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Ruthie Ann Miles

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Miles in an off-the shoulder concert dress, smiling at the camera and holding a microphone
Ruthie Ann Miles at Feinstein's/54 Below in 2015.

Ruthie Ann Miles (born April 21, 1983)[1] is an American actress and singer, best known for her roles in musical theatre, especially in The King and I and Here Lies Love, and on television.

Early in her career, Miles played Christmas Eve in Avenue Q and starred as Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love off-Broadway, winning a Theatre World Award and a Lucille Lortel Award for the latter role. She performed the role of Lady Thiang in the 2015–2016 Lincoln Center production of The King and I on Broadway, for which she won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2016, she had a recurring television role on The Americans. She returned to Broadway as Frieda/Betty in the 2017 revival of Sunday in the Park with George. In 2018, after recovering from injuries from a car crash that killed her daughter and caused her to lose her unborn child, Miles returned to the stage, reprising her role in the West End production of The King and I.

From 2019 to 2023, Miles played Sherri Kansky in the television series All Rise. In 2023, she received another nomination for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of the Beggar Woman in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd.

Early life and education

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Miles was born in Arizona and raised by her Korean mother, Esther Wong, a music teacher, first in Korea and, from 2nd grade, in Honolulu, Hawaii. "I had to work very quickly and very hard to break my accent," Miles has said.[2] She attended Kaimuki High School, graduating in 2001,[3] and then Southern Oregon University[4] before earning her bachelor's degree at Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2005.[5] She received a Master of Music in Vocal Performance with an emphasis on music theatre at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.[6]

Career

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With the off-Broadway York Theatre, Miles appeared as Leah in Two by Two and Red Urchin in The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd.[7][8] She played Christmas Eve and other characters in Avenue Q off-Broadway for two years beginning in 2011. For her starring role as Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love, in 2013 off-Broadway at The Public Theatre,[3][9] she won a Theatre World Award and a Lucille Lortel Award. Miles has appeared in national tours of Sweeney Todd (as Adolfo Pirelli) and Annie.[6] She has played numerous roles in regional theatre and appeared as a doctor in the film I Am Michael.[8][10]

Miles received positive reviews for her role as Lady Thiang in the 2015 Broadway revival of The King and I, with Ben Brantley of The New York Times writing that she "turns 'Something Wonderful' into an exquisite expression of romantic realism that could be the show's anthem."[11] Another critic called her "the one featured performer in a play or musical, on or off-Broadway, who I thought was giving the best performance this season ... [her] Lady Thiang is more empathetic than in other productions I have seen. ... People who see this King and I will think about Lady Thiang. They will think about what she knows, what she feels."[12] For this role, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.[10][13]

In 2016, Miles appeared in a recurring role in the television series The Americans, playing Young-Hee Seong, a Korean immigrant and Mary Kay consultant whose husband is of interest to the KGB.[2][14] She returned to Broadway in 2017 as Frieda/Betty in the revival of Sunday in the Park with George.[15] In February 2018, Miles played Svetlana in a Kennedy Center concert production of the musical Chess.[16] In August 2018, Miles joined the West End production of The King and I, reprising her Broadway role.[17]

From 2019 to 2023, Miles played the featured role of Sherri Kansky in the television series All Rise.[18][19] She returned to Broadway in February 2023 as the Beggar Woman in Sweeney Todd, for which she was nominated for another Tony Award.[20] During a brief break from Sweeney Todd in June, Miles played Margaret Johnson in The Light in the Piazza in a New York City Encores! production that "reexamined the musical ... from an Asian American perspective.[21] A week later, she sang the national anthem at A Capitol Fourth.[22]

Personal life

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She is married to Jonathan Blumenstein. On March 5, 2018, Miles was injured, and the couple's five-year-old[23] daughter Abigail Blumenstein was killed, while crossing a street in Brooklyn, New York, after they and other pedestrians were struck by a car that was driven through a red light.[24][25] Miles was 7 months pregnant with her second child at the time of the incident. On May 11, 2018, Miles and Blumenstein lost their unborn daughter.[26] Miles returned to the stage in August 2018.[17] She gave birth to a daughter in April 2020 named Hope Elizabeth.[27]

