John McGlinn on the Angel EMI label. Her other American stage credits include the title role in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Broadway and national tour) and Ado Annie in a national tour of Oklahoma! directed by William Hammerstein. In 1995, she joined the Broadway production of Les Misérables , where she played the role of Fantine.
Internationally, O'Hara has played the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (Australia).
In April 2011, O'Hara played the role of Judy Garland in From Gumm to Garland: JUDY, The Musical at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona.
A longtime fan of Walt Disney Pictures, [4] O'Hara auditioned for Beauty and the Beast at the age of 35 [5] after reading about the film in The New York Times . [3]
In Season 2 of The Legend of Prince Valiant (which starred her Beauty and the Beast co-star Robby Benson), O'Hara had a recurring role as Princess Aleta (who was later promoted to queen). Benson's character Prince Valiant fell in love with Aleta at first sight.
O'Hara also starred as Venus in the BBC's recorded broadcast of the live presentation of Kurt Weill's "One Touch of Venus" and in tribute to her Belle character from Beauty and the Beast, she portrayed Angela, a character in a fictional soap opera, for Disney's 2007 live-action/traditional 2-D animated film Enchanted .
For her work as Belle, O'Hara was honored with a Disney Legend Award on August 19, 2011. [6]
O'Hara was replaced by Julie Nathanson as the official voice of Belle in 2011, since her voice has aged over time. [7] However, O'Hara has reprised the character on two subsequent occasions: the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet [8] and the 2023 short Once Upon a Studio . [9] She also appeared as a librarian in the TV special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration . [10] She continues to paint Belle for Disney Fine Art and also does promotional appearances for Disney. [7] [11] [12] In 2016, O'Hara appeared at numerous special screenings of Beauty and the Beast in honor of the film's 25th anniversary. [13] [14]
In May 1980, O'Hara married actor Lew Resseguie (May 3, 1932 - June 30, 2019). [15] [16] They met in 1979 while performing in Fiorello! at Paper Mill Playhouse. [17] [18] They later divorced.
O'Hara is married to actor, Michael Piontek. [19] [20] [21] They wed in 1990. [22]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Beauty and the Beast | Belle (voice) | Nominated — Grammy Award for Album of the Year |
1997 | Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas | ||
1998 | Belle's Magical World | Nominated — Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production | |
1999 | Belle's Tales of Friendship | ||
2001 | Legend of the Candy Cane | Jane Aubrey (voice) | |
Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse | Belle (voice) | Direct-to-video | |
2004 | Sing Along Songs: Disney Princess: Once Upon a Dream | ||
2005 | Disney Princess Party: Volume Two | ||
2007 | Enchanted | Angela | |
2016 | Always Belle | Herself | Documentary |
2018 | Ralph Breaks the Internet | Belle (voice) | |
2023 | Once Upon a Studio | Short film [9] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1993 | The Legend of Prince Valiant | Princess Aleta / Queen Aleta (voices) | 9 episodes |
1995 | The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat | Girls (voice) | Episode: "Felix in Nightdrop Land/Shocking Story", uncredited |
1996 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | The Princess / June Washington (voice) | Episode: "Honesty" |
2002 | Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe In Santa | Nicole (voice) | Television film |
2022 | Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration | Bookseller | TV special |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2000 | Disney's Beauty and the Beast Magical Ballroom | Belle (voice) | |
2005 | Kingdom Hearts II | English version | |
2007 | Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ | ||
Disney Princess: Magical Jewels | |||
Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1975 | The Gift of the Magi | Della | [24] |
1979 | Fiorello! | Marie | [25] |
1980 | Naughty Marietta | Lizette | [26] |
1980 | Paint Your Wagon | Jennifer Rumson | [26] |
1983 | Showboat | Ellie May Chipley | |
1984 | The Unsinkable Molly Brown | Molly Brown | [27] |
1985 | Oh, Boy! | Jacky | [28] |
1985 | The Mystery of Edwin Drood | Alice Nutting / Edwin Drood | |
1986 | Oklahoma! | Ado Annie | |
1988 | Mack and Mabel | performer | [29] |
1989 | Sitting Pretty | performer | [30] |
1990 | Anything Goes | Reno Sweeney | [31] |
1990 | The Cat and the Fiddle | Angie Sheridan | [32] |
1991 | Evita | Eva Perón | [26] |
1992 | Tiger Lady | Winnie Ruth Judd | [33] |
1995 | Les Misérables | Fantine | [34] |
1995 | South Pacific | Nellie Forbush | [35] |
1996 | Peter Pan | Peter Pan | [36] [37] |
1996 | Evita | Eva Perón | [38] |
2002 | Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat | Narrator | [39] |
2014 | Menopause The Musical | performer | [40] |
Beauty and the Beast is a 1991 American animated musical romantic fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the 1756 fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, in turn an abridged version of the 1740 story by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. The film also incorporates ideas from the 1946 French film directed by Jean Cocteau. The film was directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, and produced by Don Hahn, from a screenplay by Linda Woolverton.
