Denée Benton

Denée Ayana Benton (born December 31, 1991) is an American actor and singer. Benton is best known for her Tony-nominated performance as Natasha Rostova in the 2016 musical Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway.[1][2]

Denée Ayana Benton
Born (1991-12-31) December 31, 1991
Orlando Florida
EducationTrinity Preparatory School
Alma materCarnegie Mellon University (BFA)
OccupationActor, singer
Years active2014–present
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 2020)​

Benton assumed the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway production of Hamilton, beginning performances on October 30, 2018.[3]

Early life and education

Benton attended Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida, before graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014.[2]

Career

Her first break was being cast as Nabulungi in the West End and U.S. national tour of The Book of Mormon. Later she was cast in the titular role of Natasha in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 with the American Repertory Theatre; she made her Broadway debut when that show opened at the Imperial Theatre on November 14, 2016.[2] She appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on December 12, 2016 to discuss the role.

On television she is best known for her featured role on the second season of the Lifetime series, UnREAL.[4][5]

On October 17, 2018, it was announced that Benton would assume the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway production of Hamilton, beginning performances on October 30.[3]

Theatre credits
Year(s) Production Role Location Category
2014–15 The Book of Mormon Nabulungi N/A U.S. National Tour
Prince of Wales Theatre West End
2015–16 Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Natasha Rostova American Repertory Theater Regional, Pre-Broadway
2016–17 Imperial Theatre Broadway
2017 Of Thee I Sing Mary Turner Carnegie Hall MasterVoices Concert
2018–19 Hamilton Eliza Hamilton Richard Rodgers Theatre Broadway

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2013 The Narrative of Dalvin Reynolds Felicia Short film
2018 Mother's Milk Lark
2019 Our Friend Charlotte

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2016 UnREAL Ruby Carter 10 episodes
2018 25 Morgan Television film
2021 The Gilded Age Peggy Scott Main cast[6]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2017 Tony Award Best Actress in a Musical Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 Nominated
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Theatre World Award Honoree

References
  1. "Denee Benton Theatre Credits". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  2. Gioia, Michael (29 Jul 2016). "Get to Know Broadway's Natasha, Newcomer Denée Benton". Playbill. Retrieved 22 Aug 2016. The actress, who played Natasha...at Boston’s American Repertory Theater this past winter, has been chosen to reprise her performance for Broadway...
  3. "Denée Benton & Carvens Lissaint to Join the Cast of Broadway's Hamilton". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2018-10-17.
  4. Bastién, Angelica Jade (10 Aug 2016). "UnREAL's Denée Benton on Why a Character Like Ruby Is Important and Representation in Hollywood". Vulture. Retrieved 22 Aug 2016.
  5. Petski, Denise (29 Jan 2016). "'UnReal': Monica Barbaro, Denée Benton & More Join Season 2 Cast On Lifetime". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 22 Aug 2016.
  6. Petski, Denise. "'The Gilded Age': Denée Benton, Louisa Jacobson, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson & Simon Jones Join HBO Period Drama". deadline.com/. Retrieved 18 December 2020.


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