Kristin Chenoweth is an actress, singer and dancer whose roles have taken her from the land of Oz to the West Wing of the White House. Now the former Miss Oklahoma runner-up details her journey from stage to screens small and large in her autobiography, A Little Bit Wicked.
Chenoweth got her start singing at church, and later studied theater and opera performance before heading to Broadway.
In 2003, she starred as Glinda in the Broadway musical Wicked, a performance that earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
In an interview with Dance Spirit magazine, Chenoweth spoke about the challenges of singing and dancing in Wicked:
"You've got to find ways to breathe while you're dancing so that when it comes time for you to stop and sing again, you have it," she said. "To prepare, I do a lot of aerobic activity. Many times at the gym, people will look at me because I'll be on the treadmill humming."
Soon after Wicked, Chenoweth began a recurring role on Sesame Street as Elmo's pal, and later joined the cast of The West Wing as Annabeth Schott, public relations wizard. In 2008, she was nominated for an Emmy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category for her work on the ABC television series Pushing Daisies.
In 2005, Chenoweth returned to music, releasing a CD titled As I Am, a collection of Christian songs, which she conceptualized after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Chenoweth continues to take varied roles in films across genres, including Bewitched in 2005 and The Pink Panther and Running with Scissors in 2006.
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