Paige O'Hara

Paige O'Hara is an American actress, singer, and painter. O'Hara began her career as a Broadway actress in 1983 when she portrayed Ellie May Chipley in the musical Showboat. In 1991, she made her motion picture debut in Disney's Beauty and the Beast, in which she voiced the film's heroine, Belle. Following the critical and commercial success of Beauty and the Beast, O'Hara reprised her role as Belle in the film's two direct-to-video follow-ups, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) and Belle's Magical World (1998), and for cameo appearances in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) and Once Upon a Studio (2023).

Paige O'Hara
O'Hara in 2019
Born
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • painter
Years active1983–present
Spouses
Lew Resseguie
​
​
(m. 1980, divorced)​
    Michael Piontek
    ​
    (m. 1990)​
    AwardsDisney Legend (2011)
    Websitewww.paigeohara.net

    Early life

    O'Hara began acting at the age of four, attending acting classes in her home state of Florida.[1] It was not until she was 12 years old that she developed an interest in singing and enrolled in a performing arts high school.[1] O'Hara cites American actress and singer Judy Garland as one of her idols.[2]

    Career

    Broadway and stage

    O'Hara made her first appearance on the Broadway stage as 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 Angel EMI 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.

    Transition to film and Beauty and the Beast

    A longtime fan of Walt Disney Pictures,[2] O'Hara auditioned for Beauty and the Beast at the age of 35[3] after reading about the film in The New York Times.[1]

    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.[4]

    As of 2011, O'Hara was replaced by Julie Nathanson as the voice of Belle due to her voice changing significantly over the course of twenty years.[5] Despite this, she still paints Belle for Disney Fine Art and also continues to do promotional appearances for Disney.[5][6][7] In 2016, O'Hara appeared at numerous special screenings of Beauty and the Beast in honor of the film's 25th anniversary.[8][9] O'Hara reprised her role as Belle in the 2018 film Ralph Breaks the Internet.[10] She appeared as a librarian in the TV special Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration.[11] In 2023, O'Hara returned as the voice Belle in the theatrical short Once Upon a Studio.[12]

    Personal life

    In May 1980, O'Hara married actor Lew Resseguie (May 3, 1932 - June 30, 2019).[13][14] They met in 1979 while performing in Fiorello! at Paper Mill Playhouse.[15][16] They later divorced.

    O'Hara is married to actor, Michael Piontek.[17][18][19] They wed in 1990.[20]

    O'Hara's religious background is Catholic.[17][21]

    Filmography

    Film
    Year Title Role Notes
    1991Beauty and the BeastBelle (voice)Nominated — Grammy Award for Album of the Year
    1997Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas
    1998Belle's Magical WorldNominated — Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Female Performer in an Animated Feature Production
    1999Belle's Tales of Friendship
    2001Legend of the Candy CaneJane Aubrey (voice)
    Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of MouseBelle (voice)Direct-to-video
    2004Sing Along Songs: Disney Princess: Once Upon a Dream
    2005Disney Princess Party: Volume Two
    2007EnchantedAngela
    2016 Always BelleHerselfDocumentary
    2018Ralph Breaks the InternetBelle (voice)
    2023Once Upon a StudioShort film[12]

    Television
    Year Title Role Notes
    1993The Legend of Prince ValiantPrincess Aleta / Queen Aleta (voices)9 episodes
    1995The Twisted Tales of Felix the CatGirls (voice)Episode: "Felix in Nightdrop Land/Shocking Story", uncredited
    1996Adventures from the Book of VirtuesThe Princess / June Washington (voice)Episode: "Honesty"
    2002Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe In SantaNicole (voice)Television film
    2022Beauty and the Beast: A 30th CelebrationBooksellerTV special

    Video games
    Year Title Role Notes
    2000Disney's Beauty and the Beast Magical BallroomBelle (voice)
    2005Kingdom Hearts IIEnglish version
    2007Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+
    Disney Princess: Magical Jewels
    Disney Princess: Enchanted Journey

