Log in Sign up
Back to Discover
🎨

Bernadette Peters

arts Maturity 7-9 war conflict
This article covers sensitive topics: war_conflict. Parents can manage visibility in Parental Controls.

Bernadette Peters is a star.

Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
She sings and acts on stage. She also acts in movies. She has done this for a long time. People love to hear her sing.
Bernadette Peters.jpg
Bernadette Peters.jpg
Do you like to sing songs?

41 words

Bernadette Peters is a famous singer.

Bernadette Peters.jpg
Bernadette Peters.jpg
She started acting when she was very young. She even worked on TV as a small child.

She is a star on the big stage.

Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
She sings in many musical plays. Some people say she is the best at singing these songs.

Bernadette also acts in movies. She has been in many films and shows. She won an award for her work in a movie.

She has worked for a very long time. She has won many prizes for her talent. People love to see her perform.

Do you like to watch shows?

104 words

Bernadette Peters is a famous American singer and actress.

Bernadette Peters.jpg
Bernadette Peters.jpg
She was born in New York City in 1948. She started acting as a very young child. Her mother even put her on TV when she was three.

She is a big star on Broadway.

Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
She has performed in many musical plays. Some people call her the best at singing songs by Stephen Sondheim. She played the Witch in the musical Into the Woods. She also starred in Sunday in the Park with George. For her work, she won two Tony Awards.

Bernadette also acts in movies and on TV.

Bernadette pennies.jpg
Bernadette pennies.jpg
She was in the movie Pennies from Heaven. She won a Golden Globe Award for that role. She has also been on shows like The Muppet Show. People say she has a very big voice. She has worked in show business for over sixty years. She has won many prizes for her great skill.
Bernadette Peters Drama League.jpg
Bernadette Peters Drama League.jpg
She continues to perform for fans today.

171 words

Bernadette Peters is a famous American actress and singer.

Bernadette Peters.jpg
Bernadette Peters.jpg
She has worked in show business for more than sixty years. People love her for her talent on the Broadway stage. She is also a star in movies and on television. Many people think she is the best at performing songs by Stephen Sondheim. She can sing and act at the same time. This makes her performances feel very special to the audience.
Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg

Her career started when she was a very small child. Her mother put her on a show called Juvenile Jury at age three.

Bernadette-1980.png
Bernadette-1980.png
At age nine, she chose the name Bernadette Peters for her work. She took this name from her father, Peter Lazzara. She wanted to use a name that helped her get many types of roles. By age ten, she was already acting on the New York stage. In her teen years, she studied at a school for young professionals. She even toured with the musical Gypsy when she was thirteen.

Bernadette became a major star on Broadway through many musical roles.

Bernadette Peters Drama League.jpg
Bernadette Peters Drama League.jpg
She starred in Mack and Mabel in 1974. Later, she played Emma in the musical Song and Dance in 1985. That role won her her first Tony Award. She also played the Witch in the musical Into the Woods in 1987. Other famous roles include Sunday in the Park with George and Gypsy. She has earned seven Tony Award nominations during her long career. She has also won three Drama Desk Awards for her skill.

She is also well known for her work in films and on TV.

Bernadette pennies.jpg
Bernadette pennies.jpg
She acted in the movie Silent Movie in 1976. In 1981, she starred in Pennies from Heaven. That role won her a Golden Globe Award. She also appeared on The Muppet Show and sang to Robin the Frog. On television, she has been in shows like Ally McBeal and Mozart in the Jungle. She has even appeared on many variety shows with famous stars. Her work spans many different types of entertainment.

Bernadette grew up in an Italian-American family in Queens, New York. Her father drove a bread delivery truck. She has two siblings named Donna and Joseph. Her career connects the world of theater to movies and music. She has recorded six solo albums and many cast albums. Four of those albums have won Grammy Awards. Even today, she continues to perform in shows like Old Friends. Her life shows how much hard work can lead to great success.

429 words

Bernadette Peters is a celebrated American actress and singer.

Bernadette Peters.jpg
Bernadette Peters.jpg
Her career has spanned more than six decades of professional performance. She is widely recognized for her work in musical theatre, film, and television. Many critics consider her the foremost interpreter of the works of composer Stephen Sondheim. This means she is seen as one of the best at performing his specific musical style. She is uniquely noted for her ability to sing and act simultaneously.
Bernadette-1980.png
Bernadette-1980.png
This skill allows her to convey deep emotion through music and character at once.

Peters was born on February 28, 1948, in Ozone Park, Queens. She grew up in an Italian-American family as the youngest of three children. Her father, Peter Lazzara, worked as a bread delivery driver. Her mother, Marguerite, helped begin her career in show business. When Peters was only three and a half, her mother placed her on the television show Juvenile Jury. As a young child, she also appeared on programs like Name That Tune and The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour. At age nine, she obtained her Actors Equity Card under the name Bernadette Peters. She chose this name to avoid ethnic typecasting and used her father's first name.

Her professional journey began with early stage and television roles. In 1958, she made her professional stage debut in the comedy This Is Goggle. She also appeared in television productions such as A Boy Called Ciske and a Hallmark Hall of Fame special. During her teenage years, she attended Quintano's School for Young Professionals. At age 13, she served as an understudy for the role of Dainty June in a national tour of the musical Gypsy. It was during this tour that she met Marvin Laird, a conductor and arranger. Laird noted that even as a young girl, she possessed a very large singing voice.

As she entered adulthood, Peters transitioned into major Broadway roles. She gained critical acclaim for her performance as Ruby in the 1968 production of Dames at Sea. This role earned her her first Drama Desk Award. Her success continued with starring roles in musicals like On the Town in 1971. In 1974, she played Mabel Normand in Mack and Mabel, which earned her a Tony Award nomination. This role helped establish her as a major Broadway star.

Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
Her work in musical theatre is defined by these complex, leading characters.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Peters expanded her reach into film and television. She appeared in over 40 feature films or television films. In 1976, she was nominated for a Golden Globe for her work in the Mel Brooks film Silent Movie. She also starred in the film The Jerk in 1979. Her performance in the 1981 film Pennies from Heaven earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Actress in a Comedy or Musical.

Bernadette pennies.jpg
Bernadette pennies.jpg
On television, she was a guest on The Muppet Show, where she famously sang "Just One Person" to Robin the Frog. She has also appeared in many modern series, including Ally McBeal and Mozart in the Jungle.

Peters's stage career reached new heights through her collaborations with Stephen Sondheim. She starred in the 1984 musical Sunday in the Park with George, which earned her a third Tony nomination. In 1985, she played Emma in Song and Dance, a role that won her her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical. She also created the role of the Witch in the 1987 musical Into the Woods.

Bernadette Peters Drama League.jpg
Bernadette Peters Drama League.jpg
These performances are often cited as the moments she achieved definitive stardom. Her ability to interpret Sondheim's intricate music is a central part of her professional legacy.

Throughout her career, Peters has received numerous prestigious honors. She has earned seven nominations for Tony Awards and won two, along with an honorary award. She has also won three Drama Desk Awards. Her musical recordings are highly successful, with four of her Broadway cast albums winning Grammy Awards. She has released six solo albums and many other recordings over her lifetime.

Bernadette Peters on Tim Conway Show.JPG
Bernadette Peters on Tim Conway Show.JPG
Even in recent years, she continues to perform in major productions like the revue Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends.

706 words
🖼️ Images & Media (9)
File:Bernadette Peters on Tim Conway Show.JPG
Bernadette Peters on Tim Conway Show.JPG
File:Bernadette pennies.jpg
Bernadette pennies.jpg
File:Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
Bernadette Peters 2004.jpg
File:Peters in 08.jpg
Peters in 08.jpg
File:Bernadette-1980.png
Bernadette-1980.png
File:Bernadette Peters Drama League.jpg
Bernadette Peters Drama League.jpg
File:Bernadette Peters.jpg
Bernadette Peters.jpg
File:Bernadette Peters 13th Annual Broadway Barks Benefit.jpg
Bernadette Peters 13th Annual Broadway...
File:Hollywood Star Bernadette Peters.jpg
Hollywood Star Bernadette Peters.jpg
Up Next
🎨
Bette Midler
Arts
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.