Patti LuPone Biography Quotes 14 Report mistakes

Early life and training
Patti Ann LuPone was born on April 21, 1949, in Northport, Long Island, New York, and grew up in a close Italian American family that prized music and performance. A formative influence in her life and career was her older brother, Robert (Bob) LuPone, an actor, director, and later co-founder of MCC Theater, whose professional example and collaboration kept theatre at the center of family life. LuPone entered the Juilliard School as a member of the very first class of the Drama Division (Group 1). Under the tutelage of founding director John Houseman, and alongside classmates including Kevin Kline, she received the kind of classical training that would shape her rigorous technique and stage discipline. After graduating, she helped launch The Acting Company with Houseman, touring a repertory of classics across the United States and bringing her to Broadway while deepening her command of language, characterization, and ensemble work.

Broadway breakthrough
LuPone began attracting major attention on Broadway with The Robber Bridegroom (1975), earning an early Tony Award nomination that marked her as a formidable new presence. The hallmark of her performing style quickly became clear: a fearless dramatic commitment paired with a soaring, muscular belt. Those qualities would power the role that made her a star.

Evita and international acclaim
Her breakthrough came as Eva Peron in Evita (1979), directed by Harold Prince with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. The production demanded a voice and temperament that could carry epic ambition and vulnerability; LuPone delivered both, opposite Mandy Patinkin as Che and Bob Gunton as Juan Peron. She won the 1980 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and her performance became a benchmark for the role, defining expectations for future interpreters and securing her reputation as one of Broadway's leading actresses.

London seasons: Les Miserables and The Cradle Will Rock
In 1985, LuPone joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, originating the role of Fantine in the first major production of Les Miserables directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caird, with music by Claude-Michel Schonberg and lyrics by Alain Boublil and Herbert Kretzmer. She also appeared in The Cradle Will Rock that season. Her performances earned her an Olivier Award, reinforcing her standing on both sides of the Atlantic and underscoring the versatility that allowed her to inhabit major roles in wildly different musical styles.

Anything Goes and a life in New York
Returning to New York, LuPone headlined the 1987 Lincoln Center Theater revival of Anything Goes, a Cole Porter classic whose wit and vocal demands suited her perfectly. The production brought another Tony nomination and reestablished her as a central figure on Broadway in the late 1980s. In 1988 she married Matthew Johnston, a camera operator she met while filming the television movie LBJ: The Early Years, and the couple later welcomed their son, Joshua Luke. The family remained a steady anchor amid the demands of a peripatetic theatre and concert career.

Sunset Boulevard and hard-won independence
LuPone originated the role of Norma Desmond in the 1993 London premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard, earning strong reviews for a performance that married grand theatricality with psychological nuance. When the Broadway transfer went forward with Glenn Close in the role, LuPone's very public dispute with the production led to a legal settlement. She emerged from the episode with a renewed sense of artistic self-determination and recounted the experience candidly in her memoir, Patti LuPone: A Memoir, winning respect for her clarity about contractual fairness and the treatment of actors.

Television, film, and a wider audience
While her primary home remained the stage, LuPone reached a broad national audience as Libby Thatcher in the ABC series Life Goes On, acting opposite Bill Smitrovich and Chris Burke in a family drama that broke ground for representation of people with Down syndrome. She later appeared in films by David Mamet, including State and Main and Heist, and made memorable contributions to television projects overseen by Ryan Murphy, such as American Horror Story, spotlighting her capacity to shift from musical leads to character roles in drama and dark comedy.

Sweeney Todd, Gypsy, and towering revivals
LuPone's mastery of the Sondheim repertory became unmistakable with her Mrs. Lovett in the 2005 Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, a bold John Doyle production in which the actors also played instruments onstage. Opposite Michael Cerveris, she brought sardonic humor and ferocity to a role that demands both. In 2008 she crowned a long association with Gypsy as Rose in a production directed by the show's book writer, Arthur Laurents, with Laura Benanti and Boyd Gaines as her co-stars. The performance earned her a second Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, confirming her authority in one of the canon's most challenging roles.

Concerts, recordings, and Grammy recognition
Beyond the theatre, LuPone built an extensive concert career, bringing carefully curated programs to Carnegie Hall, the West End, and international stages. Her recordings reflect her range from American standards to contemporary theatre. She won two Grammy Awards for the Los Angeles Opera recording of Kurt Weill's The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, sharing honors with a cast that included Audra McDonald, a milestone that recognized her musicianship in the classical and operatic repertoire.

New work and continuing range
Committed to developing new musicals as well as reimagining classics, LuPone starred in War Paint (2017) opposite Christine Ebersole, playing cosmetics pioneer Helena Rubinstein to Ebersole's Elizabeth Arden. The production brought her another Tony nomination and showcased her appetite for complex, larger-than-life characters. She has frequently collaborated with leading directors and writers, bringing authority and wit to rehearsal rooms and shaping interpretations that set standards for subsequent casts.

Company and a late-career triumph
LuPone returned to Stephen Sondheim with a definitive portrayal of Joanne in Marianne Elliott's gender-reimagined Company, first in the West End in 2018 and later on Broadway in 2021, 2022 opposite Katrina Lenk. Her acerbic, diamond-hard take on The Ladies Who Lunch, paired with Elliott's staging, gave the song a contemporary edge and earned her the 2022 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. The production reaffirmed her place as a foremost interpreter of Sondheim and as an artist continually willing to revisit canonical material through a fresh lens.

Voice, persona, and advocacy
LuPone's voice is famed for its gleaming top register, clarion diction, and emotional specificity, qualities that support a dramatic presence as formidable as her musicianship. She is equally known for her candor, her insistence on professional standards, and her advocacy for theatergoers and performers alike. She has publicly defended the integrity of live performance, including calling out disruptive audience behavior, earning a reputation for setting a high bar in the house as well as onstage. In 2022 she announced that she had resigned from the Actors' Equity Association, clarifying that she was not retiring but seeking flexibility after the Broadway run of Company. The move underscored her independence and her preference for choosing projects on her own terms.

Family and remembrance
Family remains a throughline in LuPone's story. Her marriage to Matthew Johnston and their son, Joshua, have been sources of stability alongside a demanding schedule. The death of her brother Bob LuPone in 2022 resonated deeply in the theater community, not only because of his own achievements with MCC Theater but because of the siblings' shared dedication to nurturing new work and mentoring younger artists.

Legacy
Patti LuPone's legacy is built on landmark performances, fearless artistic choices, and an unwavering commitment to the craft of acting and singing. From the audacity of Evita to the bite of Joanne in Company, and from Fantine's pathos to Rose's drive in Gypsy, she has collaborated with major figures including Harold Prince, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Trevor Nunn, John Caird, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, David Mamet, and Marianne Elliott. Together with colleagues such as Mandy Patinkin, Michael Cerveris, Laura Benanti, Boyd Gaines, Christine Ebersole, and Katrina Lenk, she has helped define the modern American musical. Decades into her career, LuPone remains a central, influential force whose work continues to inspire audiences and performers around the world.

Our collection contains 14 quotes who is written by Patti, under the main topics: Art - Music - Funny - Success - Pet Love.

Other people realated to Patti: Richard Fleeshman (Actor), Chris Burke (Actor), Chad Lowe (Actor)