Lexi Lawson

Lexi Lawson was born and raised in The Bronx, New York City, before her family relocated to Newburgh, New York. She graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 2002. Her career in musical theatre began to develop in 2010 when she joined the touring company of “Rent” as Mimi Marquez for its North American tour. Prior to this, Lawson had been a finalist on the eighth season of “American Idol,” but she chose to withdraw from the competition to pursue the opportunity with “Rent.” Following her engagement with “Rent,” she expressed interest in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s musical “In the Heights” and was subsequently cast as Vanessa in the U.S. national tour.

Lawson made her Broadway debut as Eliza Hamilton in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton,” with her first performance on July 9, 2016, replacing Phillipa Soo. Her tenure in this role continued until 2018. In 2017, she participated in a tribute performance of “Seasons of Love” from “Rent” with other former cast members at The Cutting Room in New York City. That same year, she released a single, “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” in December. Lawson also joined four other actresses who played Eliza Hamilton for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2018 Hamildrops track, “First Burn,” an original version of a song from “Hamilton.” Her television and film credits include roles in “Blue Bloods” (2023), “Power” (2017-2018), “Always and Forever Christmas” (2019), “The Mentalist” (2013), and “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” (2009).

Lawson is married to actor Leonidas Gulaptis and they have one child. She is also a dog owner, having purchased a Yorkshire Terrier in 2008, which accompanied her during her national tours with “Rent” and “In The Heights.”