Paige O'Hara

Paige O'Hara (born Donna Paige Helmintoller; May 10, 1956) is an American actress, singer, and painter. O'Hara began her career as a Broadway actress in 1975 when she portrayed Della in The Gift of the Magi. In 1991, she made her motion picture debut in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, in which she voiced the film's heroine, Belle. Following the critical and commercial success of Beauty and the Beast, O'Hara reprised her role as Belle in the film's three direct-to-video follow-ups, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas, Belle's Magical World (1998), Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999), and for cameo appearances in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Once Upon a Studio (2023).

Early life O'Hara began acting at the age of four, attending acting classes in her home state of Florida. It was not until she was 12 years old that she developed an interest in singing and enrolled in a performing arts high school.

Career Broadway and stage O'Hara made her first appearance on the Broadway stage as Della in The Gift of the Magi in 1975. She would later play Ellie May Chipley in the revival of Showboat in 1983 starring Donald O'Connor. She repeated the role for the Houston Grand Opera's 1989 production and continued with them when the show was moved to the Cairo Opera House in Egypt. Continuing her legacy as Ellie, she also sang the part on the 1989 Grammy-nominated recording of the musical with Jerry Hadley, Frederica von Stade, and Teresa Stratas, conducted by John McGlinn on the Angel EMI label. Her other American stage credits include the title role in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Broadway and national tour) and Ado Annie in a national tour of Oklahoma! directed by William Hammerstein. In 1995, she joined the Broadway production of Les Misérables, where she played the role of Fantine.

Internationally, O'Hara has played the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (Australia).

In April 2011, O'Hara played the role of Judy Garland in From Gumm to Garland: JUDY, The Musical at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona.

Transition to film and Beauty and the Beast A longtime fan of Walt Disney Pictures, after reading about the film in The New York Times.

O'Hara was replaced by Julie Nathanson as the official voice of Belle in 2011, since her voice has aged over time. and the 2023 short Once Upon a Studio. In 2016, O'Hara appeared at numerous special screenings of Beauty and the Beast in honor of the film's 25th anniversary. She also appeared as a librarian in the TV special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.

Personal life In May 1980, in Manhattan, O'Hara married actor Lewis Denton "Lew" Resseguie (May 3, 1932 - June 30, 2019). They met in 1979 while performing in Fiorello! at Paper Mill Playhouse. They later divorced.

O'Hara married actor, Michael Piontek on 25 August 1990.

She is Catholic.

She is of mixed Irish, British, Dutch, and German descent.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role