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Donna Lynne Champlin Headshot

Donna Lynne Champlin

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BIO

Champlin took on the title role of Very Warm for May, made her Broadway debut in James Joyce's The Dead, then By Jeeves, Hollywood Arms, Sweeney Todd, Billy Elliot the Musical, and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, for which she won the 2007 Obie Award. Other credits include: No, No Nanette, Very Good Eddie, First Lady Suite, Harold and Maude, My Life with Albertine, Bloomer Girl, and Jolson. She also performed with Len Cariou in the Simply Sondheim inaugural concert which celebrated the opening of the Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts.


Champlin's awards include the 2019 Gracie Award for Best Supporting Actress, 2013 Drama Desk Award, 2007 OBIE award, the Princess Grace Award, the title of National Tap Dance Champion four consecutive times, and she has received grants from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts, The Anna Sosenko Trust, Princess Grace Foundation, and has received The Charlie Willard Memorial Grant.
Champlin's film and television credits include The Dark Half, the 2000 and 2006 Annual Tony Awards, The View, Law & Order, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, The Good Doctor, and Live with Regis and Kelly. From 2015 to 2019, she starred in the role of Paula Proctor in The CW comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend., Hortense in Another Period and Barb in Netflix's Feel the Beat. In 2022, she appeared in the Showtime series The First Lady.
Champlin released a solo album entitled Old Friends, performs a one-woman show entitled Finishing the Hat, and teaches acting at the Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Hartford, and New York University. She spends her downtime writing, raising money for JDRF, BCEFA, The Actors Fund, and lives with her family in NYC.

Photos

STAGE CREDITS

[Off-Broadway]
2025
Mags () [Replacement]

Bernie () [Replacement]

[Off-Broadway]
Transport Group Concert Production, 2018
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
2016 Shakespeare in the Park Production, 2016


[Off-Broadway]
Transport Group Revival, 2014


[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 2008
Ensemble [Replacement]

"Expressing Yourself" Dancer [Replacement]

Lesley [Replacement]

Dead Mum [Replacement]

Ensemble [Replacement]

"Expressing Yourself" Dancer [Replacement]

Lesley [Replacement]

Dead Mum [Replacement]

[Off-Broadway]
Original Off-Broadway Production, 2008
Performer


[Chester, CT (Regional)]
World Premiere, 2006
Ann Mitchell


[New York]
New York Musical Theatre Festival Production, 2006
Gracie


[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 2005
Pirelli


[Chester, CT (Regional)]
Goodspeed Production, 2005
Gracie


[Milburn, NJ (Regional)]
Paper Mill Production, 2005
Maria/Mourner/Nancy Mersch/Motorist #2/Sunshine/Moving Man #2


[Off-Off-Broadway]
Off-Off-Broadway Revival, 2004
Mary Gallagher


[New York]
Reading, 2003
Performer


[Off-Broadway]
Original Off-Broadway Production, 2003
Grandmother/Francoise


[Broadway]
Original Broadway Production, 2002
Older Helen


[Broadway]
Broadway Revival, 2001
Honoria Glossop


[Off-Broadway]
Encores! Concert, 2001
Daisy


[Broadway]
Broadway Transfer, 2000
Mary Jane Morkan [Replacement]

[Replacement]

Miss Molly Ivors (Understudy)

Mary Jane Morkan (Understudy)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

Miss Molly Ivors (Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

(Unknown)

[Off-Off-Broadway]
Original Off-Off-Broadway Production, 1999
Performer


Movies

My Secret Billionaire
[ 2011 ] Sandra
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
[ 2014 ] Broadway Lady
Downsizing
[ 2017 ] Leisureland Administrator
Yes, God, Yes
[ 2019 ] Mrs. Veda
Feel the Beat
[ 2020 ] Miss Barb

TV Shows

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Paula Proctor
Law & Order
Sergeant Angelyne Robinson
Submissions Only
Kim Gifford
Selected Shorts
Performer
The Perfect Couple
Nikki Henry
Batman: Caped Crusader
Leslie Thompkins
Selected Shorts
Performer
The Perfect Couple
Nikki Henry
Batman: Caped Crusader
Leslie Thompkins
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
[ 1999-2025 ] Megan Wallace
Elsbeth
[ 2024-2025 ] Mama Martin

Awards and Nominations


winner
Obie Awards - 2007 - Performance

Donna Lynne Champlin The Dark at the Top of the Stairs


winner
Obie Awards - 2007 - Performance

Donna Lynne ChamplinThe Dark at the Top of the Stairs

Videos

News


Brooke Adams and Marilu Henner to Join PEN PALS Off-Broadway
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Dec 9, 2025

Brooke Adams and Marilu Henner will star as Bernie and Mags in Pen Pals Off-Broadway at the DR2 Theatre, joining the rotating roster of women starring in the production.
PEN PALS Extends for a Fourth and Final Time Off-Broadway
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Nov 20, 2025

Pen Pals will present its fourth and final extension, along with an expanded roster of performers. The Off-Broadway play will now continue its run at the DR2 Theatre.
​Catherine Curtin and Marcia Cross to Join PEN PALS Off-Broadway
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Oct 23, 2025

The Off-Broadway play Pen Pals at the DR2 Theatre with its moving portrayal of enduring friendship—and this fall, the production welcomes acclaimed actresses Catherine Curtin and Marcia Cross. Learn more!
Listen: GET WHAT YOU WANT: THE SONGS OF MICHAEL FINKE Out Now
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 12, 2025