    Theatre
    Year Title Role Notes
    1983ShowboatEllie May Chipley
    1985The Mystery of Edwin DroodAlice Nutting / Edwin Drood
    1986Oklahoma!Ado Annie
    1995Les MisérablesFantine[22]
    1996Peter PanPeter Pan[23][24]

    Discography

    References
    1. "Interview With Paige O'Hara, The Voice Of Belle In "Beauty and the Beast"". Disney Dreaming. Unrivaled Media Group, LLC. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on 12 March 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
    2. Benedictus, Leo (April 30, 2012). "How we made: Don Hahn and Paige O'Hara on Beauty and the Beast". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
    3. Huver, Scott (May 30, 2012). ""Beauty and the Beast 3D" Gives Original Star Paige O'Hara a Whole New Perspective". NBC New York. NBCUniversal, Inc. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
    4. BWW News Desk. "Photo Flash: Lea Salonga, Anika Noni Rose, Paige O'Hara et al. Honored at D23 Expo". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
    5. "Belle still tolls for actress O'Hara". 17 July 2023.
    6. Brigante, Ricky (July 30, 2013). "Full 2013 D23 Expo schedule revealed with Walt Disney Studios celebs, Imagineering & Parks panels, Marvel meet-and-greets". Inside the Magic. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
    7. "New Fantasyland Grand Opening Celebration at Walt Disney World Resort". Disney Parks Blog. July 30, 2013. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
    8. Mallenbaum, Carly (May 10, 2016). "8 things you never knew about 'Beauty and the Beast'". USA Today. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
    9. McGovern, Joe (August 16, 2016). "Beauty and the Beast getting special 25th anniversary screening ahead of New York Film Festival". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
    10. Holmes, Adam (July 14, 2017). "Wreck-It Ralph 2 Is Bringing The Original Disney Princesses Back". CinemaBlend. Retrieved July 15, 2017.
    11. Johnson, Zach (December 12, 2022). "First Look: See Paige O'Hara, Richard White, and Alan Menken's Cameos in Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration". D23. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
    12. @Attractions (September 10, 2023). "We just saw a new animated short at #DestinationD23 called Once Upon a Studio featuring tons of characters from past Disney Animated films. It was so good, the creators got a one minute standing ovation when it ended" (Tweet). Retrieved September 15, 2023 – via Twitter.
    13. "The Pittsburgh Press 07 Aug 1980, page Page 45". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
    14. "Lew Resseguie – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
    15. "The Pittsburgh Press 07 Aug 1980, page Page 45". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
    16. "Fiorello! (Paper Mill Playhouse Production, 1979) | Ovrtur". ovrtur.com. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
    17. "Paige O'Hara, voice of 'Belle,' recalls magic of 'Beauty and the Beast'". Catholic Philly. 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
    18. Review-Journal, Carol Cling Las Vegas (21 April 2013). "More than 20 years after 'Beauty and the Beast,' Paige O'Hara still remembered as voice of Disney princess - Las Vegas Review-Journal". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
    19. Review-Journal, Carol Cling Las Vegas (19 March 2016). "Voice of Disney's Belle didn't expect to fall in love with Las Vegas - Las Vegas Review-Journal". reviewjournal.com. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
    20. "Paige O'Hara – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB". www.ibdb.com. Retrieved 2023-08-19.
    21. Paige O'Hara is feeling blessed. September 4, 2016 · Public My true heroine, Mother Teresa is now in sainthood. St Teresa who was an angel on earth, is now a saint in heaven. What a glorious celebration.
    22. Paige O'Hara Answers Members Questions Playbill, January 22, 1996
    23. 'Music Tells a Tale' a Genial Family Treat Los Angeles Times, July 1, 1996
    24. 10 Things We Learned from Paige O'Hara During WDFM's Happily Ever After Hours Laughing Place, May 16, 2020
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