Susan Farrell Egan is an American actress, singer and dancer, known for her work on the Broadway stage. She is best known for originating the role of Belle in the Broadway musical adaptation of Beauty and the Beast (1994), for providing the voices of Megara in Hercules (1997) and Rose Quartz in Steven Universe, and for voicing the English dubs of Madame Gina in Porco Rosso and Lin in Spirited Away.
Jodi Benson is an American actress and singer. She is best known for providing the voice of Ariel in Disney's The Little Mermaid and throughout other films, including its sequel, prequel, and television series spin-off, as well as many other Disney works. Benson also filled in for Paige O'Hara as the voice of Belle in House of Mouse and voiced the character Barbie in the second and third films of the Toy Story franchise (1999–2010), and in the Toy Story Toons short Hawaiian Vacation (2011). For her contributions to Disney, Benson was named a Disney Legend in 2011.
Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas is a 1997 direct-to-video animated Christmas musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is the follow-up to Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast. The film sold 7.6 million VHS tapes in 1997. This is the first of two sequels to Beauty and the Beast that were released, with the other being Belle's Magical World (1998).
Beauty and the Beast is a Disney stage musical with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. Adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Beauty and the Beast – which in turn had been based on the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" by French author Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont – Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an unkind prince who has been magically transformed into an unsightly creature as punishment for his selfish ways. To revert into his true human form, the Beast must learn to love a bright, beautiful young lady who he has imprisoned in his enchanted castle and earn her love in return before it is too late.
"Beauty and the Beast" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for the Disney animated feature film Beauty and the Beast (1991). The film's theme song, the Broadway-inspired ballad was first recorded by British-American actress Angela Lansbury in her role as the voice of the character Mrs. Potts, and essentially describes the relationship between its two main characters Belle and the Beast, specifically how the couple has learned to accept their differences and in turn change each other for the better. Additionally, the song's lyrics imply that the feeling of love is as timeless and ageless as a "tale as old as time". Lansbury's rendition is heard during the famous ballroom sequence between Belle and the Beast, while a shortened chorale version plays in the closing scenes of the film, and the song's motif features frequently in other pieces of Menken's film score. Lansbury was initially hesitant to record "Beauty and the Beast" because she felt that it was not suitable for her aging singing voice, but ultimately completed the song in one take.
Belle is a fictional character in Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Voiced by actress and singer Paige O'Hara, Belle is the book-loving daughter of an inventor, who yearns for adventure. When her father, Maurice, is imprisoned by a cold-hearted beast in an enchanted castle, Belle offers her own freedom in exchange for his, and gradually befriends the Beast despite his outward appearance.
"Be Our Guest" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Recorded by American actor Jerry Orbach, English actress Angela Lansbury, and the additional voice acting choir of the 1991 animated film. "Be Our Guest" is a large-scale Broadway-inspired musical number that takes place during the first half of Beauty and the Beast, performed by the castle's staff of enchanted objects in an elaborate attempt to welcome Belle. Menken initially intended for the melody of "Be Our Guest" to be temporary but was ultimately unable to compose a satisfying one with which to replace it. The song had originally been intended for Belle's father Maurice. However, "Be Our Guest" had to be entirely re-written as the story evolved in order to return its focus to Belle.
Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World is a 1998 direct-to-video animated anthology musical film, made of unused TV episodes produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It was released on February 17, 1998, and it is the sequel to Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast and the third in the Beauty and the Beast films, featuring the voices of David Ogden Stiers as Cogsworth, Robby Benson as The Beast, Gregory Grudt, who replaced Bradley Pierce as Chip Potts, Paige O'Hara as Belle, Anne Rogers, who replaced Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Potts, and Jerry Orbach as Lumiere. The film features two songs performed by Belle, "Listen With Our Hearts" and "A Little Thought." This storyline is set within the timeline of the original Beauty and the Beast.
"A Change in Me" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice for the musical Beauty and the Beast, a stage adaptation of Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name. The song was written specifically for American singer Toni Braxton when she joined the production to play the role of Belle in 1998, four years into the musical's run. Menken and Rice wrote "A Change in Me" to appease Braxton after Rice promised the singer, who was hesitant to sign her contract, that he would write an entirely new song for her to perform in the musical on the condition that she finally agree to play Belle.
