Anna Leigh Ashford

Annaleigh Amanda Ashford (born April 14, 1980) was an American performer, actor, and dancer. She began her Broadway career with musicals such as Wicked, Legally Blonde, as well as Hair. The actress was awarded the Tony Award for Best Featured actress in the Play for playing Essie Carmichael in You Can't Take It With You. Annaleigh is a Tony Award winning actress and director has spent most of her professional career working with well-known directors and actors in film and on television. Ashford will be next as a co-star with Kumail Nanjiani, in Robert Siegel's Hulu exclusive Welcome to Chippendales. It debuts on the 22nd November. Ashford is currently in the making of Searchlight Pictures' terror thriller Dust with Sarah Paulson. In the form of an Hulu Original, the film will be available on Disney Digital Television's channels. Ashford will return in 2023, and will play opposite Josh Groban at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in the return of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Thomas Kail as director and Jeffrey Seller as producer will form the team of creators for the production. Ashford has been seen most recently in the role of Paula Jones in Ryan Murphy FX series American Crime Story Impeachment. The show centers around the National Crisis, which saw Paula Jones Monica Lewinsky Linda Tripp at the center of the nation's first impeachment proceedings in Over a Century. Her two seasons on CBS show B Positive was her first significant role. The show was developed by Marco Pennette Chuck Lorre with the legendary Linda Lavin Hector Elizondo Ben Vereen. Ashford, who is not new to Broadway won both Tony Drama Desk Awards as well as Outer Critics Circle Awards in her role as Essie. Sunday in the Park with George Wicked legally blonde and the originating part of Lauren in Kinky Boots were among her other Broadway performances. Ashford has been raised in Denver, now spends time in Los Angeles and New York.