Cynthia Erivo – A Complete History on Stage and Screen

Cynthia Erivo was born and raised in London to Nigerian immigrant parents who spotted her passion for performing at an early age. Whilst at school she performed in Brecht’s Caucasian Chalk Circle at just 11 years old as well as British TV series Trust Me, I’m a Teenager. She went on to study at the prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, graduating in 2010 with a degree in Acting. Other famous alumni include Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hiddleston and Phoebe Waller-Bridge. 

Upon graduating, she starred in The Umbrellas of Cherbourg in London’s West End, and led the UK tour of Sister Act as Deloris Van Cartier. In 2013, Erivo first played the role of Celie in The Color Purple – a role that would come to define her early career – at the tiny 180-seat Menier Chocolate Factory in London. The production received mixed reviews from London theater critics, but Erivo was consistently praised as “a comparative newcomer … with a singing voice that can only be the result of leather lungs soaked in honey.”

In 2014, she performed at the London Palladium in I Can’t Sing! The X Factor Musical and in the Donmar Warehouse’s acclaimed all-female production of Shakespeare’s Henry IV. And then she got the call that would change her life – to star in the Broadway production of The Color Purple. 

After leaving Broadway, Erivo made her feature film debut in 2018’s Widows, alongside Viola Davis. This was quickly followed by Bad Times at the El Royale, where she played soul singer Darlene Sweet. Director Drew Goddard had Erivo sing all of her songs live on set to add to the authenticity of the film, including one complex five-minute long continuous shot. 

2019 saw another major milestone in Erivo’s career when she was nominated for two Academy Awards for the film Harriet. Her portrayal of the abolitionist Harriet Tubman garnered widespread acclaim and resulted in Best Actress nominations at the Oscars and the Golden Globes. Erivo also co-wrote and performed the song Stand Up for the movie, which garnered further nominations. 

She played supporting roles in the films Chaos Walking, Luther: The Fallen Sun and Disney’s live action remake of Pinocchio, and obtained her first film producer role for the 2023 film Drift, in which she also starred. 

On TV, she played detective Holly Gibney in HBO’s horror series The Outsider, adapted from the Stephen King novel of the same name, and in 2021 she led the third season of National Geographic’s Genius, which centered around the life of Aretha Franklin. Fun fact: It was during an interview at the Tony Awards, where she sang a snippet of Franklin’s Ain’t No Way, that secured her the role on the show! 

Erivo’s most recent film project has also been her biggest – the blockbuster two-part Wicked movie, alongside pop icon Ariana Grande. Her performance as Elphaba Thropp has made her a global superstar and garnered critical acclaim around the world, securing further Oscar and Globe Globe Award nominations. The movies, directed by Jon M. Chu, are adapted from Gregory Maguire’s novel and the Broadway musical of the same name, which is still playing at the Gershwin Theatre in New York City. It tells the story of the unlikely friendship between Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba, the misunderstood Wicked Witch of the West. The musical has spawned classics including Popular, For Good and Defying Gravity. 

Wicked: Part I was released in 2024 and became a box office behemoth, grossing over $750 million globally. The sequel, Wicked: For Good, is hotly-anticipated and will be released in November 2025, and the combined grosses across both films are expected to exceed well over one billion dollars. The star-studded cast also included Johnathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum. Erivo has collaborated with composer Stephen Schwartz on a new song, No Place Like Home, for Elphaba in the upcoming film.

Erivo has also been very busy off-screen. She has released two studio albums, Ch. 1 Vs. 1 in 2021 and I Forgive You in 2025, and has also published a children’s picture book, Remember to Dream, Ebere. And she launched her own production company, Edith’s Daughter, which specializes in content from overlooked and underrepresented artists. In 2024, it was announced that Universal Pictures had signed a first-look deal with the production company. Upcoming projects for the company include a remake of the Bette Midler classic The Rose and Raising Wild for Apple TV. 

For information on where to find cheap Broadway tickets, check out our articles on Discount Tickets and the Broadway Lottery. And for idea on what to see, look at the Top Broadway Shows playing right now to find a great play or musical!