Bernadette Peters

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Biography

Recent Role:
Herself on Live! with Kelly
Gender:
Female
Born:
2-28-1948
Birthplace:
Queens, New York, USA
Birth Name:
Bernadette Lazzara
Kewpie-doll cutie whose centerfold figure, bee-stung lips, and high-pitched voice have made her one of the brightest comic players on stage and screen, while making her difficult to cast in "serious" dramatic roles. Peters achieved her first success in the off-Broadway show "Dames at Sea," a 1967 spoof of 1930s movie musicals, which capitalized on her physical attributes as well as her prodigious musical talents. She has subsequently done her best work on Broadway, in such Stephen Sondheim shows as "Sunday in the Park With George" and "Into the Woods" and Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl." She… More won a Tony in 1985 for her tour de force in "Song and Dance."

Always at her best in period vehicles, Peters made her film debut in Ace Eli and Rodger of the Skies a 1973 flop about 1920s stunt flyers. Supporting parts in The Longest Yard (1974) and Vigilante Force (1976) followed; then Mel Brooks' Silent Movie (1976) offered her a juicy role as a comic femme fatale. Her film career since then has been spotty: W. C. Fields and Me (1976), The Jerk (1979), Heartbeeps (1981, as a female robot), Annie (1982), David (1988 telefilm), Pink Cadillac (1989, a costarring part with Clint Eastwood, but a distressingly stupid one), and Slaves of New York (also 1989, miscast as a hapless hat designer). Woody Allen gave her a key supporting role in Alice (1990), and she contributed a lively performance to the 19th-century romp Impromptu (1991). Her best showcase to date remains Pennies From Heaven (1981), in which she was heart-tuggingly convincing as a prim schoolteacher who falls for 1930s sheet-music salesman Steve Martin. The lavish musical numbers also gave her ample opportunity to show moviegoers why Broadway audiences have appreciated her for years. In 1976-77 she starred with Richard Crenna in the short-lived TV sitcom "All's Fair."

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  •  
    10 Perfect
    Amazing! Absolutely amazing! hide show

    Bernadette Peters is such a talented woman. She sings beautifully and is an amazing actress. She made me laugh so hard in Cinderella (the version with Brandy Norwood as Cinderella). She sang the songs so beautifully, and when she laughed, she had this adorable little giggle that made me smile. And her accent was very lovely.

    I just love her voice when she speaks and when she sings. I can't help but smile when I think of her talent. She's beautiful and talented and worked very hard to come this far in her career. I hope to see her in more movies and shows in the future. She's just amazing!

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    sweet_jane Added Apr 14, 2007 All my reviews
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    10 Perfect
    She has the most beautiful singing voice! hide show

    I like Bernadette Peters! She's gorgeous! She's played a number of roles! She was the witch in Into the Woods, Lily St. Regis in Annie, and she was the voice of Rita the Cat in Animaniacs! And y'know, I like her character Rita the Cat because it let Bernadette show her beautiful singing a number of times! She even won a Golden Globe Award for her role in in the movie Pennies from Heaven! I love you, Bernadette Peters! I think you have the most beautiful singing voice in the whole wide world!

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    Tkerekes13 Added Oct 29, 2006 All my reviews
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    10 Perfect
    You are gorgeous! hide show

    Love her in Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods and Pennies From Heaven. She is the best Broadway diva ever! Her interpretations of "Being Alive" and "Not a Day Goes By" are the best interpretations among other singers. A good comedian with a unique voice. Even though she is 59, you may realise that she is still the same Bernadette Peters 30 years ago. Her unique hair style has also become part of her character. Bernadette Peters, she is the star of Broadway and TV who shouldn't only deserve 2 Tonys and 1 Golden Globe but more!

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    moulinrougehk Added May 5, 2006 All my reviews
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    10 Perfect
    you have such a charming singing voice! hide show

    I love the way you sang on animaniacs! you have such a gorgeous singing voice! and I think it is wayy more beautiful than ariel's sining voice! oh, I wish animaniacs never got canceled! I want to hear your beautiful singing voice again! but still, your beautiful singing voice rings in my head. and it always will. :)

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    jewelflower Added Feb 1, 2006 All my reviews
 

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