Photo Source: Broadway World.com

Audra McDonald
(1970 - )

While still in her twenties, Broadway leading lady Audra MacDonald became the youngest person to become a multiple Tony winner with an astounding three wins in five years.

The first was for her feisty portrayal of Sharon, a music student facing the wrath of opera legend Maria Callas (Zoë Caldwell) in Terrence McNally's play MASTER CLASS (1995). Then came her landmark role as the tragic Sarah in the musical RAGTIME (1998), followed by another straight dramatic role, Ruth Younger, in the revival of A RAISIN IN THE SUN.

Born in Berlin, Germany and raised in California, Audra's big break was as Carrie Pipperidge Snow in Lincoln Center's 1994 production of CAROUSEL. She also starred in the short-lived musical MARIE CHRISTINE and will be starring later this season in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of 110 IN THE SHADE.

She and her husband, bassist Peter Donovan, are the proud parents of Zoe Madeline named for Zoe Caldwell and Madeline Kahn.

Photo Source: Princess Monkey.com

What can you say about the guy that starred in two films that have made just about every film critic's all-time 10 list - AN AMERICAN IN PARIS and SINGIN' IN THE RAIN - that hasn't been said already? Not much.

But before Gene Kelly became an MGM icon, he was a Broadway hoofer, most notably as the lead in Rodgers & Hart's PAL JOEY (1940). It was his success in PAL JOEY that lead to his MGM contract and his first film opposite Judy Garland, FOR ME AND MY GIRL. In addition to the aforementioned blockbusters, he is also starred a slew of other well-known musicals including ON THE TOWN, ANCHORS AWEIGH, ZIEGFELD FOLLIES, SUMMER STOCK and BRIGADOON.

He returned to the New York stage to choreograph BEST FOOT FORWARD in 1941 and later directed the original company of FLOWER DRUM SONG (1958). His final musical film role was in the cult roller-disco musical fantasy ZANADU (1980) opposite Olivia Newton-John.