Cynthia Erivo
Famous BisCynthia Onyedinmanasu Chinasaokwu Erivo is an English actress, singer, and songwriter of Nigerian descent.
Rising to fame with her Tony and Grammy-winning performance as Celie in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, Erivo has since successfully transitioned into film, music, and television. Her standout roles in Widows (2018), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), and especially as Harriet Tubman in Harriet (2019) earned her Academy Award nominations for Best Actress and Best Original Song for “Stand Up”, a song she co-wrote and performed for the film’s soundtrack.
In 2019, she voiced the lead role in the podcast thriller Carrier, which she will reprise in a future film adaptation. Her television credits include appearing in the first season of the British series Chewing Gum (2015-2017) as Magdalene and in The Outsider (2020) as investigator Holly Gibney.
Erivo also portrayed singer Aretha Franklin in the 2021 Genius anthology series, earning her a Primetime Emmy nomination. Also in 2021, her debut solo album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1 allowed her to showcase her vocal talent and launch her musical career to the next level. She later appeared in the 2022 animated adaptation of Pinocchio (2022) as the Blue Fairy and in the Netflix crime drama Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023).
In the highly acclaimed two-part adaptation of Wicked (2024), Cynthia starred alongside Ariana Grande as Elphaba. This role earned her Best Actress nominations at the Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards (alongside a nod for Outstanding Performance by a Cast), and the Academy Awards. This culminated in Cynthia and Ariana opening the 2025 Oscars ceremony with a breathtaking performance, delivering incredible renditions of Wicked’s most iconic themes.
Erivo identifies as queer and bisexual and continues to be a trailblazer for LGBT representation in entertainment. In the August 2022 issue of British Vogue, the actress decided to speak openly about her sexuality by coming out as proudly bisexual. She said to Vogue:
[The LGBT community] still feels the need to be constantly justifying why we deserve to be treated as equal beings, when really the only difference is that we love differently and we express ourselves differently. Rather than being chastised for that we should be commended for being brave. That’s the most important thing: giving people the space to show up fully as who they are.
Later, in a new interview for Glamour, the actress mentions her experience coming out of the closet and shares her most sincere sentiments:
I’m really proud that I’ve come out. I feel more myself than I ever have; it’s like a shear has been lifted from my person. [It feels] really good to just be. This is who I am! […] Nothing else is taking energy because it needs to be hidden or concealed. I don’t need to do that, so I have this extra burst of joy and energy.