Work

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Theatre

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Year Title Role Theatre Ref.
2004 Two by Two Leah Cumberland County Playhouse
2008–09 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Adolfo Pirelli U.S. National Tour
2009 Avenue Q Ensemble New World Stages
2010 The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd Red Bully York Theatre
[28]
2013–15 Here Lies Love Imelda Marcos The Public Theater
[3]
2015–16 The King and I Lady Thiang Vivian Beaumont Theater
[11]
2016 Sunday in the Park with George Frieda/Betty New York City Center
[15]
2017 Hudson Theatre
2018 Chess Svetlana Eisenhower Theater
[16]
The King and I Lady Thiang London Palladium
[29]
2019 Camelot Nimue Vivian Beaumont Theatre (one-night benefit concert)
[30]
The King and I Lady Thiang Tokyu Orb Theatre
[31]
2023–24 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street The Beggar Woman Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
[32]
2023 The Light in the Piazza Margaret Johnson New York City Center Encores!
[33]
2024 A Little Night Music Countess Charlotte Lincoln Center (concert performance)
[34]
McNeal Sahra Grewal Vivian Beaumont Theater
[35]

Film

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2020 Over The Moon Mother Voice; Animated film [36]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2016 The Americans Young Hee Seong 6 episodes
[2]
2017 Elementary Rockaway Detective Episode: "Be My Guest"
2019–23 All Rise Sherri Kansky Main cast; 58 episodes
[37]
2022 Evil Dr. Beverly Swan Episode: "The Demon of Death"

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2014 Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical Here Lies Love Won
Theatre World Award Honoree
2015 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical The King and I Won
[38]
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Won
2019 Laurence Olivier Award Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical Nominated
2023 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Nominated
[20]

