Cynthia Onyedinmanasu Chinasaokwu Erivo (/əˈriːvoʊ/; born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer and songwriter. She is the recipient of several accolades, including an Emmy Award, a Tony Award, and a Grammy Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards.
Erivo began acting in a 2011 stage production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and had her first screen role in the British television series Chewing Gum (2015). She gained recognition for starring in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple from 2015 to 2017, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, among others. She ventured into films in 2018, with roles in the heist film Widows and the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. Erivo portrayed the abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet (2019), receiving Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Song. In 2020, Erivo starred in the crime drama miniseries The Outsider.
Early life and education
Erivo was born to Nigerian parents in Stockwell, South London. Her mother is a nurse. She attended La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls’ School. Erivo began a music psychology degree at the University of East London; however, a year into her degree, she applied to, and subsequently trained at, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
Career
Theatre
Erivo first appeared in roles on British television programmes such as Chewing Gum and The Tunnel. Her first stage role was in Marine Parade by Simon Stephens at the Brighton Festival. Her first musical role was in John Adams’ and June Jordan’s I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky at Theatre Royal Stratford East.
In 2013, Erivo played the role of Celie Harris in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of The Color Purple, a role which Whoopi Goldberg had originated onscreen. Erivo had previously portrayed Sister Mary Clarence/Deloris Van Cartier in a UK tour of the stage musical Sister Act, which Goldberg had originated in its film adaptation.
Erivo in 2018
Erivo originated the role of Chenice in the West End musical I Can’t Sing!, which opened on 26 March 2014, at the London Palladium. The production closed on 10 May, just six weeks and three days after its official opening night. Erivo starred in the European premiere of Dessa Rose at London’s Trafalgar Studios from July to August 2014, for which she was nominated as Best Leading Actress in a musical at the 2015 BroadwayWorld UK awards.
She is also featured as a recording artist, co-writing and performing “Fly Before You Fall” on the soundtrack to the American musical drama Beyond the Lights.
She made her Broadway debut in the 2015 Broadway revival transfer of the Menier Chocolate Factory production of The Color Purple, reprising her role as Celie Harris alongside American actresses Jennifer Hudson as Shug Avery and Danielle Brooks as Sofia. The production began performances at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, from 10 December 2015. Among other awards for her performance, Erivo won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Erivo starred as Cathy alongside Joshua Henry in a one-night benefit concert performance of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years on 12 September 2016. Proceeds from the performance went to the Brady Center, a national gun violence organization.
In February 2017, Erivo performed “God Only Knows” as a tribute to musicians who had died over the past year alongside John Legend at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
In March 2017, Erivo and the cast of The Color Purple were nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for their performance on NBC’s The Today Show in May 2016. In April 2017, it was announced that Erivo and the cast of The Color Purple alongside The Today Show won the Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award in the Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program category.
In November 2017 she appeared on the charity benefit “Night of too Many Stars” hosted by Jon Stewart, where she performed a duet with frequent contributor Jodi DiPiazza of the Andra Day hit “Rise Up” they were accompanied by Questlove and The Roots.
Film and television
Erivo made her film debut in 2018 in the neo-noir thriller film Bad Times at the El Royale. Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times deemed Erivo’s performance “revelatory in the most rewarding sense”. That same year, she also starred in the heist thriller film Widows, which marked the first film she had ever shot. In his review of the film for The Atlantic, David Sims highlighted Erivo’s “incredible work” in selling her character’s dramatic transformation.
Erivo portrayed the title role in Harriet, a biographical film about American abolitionist Harriet Tubman. The film began production in October 2018, completed filming in January 2019, and was released on 1 November 2019. Her performance earned her a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama;she also received a second nomination for Best Original Song for a song she co-wrote and performed for the film entitled “Stand Up”. In 2020, Erivo garnered nominations for two Academy Awards–one for Best Actress for her portrayal of Tubman and the other for Best Original Song for “Stand Up”.
In 2020, Erivo starred as investigator Holly Gibney in the HBO miniseries The Outsider, a television adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. That same year, she launched a production company named Edith’s Daughter as well as signed a deal with media company MRC to develop television projects through the production company.She appeared in the science fiction film Chaos Walking, based on Patrick Ness’ novel The Knife of Never Letting Go, which was released on 5 March 2021. Erivo portrays singer Aretha Franklin in the third season of the anthology series Genius, which premiered in March 2021.
Erivo will portray The Blue Fairy in Disney’s live-action film adaptation of Pinocchio, directed by Robert Zemeckis. She is also set to produce and star in a film adaption of the podcast Carrier, reprising the role of Raylene, whom Erivo voiced in the podcast.