Mark Alan Henn is an American animator and film director. His work includes animated characters for Walt Disney Animation Studios films, most notably leading or titular characters and heroines. He served as the lead animator for Ariel in The Little Mermaid (1989), Belle in Beauty and the Beast (1991), Jasmine in Aladdin (1992), Young Simba in The Lion King (1994), the title character in Mulan (1998), and Tiana in The Princess and the Frog (2009). Since all these characters except Simba became Disney Princesses, he came to be known as the "princess guy" around the studio. He directed the short films John Henry (2000) and D.I.Y. Duck (2024). Henn spent a total of 43 years at Walt Disney Animation Studios, from 1980 until his retirement in 2023.
Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Tales of Friendship is a 1999 American direct-to-video live action/animated fantasy film. It was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation as the prequel to Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and the fourth and final installment in BeautyandtheBeast films. It was also released to help promote the syndicated television series, Sing Me a Story with Belle, for which a live-action Belle tells stories from Disney cartoons such as The Wise Little Hen, The Three Little Pigs, Morris the Midget Moose and Babes in the Woods with Belle narrating. The film stars Lynsey McLeod who continues portraying Belle in live-action form.
"Belle" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Recorded by American actors Paige O'Hara and Richard White, "Belle" is a mid-tempo classical music-inspired song that borrows elements from Broadway and musical theatre. It was the first song Ashman and Menken wrote for Beauty and the Beast, which they feared Disney would reject due to its length and complexity, but the film's producers ultimately liked the song.
Beauty and the Beast is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional merchandise. The success of the original 1991 American animated feature, Beauty and the Beast, directed by Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise, led to three direct-to-video follow-up films, a live-action spin-off television series, a Disney World stage show, a Disney World restaurant, a trackless dark ride, several video games, merchandise, and the 10th longest-running musical in Broadway history, which was nominated for nine Tony Awards, winning for Best Costume Design. In March 2017, Disney released a live-action remake of the film.
"Something There" is a song written by lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken for Walt Disney Pictures animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). Sung by the majority of the film's main cast, the song was recorded by American actors Paige O'Hara as Belle and Robby Benson as the Beast via voice over, featuring actors Jerry Orbach, Angela Lansbury and David Ogden Stiers as Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth, respectively. The only song performed by the Beast, "Something There" is heard midway through Beauty and the Beast during a scene in which Belle and the Beast finally begin to acknowledge their feelings for each other.
"If I Can't Love Her" is a song written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Tim Rice for the musical Beauty and the Beast (1994), a stage adaptation of Disney's 1991 animated film of the same name. Sung by the Beast after he frightens Belle away from the castle, "If I Can't Love Her" details the characters' struggles to love her. The song was first performed by American actor Terrence Mann, who both originated the role of the Beast on Broadway and recorded it for the show's original cast album.
Beauty and the Beast is a 2017 American musical romantic fantasy film directed by Bill Condon from a screenplay by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Produced by Walt Disney Pictures with Mandeville Films, it is a live-action/animated remake of Disney's 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast, itself an adaptation of Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's version of the fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast". Starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens as the titular characters, the film features a supporting ensemble and choir cast including Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson.
In the ballroom scene from Disney's 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast, during which the fictional character Belle dances with the Beast to the film's titular song, Belle wears an opulent golden off-the-shoulder ball gown with a voluminous skirt. Producer Don Hahn claims the dress was conceived by several intoxicated male filmmakers during production of the film. Although Beauty and the Beast is set in 18th-century France, the dress's streamlined, anachronistic design borrows inspiration from several different fashion eras, with some of its elements centuries removed from its historical setting.
Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration is a musical television special created for ABC, based on Disney's 1991 animated feature film Beauty and the Beast. It was produced by Jon M. Chu and directed by Hamish Hamilton. It serves as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the animated film’s historic Oscar nomination for Best Picture. It aired on ABC on December 15, 2022, before streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu. Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration received generally positive reviews from critics.
Beauty and the Beast is the cast album performed by the original Broadway cast members from the 1994 Disney stage musical Beauty and the Beast, with music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and a book by Linda Woolverton. It is adapted from Walt Disney Pictures' 1991 animated musical film of the same name, which in turn had been based on the classic French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. The cast album was released on CD and cassette formats, and further re-issued on digital formats in 1999.
{{cite book}}
: |website=
ignored (help)