CENTER STAGE RECORDS has released Get What You Want: The Songs of Michael Finke in streaming and digital formats. Learn more about the album and listen here!
Exclusive Track: 'Walking Alone' From GET WHAT YOU WANT: THE SONGS OF MICHAEL FINKE
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 11, 2025

Tomorrow, Center Stage Records is releasing Get What You Want: The Songs of Michael Finke. BroadwayWorld has your exclusive first listen to the track “Walking Alone” by Alan H. Green. Listen here!
Interview: Michael Finke on GET WHAT YOU WANT Album Release at Chelsea Table + Stage
by Rebecca Kaplan - Sep 10, 2025

On Friday, September 12, Center Stage Records will release Get What You Want: The Songs of Michael Finke. Read a conversation with Finke about the new album and its September 12 release concert at Chelsea Table.
Photos: Michelle Clunie and Megan Fellows in PEN PALS Off-Broadway
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Sep 5, 2025

See photos of Queer as Folk’s Michelle Cluni and Anne of Green Gable’s Megan Fellows in Pen Pals Off-Broadway. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets here!
Rachel Bloom Sets CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND Reunion Concert Tour
by Michael Major - Sep 3, 2025

Rachel Bloom has announced the 2025 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: The 10 (Ish) Year Reunion Concert. Produced by Live Nation, the exclusive 3-city tour kicks off on Friday, October 3 at the Beacon Theatre in New York, NY.
Broadway Streaming Guide September 2025 - Where to Watch HELLUVA BOSS & More
by Josh Sharpe - Aug 29, 2025

To help kick off the fall season, Broadway fans can tune into a brand new lineup of movies, music, and television to stream this September, including Helluva Boss, The Office spin-off series, and more.
Photos: PEN PALS Celebrates Opening Night At DR2 Theatre
by A.A. Cristi - Aug 22, 2025

Pen Pals officially opened its strictly limited engagement at the DR2 Theatre this week, and BroadwayWorld has your first look at photos from the celebration.
Photos: PEN PALS Opening Night Starring Nancy McKeon and Gail Winar
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 21, 2025

Pen Pals has returned this summer at the DR2 Theatre for a strictly limited engagement. See photos from opening night here and learn more about the production.
Kate Rockwell, Justin David Sullivan and More Join GET WHAT YOU WANT: THE SONGS OF MICHAEL FINKE
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Aug 12, 2025

CENTER STAGE RECORDS will release Get What You Want: The Songs of Michael Finke in streaming and digital formats. Learn more about the album and see how to stream!
Top Off-Broadway Shows for August 2025
by Sidney Paterra - Aug 1, 2025

What's happening off-Broadway? BroadwayWorld is here to guide you through the top picks for theatre for August 2025! See the list of BroadwayWorld's top shows here!
Sharna Burgess, Paige Davis and More Join PEN PALS at DR2 Theatre
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jul 22, 2025

Pen Pals Off-Broadway has revealed new additions to the rotating cast: Sharna Burgess and Paige Davis, plus more! See who else is starring and learn how to purchase tickets.
SCHMIGADOON! Musical Gets NYC Reading
by Nicole Rosky - May 22, 2025

BroadwayWorld has the scoop on Broadway Video and No Guarantees Productions presenting a New York City reading of Schmigadoon! We have all of the details here including who was in the cast and what to expect next!
Photos: ELSBETH Season Finale Photos Reveal CHICAGO Musical Number, Returning Guest Stars
by Josh Sharpe - May 5, 2025

Ahead of its airing this Thursday, CBS has shared first-look photos of the Season 2 finale of Elsbeth, which reveal a special musical number: Chicago's iconic 'Cell Block Tango.' Take a look at the photos here!
Nichelle Lewis and More to Perform at 54 Below Next Week
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Feb 14, 2025

Next week, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond, including The Wiz's Nichelle Lewis, and many more. See the full lineup! 
Interview: Charles Kirsch Celebrates Iconic Broadway Flops at 54 Below
by Rebecca Kaplan - Feb 5, 2025

The star-studded 2/19 show (also being live-streamed) shines a spotlight on gems from that musicals that never made it, introduced and sung by members of the original casts of the shows they came from.
See Joaquina Kalukango, Kerry Ellis & More in February at 54 Below
by Chloe Rabinowitz - Jan 31, 2025

Next month, 54 BELOW will present some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. See the full lineup featuring stars including Joaquina Kalukango, Kerry Ellis and more. Learn more.
YoungArts Announces The 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars In The Arts Nominees
by A.A. Cristi - Jan 31, 2025

YoungArts has announced the nominees for the 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts, one of the nation's highest honors for high school students who exemplify artistic and academic excellence.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How many Broadway shows has Donna Lynne Champlin been in?

Donna Lynne Champlin has appeared on Broadway in 5 shows.

How many West End shows has Donna Lynne Champlin been in?

Donna Lynne Champlin has not appeared in the West End.

What awards has Donna Lynne Champlin been nominated for?

Performance (Obie Awards) for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs and Performance (Obie Awards) for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs.

What awards has Donna Lynne Champlin won?

Donna Lynne Champlin has won the Performance Obie Award for her role in The Dark at the Top of the Stairs.

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Videos