Keala Settle

Keala Settle was born on November 5, 1975, in Hawaii, the eldest of five children. Her mother, Susanne Settle (née MacDonald/Makitanara), is of indigenous Māori descent from New Zealand, and her father, David James Settle, is British-born. She is a graduate of Kahuku High School (class of 1993) and attended Brigham Young University–Hawaii (1993–1996) and Southern Utah University (1996–1998).

Settle made her Broadway debut in 2011, appearing in “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” She then originated the role of Norma Valverde in “Hands on a Hardbody” in 2013, earning nominations for the Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She was also awarded the Theatre World Award for her outstanding Broadway debut performance. Her career continued with significant Broadway roles, including Madame Thenardier in “Les Misérables” (2014–2015) and Becky in “Waitress” (2016).

In 2017, Settle gained widespread recognition for her role as Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady, in the musical film “The Greatest Showman.” Her principal vocal performance of the song “This Is Me” from the film garnered the 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and an Academy Award nomination. Off-stage, Settle toured with Hugh Jackman for “The Man. The Music. The Show.” (2019) and made her West End debut in “& Juliet” (2022). She also played Miss Coddle in the 2024 film adaptation of “Wicked.”