Heather Headley

Heather Headley is a Trinidadian-American Grammy Award winning R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. For Disney, in 1997, she originated the Disney role of Nala in The Lion King, the Broadway musical. Headley's performance was well received, and she then originated the title role in the Broadway adaptation of Aida, earning the Tony Award for Best Actress in 2000. She sang in a duet with fellow R&B singer Kenny Lattimore in the end title version of "Love Will Find A Way" from The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. She has also sang "Just One Dream" the ending song of the former Disney California Adventure attraction Golden Dreams and, in 2017, voiced Princess Melody in the 2017 revamp Disneyland's nighttime show Fantasmic! Additionally, she voiced Fikiri in the Disney Jr. series The Lion Guard.
Headley was born in Trinidad and later moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the United States at the age of fifteen. She attended Northrop High School, and was a member of their resident show choir, Charisma. After graduating from high school, Headley attended Northwestern University from 1993 to 1996, to study musical theatre until the last day of her junior year. She made the decision to become a part of the musical Ragtime in Toronto as Audra McDonald's understudy.
Since her role in The Lion King, Headley has appeared in stage productions of Do Re Mi, Into the Woods, Dreamgirls, The Color Purple, and an adaptation of Whitney Houston's film The Bodyguard. Having branched out into film and television, Headley appeared in the movies Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and Respect, and shows like She's Gotta Have It, Chicago Med and Sweet Magnolias.
Her music career has had her collaborate with artists like Al Green, Andrea Bocelli, Shannon Sanders, and Josh Groban with several tracks influenced by her time growing with her church. Her albums include This Is Who I Am, In My Mind, Audience of One, and Only One in the World.
==Roles==
Nalac.JPG|Nala(The Lion King; Broadway, 1997-1998)
Heather headley as Aida.png|Aida(Aida; Broadway, 2000-2001)
Kitendo.png|Fikiri(The Lion Guard)
==External links==
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*Heather Headley on IBDb
*Playbill Archive: Heather Headley Returns to The Lion King
pt-br:Heather Headley
Category:Females
Category:1970s births
Category:Voice actresses
Category:African American people
Category:American people
Category:Singers
Category:Songwriters
Category:Actresses
Category:Producers
Category:Aida
Category:The Lion King
Category:The Lion Guard
Category:Disney Jr. Actors and Actresses
Category:Fantasmic