Laura Benanti has brought her unique abilities to comedies, dramas and musicals since she took Broadway by storm at the age of 18.

Benanti recently starred in the Broadway production of WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN for Lincoln Center, where she also starred last year in Sarah Ruhl's IN THE NEXT ROOM or THE VIBRATOR PLAY, for which she garnered critical acclaim for her heartbreaking and brave performance. Earlier that season Benanti also demonstrated her "breezy comic flair" in the Public Theater’s production of Christopher Durang's WHY TORTURE IS WRONG AND THE PEOPLE WHO LOVE THEM.

Benanti gave "the performance of her career" and earned the 2008 Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for her revelatory portrayal of Gypsy Rose Lee in GYPSY opposite Patti Lupone and directed by Arthur Laurents.

Her other Broadway roles include her Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award nominated performance of Cinderella in Stephen Sondheim’s INTO THE WOODS and her sultry Tony nominated turn in SWING! She also starred opposite Antonio Banderas as his muse in the celebrated revival of NINE. Benanti began her multifaceted career as Maria in the Sound of Music opposite Richard Chamberlain.

Other distinguished theater performances include Perdita in A WINTERS TALE at the Williamstown Theater Festival opposite Kate Burton, Anne in A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC at the LA opera opposite Victor Garber, and Eileen in City Center Encores WONDERFUL TOWN opposite Donna Murphy.

Benanti can be heard on a multitude of recordings and debuted her solo show at the Kennedy Center in the spring of 2010.

Benanti was most recently tapped to star in the CBS comedy pilot OPEN BOOKS. Other television roles include her heralded portrayal of "Billie" on FX's controversial comedy STARVED, a recurring role on ABC's one hour dramedy ELI STONE , and her appearance as Michael Imperioli's wife on ABC's " Life on Mars".

Benanti made her leap to the silver screen in 2005 in the film TAKE THE LEAD opposite her "Nine" costar Antonio Banderas as his love interest and can also be seen in the independent films FALLING FOR GRACE and MESKADA, which debuted at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival.