Cynthia Erivo

Cynthia Erivo got her big break with the 2011 West End production of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. She gained recognition in the U.S. after starring in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple from 2015 to 2017, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

On television, Erivo received her first role in the British comedy Chewing Gum. She later received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for her role as Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s anthology series Genius: Aretha.

In 2018, Erivo ventured into films, playing roles in Widows starring Viola Davis and Bad Times at the El Royale. In 2019, she starred in the Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet as Harriet Tubman, for which she scored an Oscar nomination in the Best Actress category. She also wrote and performed the song “Stand Up” on the film’s soundtrack, which led to an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

In November 2024, Erivo starred in the movie musical Wicked as Elphaba alongside Ariana Grande as Glinda. The director, Jon M. Chu announced a sequel for the highly anticipated film is set to release in November 2025.

Erivo started dating actor Dean John-Wilson in 2013 and made their red carpet debut three years later. However they split by 2017, at which point she started dating Mario Martinez. The pair seemingly split by 2019 when Erivo stopped posting about him on social media, but she never directly addressed her relationship status.

In 2021, Erivo came out as queer. She identifies as bisexual.