References

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  1. ^ For birth year, see: "Ruthie Ann Miles becomes second actress of Asian descent to win a Tony Award", The Korea Times, June 9, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2016. For day of the year, see: "Ruthie Ann Miles", Twitter. Retrieved March 16, 2016
  2. ^ a b c Zarum, Lara. "The Americans: Tony-Award-Winning Ruthie Ann Miles on Young-Hee, TV's Favorite Mary Kay Consultant", Flavorwire, May 18, 2016
  3. ^ a b c Ting, Yu Shing. "Taking Imelda to the Big Apple", MidWeek, July 23, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2020
  4. ^ Lemon, Brendan. "Tony Nominee Ruthie Ann Miles Discusses Powerful Women", Lincoln Center Theatre blog, April 27, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2016
  5. ^ Streeter, Leslie Gray. Palm Beach Atlantic grad Ruthie Ann Miles wins Tony as professor’s son heads to Broadway", The Palm Beach Post, June 8, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2016
  6. ^ a b Kaufman, Joanne. "A Miles in Those Shoes: A Cultural Conversation With Ruthie Ann Miles", The Wall Street Journal May 20, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2015
  7. ^ "The King and I's Ruthie Ann Miles' Featured Actress Tonys Speech". Broadway World, June 8, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2016
  8. ^ a b Miles, Ruthie Ann. Resume, Ruthie Ann Miles. Retrieved June 1, 2015
  9. ^ Green, Jesse. "Theater Review: Imelda Is More Than a Woman in Here Lies Love", Vulture, May 1, 2014
  10. ^ a b "Ruthie Ann Miles", Playbill Vault. Retrieved June 1, 2015
  11. ^ a b Brantley, Ben. "Review: The King and I, Back on Broadway", The New York Times, April 16, 2015
  12. ^ David, Cara Joy. "Something Wonderful: The King and I's Ruthie Ann Miles Talks Tonys", HuffPost, May 28, 2015
  13. ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean. "The 2015 Tony Awards: The Complete Winners List", Vulture, June 7, 2015
  14. ^ Collins, Sean T. "'The Americans' 4×09 Recap: Sunlight Reflecting Off Clouds", The New York Observer, May 12, 2016
  15. ^ a b Gioia, Andrew. "Complete Cast Announced for Broadway Revival of Sunday in the Park With George", Playbill, January 23, 2017
  16. ^ a b Hetrick, Adam. "Chess, Starring Raúl Esparza, Ramin Karimloo, Ruthie Ann Miles, and Karen Olivo, Begins at the Kennedy Center", Playbill, February 14, 2018
  17. ^ a b Quinn, Dave. "Ruthie Ann Miles 'Sang Like an Angel' in Stage Return After Daughter's Death and Losing Unborn Baby", People, August 4, 2018
  18. ^ Petski, Denise (March 25, 2019). "Courthouse: Lindsay Mendez & Ruthie Ann Miles Cast In CBS Legal Drama Pilot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 1, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  19. ^ Gelman, Vlada. "All Rise's Ruthie Ann Miles Previews Sherri and Sara's Alternate Reality Duet", TVLine.com, July 25 2022
  20. ^ a b Vanasco, Jennifer. "Some Like It Hot leads with 13 Tony Award nominations", NPR, May 2, 2023
  21. ^ Brunner, Jeryl. "She’s Starring in the Role of a Lifetime in The Light in the Piazza", Forbes, June 22, 2023
  22. ^ Robinson, Jennifer. "A Capitol Fourth 2023", PBS, June 22, 2023
  23. ^ Miles, Ruthie Ann. "This one celebrated 5 years yesterday", via Instagram, January 5, 2018
  24. ^ Moynihan, Colin. "Driver Charged With Manslaughter in Deaths of 2 Children", The New York Times, May 3, 2018
  25. ^ DiLorenzo, Anthony. "'Broadway Baby Mamas' performance to benefit actress who lost daughter in Park Slope crash", WPIX-TV, March 15, 2018
  26. ^ Haas, Mariah. "Broadway Star Ruthie Ann Miles Loses Unborn Baby 2 Months After Daughter was Killed in Car Crash", People, May 17, 2018
  27. ^ "Ruthie Ann Miles Welcomes Third Child 2 Years After Tragic Loss". Peoplemag. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  28. ^ Lenzl, Linda. "Photo Coverage: The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd", BroadwayWorld, October 2, 2010
  29. ^ Quinn, Dave. "Ruthie Ann Miles 'Sang Like an Angel' in Stage Return After Daughter's Death and Losing Unborn Baby", People, August 4, 2018
  30. ^ Camelot Cast 2019 Playbill
  31. ^ "The Lincoln Center Production of Rogers & Hammerstein's The King and I", Theatre-orb.com
  32. ^ Hornik, Caitlin. "Full principal casting announced for Sweeney Todd", Broadway News, December 14, 2022
  33. ^ "Encores! Light in the Piazza, Starring Ruthie Ann Miles, Sets New Dates", TheaterMania
  34. ^ STAR-STUDDED A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC CONCERT TO PLAY DAVID GEFFEN HALL
  35. ^ Culwell-Block, Logan. "Robert Downey Jr. Makes Broadway Debut in McNeal, Beginning September 5", Playbill, September 5, 2024
  36. ^ Meyer, Dan. "Watch the Trailer for Over the Moon, Starring Phillipa Soo, Ruthie Ann Miles, Sandra Oh, More", Playbill, June 23, 2020
  37. ^ Lefkowitz, Andy. "Lindsay Mendez & Ruthie Ann Miles Join CBS Legal Drama Pilot Courthouse", Broadway.com, March 25, 2019
  38. ^ McRady, Rachel. "Tony Awards 2015: Complete List of Winners!", Us Weekly magazine, June 7, 2015
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