Podcasts
In 2019, Erivo produced and starred in the scripted science fiction thriller podcast Carrier, voicing the lead role of Raylene Watts, a long-haul truck driver transporting a trailer with “disturbing, mysterious contents”.
Personal life
Erivo is Roman Catholic. She was in a relationship with actor and singer Dean John-Wilson. She began dating Mario Martinez in 2017.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Widows | Belle | |
| 2018 | Bad Times at the El Royale | Darlene Sweet | |
| 2019 | Harriet | Harriet Tubman | |
| 2021 | Chaos Walking | Hildy | |
| TBA | Needle in a Timestack | TBA | Post-production |
| TBA | Pinocchio | The Blue Fairy | Filming |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Chewing Gum | Magdalene | Episode: “Tolled Road” |
| 2016 | Mr Selfridge | Alberta Hunter | 2 episodes |
| 2016 | The Tunnel | Mel | Episode #2.3 |
| 2017–2019 | Broad City | Lisa | 2 episodes |
| 2018 | The Boss Baby: Back in Business | Turtleneck Superstar CEO Baby (voice) | Episode: “As the Diaper Changes” |
| 2019 | Sunny Day | Dr. Vanessa (voice) | Episode: “Get Her To The Vet” |
| 2020 | American Idol | Herself | Episode: “316 (On With the Show: Grand Finale)” |
| 2020 | The Outsider | Holly Gibney | Miniseries |
| 2021 | Genius | Aretha Franklin | Season 3 |
| 2021 | RuPaul’s Drag Race | Herself | Season 13: Episode 13 |
Theatre credits
| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Umbrellas of Cherbourg | Madeleine | Curve Theatre/Gielgud Theatre | Leicester/West End |
| 2011–2012 | Sister Act | Deloris Van Cartier / Sister Mary Clarence | N/A | UK Tour |
| 2013 | Lift | Lap Dancer | Soho Theatre | Off-West End |
| 2013 | The Color Purple | Celie Harris Johnson | Menier Chocolate Factory | Off-West End |
| 2014 | I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical | Chenice | London Palladium | West End |
| 2014 | Dessa Rose | Dessa Rose | Trafalgar Studios | West End |
| 2015 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying | Rosemary Pilkington | Royal Festival Hall | Off-West End |
| 2015 | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | Puck | Liverpool Everyman | Regional |
| 2015–2017 | The Color Purple | Celie Harris Johnson | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre | Broadway |
| 2016 | The Last Five Years | Cathy Hiatt | The Town Hall | Brady Center Benefit Concert |
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Cynthia Erivo and Oliver Tompsett Sing Scott Alan (with Oliver Tompsett & Scott Alan) |
|
Soundtrack and cast albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| The Color Purple (2015 Broadway Cast Recording) |
|
| Anthem: Homunculus (Original Soundtrack) |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SWE Heat. |
US R&B Dig |
|||
| “Fly Before You Fall” | 2014 | — | 21 | Beyond the Lights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
| “God Only Knows” (with John Legendfeaturing yMusic) | 2018 | — | 20 | non-album single |
| “Stand Up” (from Harriet) | 2019 | 2 | — | Harriet (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
As featured artist
| Song | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| “Won’t Let You Down” (Cynikal featuring Cynthia Erivo) | 2012 | non-album single |
| “I Did Something Bad (cover)” (Shoshana Bean featuring Cynthia Erivo) | 2018 |
Other appearances
| Song | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Suddenly” | 2013 | Anderson & Petty | You Are Home: The Songs of Anderson & Petty |
| “Fly Before You Fall” | 2014 | N/A | Beyond the Lights (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
| “Bridge Over Troubled Water” | 2016 | Alison Jiear | Inspirational |
| “Jump” | 2017 | N/A | Step (Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture) |
| “When You Wish Upon a Star” | Vera Lynn, Leigh Harline, & Manning Sherwin | Vera Lynn 100 | |
| “Alright” | 2018 | Anthony Ramos | The Freedom EP |
| “My Funny Valentine” | Billy Porter | Billy Porter Presents: The Soul of Richard Rodgers | |
| “Nobody” | Todrick Hall & Jade Novah | Forbidden | |
| “Si Pudiera Leer Tus Sueños” | N/A | Singing You Home: Children’s Songs for Family Reunification | |
| “Hold On I’m Coming” | Bad Times at the El Royale (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) | ||
| “This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak For You)” | |||
| “Angels We Have Heard on High” | 2019 | Lea Michele | Christmas in the City |
| “Goodbye Song” | Terence Blanchard | Harriet (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |