Annaleigh Ashford

Annaleigh Ashford (born Annaleigh Amanda Swanson; June 25, 1985) is an American actress, singer, and dancer. She is known for her work on Broadway as Glinda in Wicked, and Margot in Legally Blonde, as well as for originating the role of Lauren in Kinky Boots, a performance for which she received a 2013 Tony nomination. Ashford won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for her performance as Essie Carmichael in the revival of You Can't Take It with You. In 2017, Ashford starred as Dot/Marie in the critically acclaimed, limited run revival of Sunday in the Park with George opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. Additionally, Ashford is known for portraying the role of Betty DiMello on the Showtime American period drama television series Masters of Sex, which ran for four seasons on Showtime. In 2015 she released her debut album, a live album entitled Lost in the Stars: Live at 54 Below. 2Early life Ashford was born in Denver, Colorado, and raised by her mother, Holli Swanson, an elementary school gym teacher, and her father, Chris Swanson, a small business owner. Ashford participated in Kids Cross Country and track at the age of six, coached by her mother. It was discovered there that she hated running, and it was very clear that she was more interested in the costumes for the races rather than the actual races themselves. The last race she ever ran was the 400 metre das