# Stephanie McKeon

Stephanie Adrienne McKeon (born 9 June 1987) is an Irish actress. She began her career as a teenager in the RTÉ soap opera Fair City (2004–2007). She was nominated for Laurence Olivier and WhatsOnStage Awards for her role as Anna in the West End production of Frozen.

## Early life

McKeon grew up in a theatre family in Artane, North Dublin. She has a sister.
McKeon attended Belgrove Girls' School in Clontarf, where she discovered acting through a school production of Bugsy Malone when she was seven. She took drama classes at the First Active Children's Theatre (FACT) and Barry Billie Stage School. She studied Drama and Theatre at Trinity College Dublin, graduating in 2009.

## Career

When she was a teenager, McKeon played Aisling O'Brien in the RTÉ soap opera Fair City from 2004 to 2007.
After graduating from Trinity, McKeon went into theatre. She starred as Dorothy in Sean Gilligan's The Wizard of Oz. In 2012, she played Cinderella in the Gaiety Theatre's Christmas pantomime as well as Philomena O'Shea in the Improbable Frequency revival. She also appeared in The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle at the Pleasance Dome in Edinburgh and Anglo: The Musical at the Olympia Theatre.
McKeon then relocated to London when she was cast as Natalie in The Commitments at the Palace Theatre, originating the role and marking her West End debut in 2013. She was then a lead vocalist in Kyle Riabko's Bacharach Reimagined shows in 2015; What's It All About? was put on at the Menier Chocolate Factory. It was reimagined as Close to You when it moved to the Criterion Theatre. She took over the role of Cynthia Weil in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical for its final ten weeks at the Aldwych Theatre in 2017.
In 2019, McKeon was cast as Princess Anna opposite Samantha Barks as Elsa in the West End run of the stage adaptation of Disney's Frozen. After being delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show opened in 2021 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. For her performance, McKeon was nominated for both the WhatsOnStage Award and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. McKeon released an EP Here I Go (2021) consisting of musical theatre covers.

## Personal life

McKeon married Kyle Riabko in December 2017, having met through Bacharach Reimagined. In February 2023, the couple announced they were expecting their first child. Their son was born that July.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2004–2007 | Fair City | Aisling O'Brien | 17 episodes |
| 2014 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Natalie | Children in Need special |
| 2018 | Once Upon a Coma | Soyler | Video game |
| 2019 | Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth | Asuka Langley Soryu | English dub |
| 2019 | Neon Genesis Evangelion: Death & Rebirth | Asuka Langley Soryu | The End of Evangelion |
| 2024 | Wuthering Waves | Shorekeeper | Video Game (English Voice) |

## Stage

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | The Wizard of Oz | Dorothy | The Helix, Dublin |
| 2012 | Improbable Frequency | Philomena O'Shea | Gaiety Theatre, Dublin |
| 2012 | The Life and Sort of Death of Eric Argyle | Gillian | Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh |
| 2012 | Cinderella | Cinderella | Gaiety Theatre, Dublin |
| 2012 | Anglo: The Musical | Aisling | Olympia Theatre, Dublin |
| 2013 | The Commitments | Natalie | Palace Theatre, London |
| 2015 | What's It All About? Bacharach Reimagined | Vocalist | Menier Chocolate Factory, London |
| 2015 | Close to You: Bacharach Reimagined | Vocalist | Criterion Theatre, London |
| 2017 | Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris | Woman | Gate Theatre, Dublin |
| 2017 | Beautiful: The Carole King Musical | Cynthia Weil | Aldwych Theatre, London |
| 2021 | Frozen | Princess Anna | Theatre Royal, Drury Lane |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
| 2022 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Actress in a Musical | Frozen | Nominated | |
| 2022 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actress in a Musical | Frozen | Nominated | |