Valisia LeKae
Valisia LeKae (born September 25, 1979) is an American actress and singer. She was nominated for a 2014 Grammy Award and in 2013 she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical both for her performance as Diana Ross in the Broadway musical "". Personal life. LeKae was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, and listened to Motown records in her grandfather's barbershop as a youngster. She started to sing in church at age six and then worked at the Dollywood theme park. LeKae graduated from college with a degree in Psychology and  minor in Child and Family Studies from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. LeKae left "Motown: The Musical" in December 2013 to be treated after a diagnosis of ovarian cancer. In February 2014, LeKae was named spokesperson for The National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Career. She starred as Diana Ross in "" on Broadway, which opened in April 2013. The reviewer for "TheaterMania" wrote of her performance in "Motown: The Musical":The one person who truly shines, though, is Valisia LeKae as Gordy's longtime paramour, superstar Diana Ross. It's not just her almost spot-on re-creation of Miss Ross' breathy voice  and steely demeanor that commands our attention. The consistent display of her genuine star power – most evident in a thrilling 'Reach Out and Touch' segment – also draws us in. The "TalkinBroadway" reviewer wrote: "Valisia LeKae does a killer impersonation of Ross, and effectively mimics her smoky innocence." For her performance she was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. She was also nominated for a Drama League Award (Distinguished Performance Award) and Outer Critics Circle Award (Outstanding Actress in a Musical) and won the Theatre World Award (Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway debut performance). Previously, she  was a swing and understudy in the Broadway productions of "The Book of Mormon" (2011), "Ragtime" (2009) for which she was the winner of a Joseph Jefferson Award, and "The Threepenny Opera" (2006) and a performer in "110 in the Shade" (2007).