# Denée Benton

Denée Ayana Benton (born December 31, 1991) is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her performance as Natasha Rostova in the 2016 musical Natasha, Pierre, & The Great Comet of 1812 on Broadway, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Benton’s other Broadway credits include the role of Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton (2018) and the role of Cinderella in Into the Woods (2022). Her television acting credits include UnREAL and The Gilded Age.

## Early life and education

Benton was born and raised in Eustis, Florida. Her mother was a journalist, therapist, and businesswoman; her father was a mayor of Eustis and an airport executive. Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella was an early inspiration for her desire to act.
She attended Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida, before graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014.

## Career

Benton's first prominent professional role was her role as Nabulungi in the West End and U.S. national tour of The Book of Mormon.
Benton was cast in the titular role of Natasha Rostova in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 with the American Repertory Theatre; she later made her Broadway debut opposite Josh Groban as Pierre when the show opened at the Imperial Theatre on November 14, 2016. Benton received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the show. Later in the run, she starred opposite Okieriete Onaodowan and the show’s creator Dave Malloy as Pierre. She appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on December 12, 2016, to discuss the role.
Benton gained wider prominence in her recurring role on the second season of the Lifetime series, UnREAL, as Ruby Carter in 2016.
On October 17, 2018, it was announced that Benton would assume the role of Eliza Hamilton in the Broadway production of Hamilton, beginning performances on October 30. She left the show on December 8, 2019 and starred opposite Michael Luwoye, Daniel Breaker, Mandy Gonzalez and James Monroe Iglehart.
On 2022, Benton started acting as Peggy Scott in the main cast of the HBO historical drama series The Gilded Age, alongside Louisa Jacobson, Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski. In 2023 she was nominated alongside the cast for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
In May 2022, Benton played the role of Cinderella in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods at New York City Center opposite Heather Headley, Neil Patrick Harris, Sara Bareilles, and Gavin Creel. In November, she reprised her role replacing Krysta Rodriguez in the Broadway revival of the show. She left the production on December 24. She would star opposite Creel, Brian d’Arcy James, Patina Miller, Stephanie J. Block, Montego Glover, Andy Karl, Joshua Henry, and Joaquina Kalukango.
In December 2023, it was announced that Denee will star as Susan in the production of tick, tick...BOOM! at The Kennedy Center.

## Personal life

Benton began dating Carl Lundstedt in 2014, whom she met in her acting program at Carnegie Mellon University. They married in 2020.

## Theatre credits

| Year(s) | Production | Role | Location | Category |
| 2012 | Annie | Star-To-Be | Benedum Center | Regional |
| 2012 | Fiddler on the Roof | Ensemble | Benedum Center | Regional |
| 2012 | Sunset Boulevard | Ensemble | Benedum Center | Regional |
| 2013 | The Crucible | Rebecca Nurse | Carnegie Mellon University | Regional |
| 2014–2015 | The Book of Mormon | Nabulungi | - | U.S. National Tour |
| 2015 | The Book of Mormon | Nabulungi | Prince of Wales Theatre | West End |
| 2015–2016 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Natasha Rostova | American Repertory Theater | Regional, Pre-Broadway |
| 2016–2017 | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Natasha Rostova | Imperial Theatre | Broadway |
| 2017 | Of Thee I Sing | Mary Turner | Carnegie Hall | MasterVoices Concert |
| 2018–2019 | Hamilton | Eliza Hamilton | Richard Rodgers Theatre | Broadway |
| 2022 | Into the Woods | Cinderella | New York City Center | Off-Broadway, Encores! |
| 2022 | Into the Woods | Cinderella | St. James Theatre | Broadway |
| 2024 | Tick, Tick... Boom! | Susan | Kennedy Center | Regional |

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | The Narrative of Dalvin Reynolds | Felicia | Short film |
| 2018 | Mother's Milk | Lark | |
| 2019 | Our Friend | Charlotte | |
| 2023 | Genie | Julie | |
| 2024 | Dreams in Nightmares | Z | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | UnREAL | Ruby Carter | 10 episodes |
| 2018 | 25 | Morgan | Television film |
| 2022–present | The Gilded Age | Peggy Scott | Main cast |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result |
| 2016 | Elliot Norton Award | Outstanding Performance by an Actress | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Nominated |
| 2016 | IRNE Awards | Best Actress in a Musical | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Nominated |
| 2017 | Tony Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Musical | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Nominated |
| 2017 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Nominated |
| 2017 | Theatre World Awards | Theatre World Awards | Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 | Honoree |
| 2023 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | The Gilded Age | Nominated |