Paige O'Hara

3.1. Broadway and Theatre

O'Hara made her professional debut on the Broadway stage in 1975, portraying Della in The Gift of the Magi. Her early career saw her take on various notable roles, including Ellie May Chipley in the 1983 revival of Showboat, where she starred alongside Donald O'Connor. She reprised the role for the Houston Grand Opera's 1989 production, which later moved to the Cairo Opera House in Egypt. Her performance as Ellie May Chipley was also featured on the 1989 Grammy-nominated recording of the musical, alongside Jerry Hadley, Frederica von Stade, and Teresa Stratas, conducted by John McGlinn on the Angel EMI label.

Her extensive American stage credits include the title role of Alice Nutting/Edwin Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a role she performed on Broadway and during its national tour. She also played Ado Annie in a national tour of Oklahoma!, directed by William Hammerstein. In 1995, O'Hara joined the Broadway cast of Les Misérables, where she took on the role of Fantine. Internationally, she performed as Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in Australia. In April 2011, O'Hara portrayed her idol, Judy Garland, in From Gumm to Garland: JUDY, The Musical at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona.

3.2. Film and Voice Acting

A long-time admirer of Walt Disney Pictures, O'Hara auditioned for the role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast at the age of 35, after learning about the film in The New York Times. This role marked her motion picture debut in 1991 and became her most iconic performance. Following the critical and commercial success of Beauty and the Beast, O'Hara continued to voice Belle in numerous direct-to-video follow-ups, including Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Belle's Magical World (1998), and Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999).

In 2011, Julie Nathanson took over as the official voice of Belle due to changes in O'Hara's voice over time. However, O'Hara notably reprised the character for cameo appearances in the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet and the 2023 short film Once Upon a Studio, demonstrating her enduring connection to the role.

Beyond Belle, O'Hara had a recurring voice role as Princess Aleta (who later became queen) in Season 2 of The Legend of Prince Valiant, a series that also starred her Beauty and the Beast co-star Robby Benson. She also starred as Venus in the BBC's recorded broadcast of Kurt Weill's "One Touch of Venus." In a nod to her famous Disney role, she portrayed Angela, a character in a fictional soap opera, in Disney's 2007 live-action/traditional 2-D animated film Enchanted. In 2016, O'Hara participated in numerous special screenings of Beauty and the Beast to celebrate the film's 25th anniversary.

3.3. Television and Other Acting Roles

In addition to her film and voice acting, O'Hara has appeared in various television productions. She voiced Princess Aleta and later Queen Aleta in nine episodes of The Legend of Prince Valiant in 1993. In 1995, she provided uncredited voices for "Girls" in the "Felix in Nightdrop Land/Shocking Story" episode of The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat. She voiced The Princess and June Washington in the "Honesty" episode of Adventures from the Book of Virtues in 1996. In 2002, she lent her voice to the character Nicole in the television film Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe In Santa. More recently, in 2022, O'Hara made a cameo appearance as a Bookseller in the TV special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration. She also appeared as herself in the 2016 documentary Always Belle.

3.4. Music Career

Paige O'Hara has maintained an active career as a singer, contributing to various cast recordings and releasing her own albums. Her vocal talents were featured on the 1989 Grammy-nominated recording of Show Boat, conducted by John McGlinn. She released "Loving You: Paige O'Hara Sings Jerry Herman" in 1995, an album dedicated to the works of composer Jerry Herman. In 1998, she released another album titled Paige O'Hara: Dream With Me. Her discography also includes contributions to recordings of musicals such as Mack and Mabel in Concert (1988) and Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (1996).

3.5. Painting Career

Beyond her performing arts career, Paige O'Hara is also an accomplished painter. She is notably associated with Disney Fine Art, for which she continues to paint depictions of Belle, her most famous character. This artistic endeavor allows her to maintain a creative connection to the Disney universe. She also makes promotional appearances for Disney, often combining her painting with fan engagement.

6.1. Film