O'Hara began acting at the age of four, attending acting classes in her home state of Florida.[5] It was not until she was 12 years old that she developed an interest in singing and enrolled in a performing arts high school.[5] O'Hara cites American actress and singer Judy Garland as one of her idols.[6]
Career
Broadway and stage
O'Hara made her first appearance on the Broadway stage as Della in The Gift of the Magi in 1975. She was later play Ellie May Chipley in the revival of Showboat in 1983 starring Donald O'Connor. She repeated the role for the Houston Grand Opera's 1989 production and continued with them when the show was moved to the Cairo Opera House in Egypt. Continuing her legacy as Ellie, she also sang the part on the 1989 Grammy-nominated recording of the musical with Jerry Hadley, Frederica von Stade, and Teresa Stratas, conducted by John McGlinn on the AngelEMI label. Her other American stage credits include the title role in The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Broadway and national tour) and Ado Annie in a national tour of Oklahoma! directed by William Hammerstein. In 1995, she joined the Broadway production of Les Misérables, where she played the role of Fantine.
Internationally, O'Hara has played the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific (Australia).
In April 2011, O'Hara played the role of Judy Garland in From Gumm to Garland: JUDY, The Musical at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona.
In Season 2 of The Legend of Prince Valiant (which starred her Beauty and the Beast co-star Robby Benson), O'Hara had a recurring role as Princess Aleta (who was later promoted to queen). Benson's character Prince Valiant fell in love with Aleta at first sight.
O'Hara also starred as Venus in the BBC's recorded broadcast of the live presentation of Kurt Weill's "One Touch of Venus" and in tribute to her Belle character from Beauty and the Beast, she portrayed Angela, a character in a fictional soap opera, for Disney's 2007 live-action/traditional 2-D animated film Enchanted.
For her work as Belle, O'Hara was honored with a Disney Legend Award on August 19, 2011.[8]
O'Hara was replaced by Julie Nathanson as the official voice of Belle in 2011, since her voice has aged over time.[9] Despite this, she has reprised the character on two subsequent occasions: the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet[10] and the 2023 short Once Upon a Studio.[11] She continues to paint Belle for Disney Fine Art and also does promotional appearances for Disney.[9][12][13] In 2016, O'Hara appeared at numerous special screenings of Beauty and the Beast in honor of the film's 25th anniversary.[14][15] She also appeared as a librarian in the TV special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.[16]
Personal life
In May 1980, O'Hara married actor Lew Resseguie (May 3, 1932 - June 30, 2019).[17][18] They met in 1979 while performing in Fiorello! at Paper Mill Playhouse.[19][20] They later divorced.
O'Hara is married to actor, Michael Piontek.[21][22][23] They wed in 1990.[24]
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