Megan Kathleen Hilty is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stageTheatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and
televisionTelevision is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress.
Early years
Hilty was born in
Bellevue, WashingtonBellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
and is the daughter of Jack and Donna Hilty. She attended
Sammamish High SchoolSammamish High School is a public secondary school in Bellevue, Washington, USA, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is part of the Bellevue School District, with admission based primarily on the locations of students' homes. The school is known as the Totems, and the mascot is the...
in
BellevueBellevue is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle. Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb. The population was 122,363 at the 2010 census.Downtown Bellevue is...
and the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School in
RedmondRedmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 54,144 at the 2010 census,up from 45,256 in 2000....
, Washington. In 2004, she graduated from the
Carnegie Mellon School of DramaThe Carnegie Mellon School of Drama is the oldest degree-granting drama program in the United States, founded in 1914 as a division of the College of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
and is a member of Actors' Equity. She is a recipient of the National Society of Arts and Letters Award for Excellence in Musical Theater. Her regional credits include productions of
Café Puttanesca,
Suds, and Michael John La Chiusa's
The Wild PartyThe Wild Party is a musical with a book by Michael John LaChiusa and George C. Wolfe and music and lyrics by LaChiusa. It is based on the 1928 Joseph Moncure March narrative poem of the same name...
.
Wicked
Shortly before graduating from Carnegie Mellon, Hilty auditioned for the hit musical
WickedWicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
. She moved to
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
after graduating and, in August 2004, she made her
BroadwayBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut in the show as the standby for Glinda, before taking over the lead role from
Jennifer Laura ThompsonJennifer Laura Thompson is an American stage actress and singer. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre from the University of Michigan and graduated in 1991....
on May 31, 2005. After playing the role for a year, Hilty ended her run on May 28, 2006 and was succeeded by
Kate ReindersKate Reinders is an American musical theatre actress, who has performed as lead and understudy in several Broadway shows. Reinders was born in Seattle, Washington, but raised in Muskegon, Michigan...
.
She then reprised the role on the first national tour of the show from September through December 2006, replacing
Kendra KassebaumKendra Kassebaum is an American theatre actress who has performed in many different musicals , and is most noted for her role as Glinda in the first national tour, Broadway, and San Francisco casts of Wicked.- Biography :Kendra Kassebaum was born May 12, 1973, in St Louis, Missouri...
. She was succeeded by Christina DeCicco. Soon after, she originated the role in the Los Angeles sit-down production, which began previews on February 10, 2007 and opened February 21. Hilty left the production on May 18, 2008, and was replaced by
Erin MackeyErin Mackey is a stage actress/singer, best known for playing the role of Glinda in the Chicago, Los Angeles and Broadway productions of Wicked.-Career:...
, only to return on October 31, 2008 to close the production, which played its final performance January 11, 2009.
Other projects
Hilty starred in a musical called
VanitiesVanities is a comedy-drama stage production written by Jack Heifner. The story centers on the lives and friendship of three Texas cheerleaders starting from high school.-Production history:Vanities had one of the longest Off-Broadway runs on record...
during its premiere engagement at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in
Mountain View, California-Downtown:Mountain View has a pedestrian-friendly downtown centered on Castro Street. The downtown area consists of the seven blocks of Castro Street from the Downtown Mountain View Station transit center in the north to the intersection with El Camino Real in the south...
. In addition to her stage work, Hilty has made guest appearances on various television shows including
The CloserThe Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
,
The Suite Life of Zack and CodyThe Suite Life of Zack & Cody is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series premiered on Disney Channel on March 18, 2005 with 4 million viewers, making it the most successful premiere for Disney Channel in 2005. It was one of their first five shows available on the...
,
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
,
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
,
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
, and
SharkShark is an American legal drama created by Ian Biederman that originally aired on CBS from September 21, 2006 to May 20, 2008. The series stars James Woods.-Synopsis:...
. She can also be heard as the singing voice of
Snow White"Snow White" is a fairy tale known from many countries in Europe, the best known version being the German one collected by the Brothers Grimm...
in the animated feature film
Shrek the ThirdShrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...
.
In fall 2008 Hilty joined Emmy Award-winning
The West Wing star
Allison JanneyAllison Brooks Janney is an American actress, best known for her role as C.J. Cregg on the television series The West Wing.- Personal life :...
, fellow
WickedWicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
alum
Stephanie J. BlockStephanie J. Block is an American actress and singer. She is most well known for her work on the Broadway stage. She has additionally been nominated for a Drama Desk Award and a Drama League Award. She released her debut solo album through PS Classics in June 2009...
, and Broadway veteran
Marc KudischMarc Kudisch is an American stage actor, who is best known for his musical theatre roles on Broadway.-Early life and education:...
in the new musical adaption of the 1980 film
9 to 59 to 5: The Musical is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick, based on the 1980 movie Nine to Five...
. The production was directed by
Joe MantelloJoseph Mantello is an American actor and director best known for his work on Broadway productions of Wicked, Take Me Out and Assassins, as well as earlier in his career being one of the original Broadway cast of Angels in America...
, director of
Wicked, with a pre-Broadway tryout run at the
Ahmanson TheatreThe Ahmanson Theatre is one of the four main venues that comprise the Los Angeles Music Center.Through the generosity of philanthropist Robert H. Ahmanson, construction began on March 9, 1962. The theatre opened on April 12, 1967 with a production of More Stately Mansions starring Ingrid Bergman,...
in Los Angeles, which opened on Sept. 9, 2008. Hilty had participated in workshops and readings developing and originating the character of Doralee for the musical. Her character, executive secretary Doralee Rhodes, the role played by
Dolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
in the film. Parton is the composer and lyricist of the musical. The musical began preview performances on Broadway at the
Marquis TheatreThe Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...
on April 7, 2009 with an official opening on April 30, 2009. The show ended its Broadway run on September 6, 2009. For this role Hilty was nominated for the
Outer Critics Circle AwardThe Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, the
Drama League AwardThe Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing...
for Distinguished performance, and the
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a MusicalThe Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
. In late 2008, Scott Alan's album
Keys was released, featuring Hilty as one of the vocalists. She is featured on the song "The Dance", it being her first vocal recording and release.
In 2009, Hilty appeared in an episode of
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
entitled "Deep Friend & Minty Fresh", where she played a fast food manager helping out with a murder at Choozy's Chicken. She also appeared in an 2 episodes of
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
where she played the other woman to Carlos' boss. Hilty also lent her talents in
Rated RSO: The Music and Lyrics of Ryan Scott OliverRyan Scott Oliver is a musical theatre composer and lyricist. He is the recipient of both the 2009 Jonathan Larson Grant and the 2008 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theater. He received his B.A. in Music Composition from UCLA and his M.F.A. in Musical Theatre Writing from the Tisch School of...
at The Boston Court Performing Arts Center in December 2009, alongside Lesli Margherita, Steve Kazee, Morgan Karr, Natalie Weiss, among others. Hilty also branched off into a coffee and tea product line.
Along with her former
Wicked co-star
Shoshana BeanShoshana Elise Bean is an American stage actress and singer known for her roles in Broadway musicals. She is best known for playing Elphaba on Broadway in the musical Wicked.-Early life and education:...
, Hilty began performing a variety show together called
The Meg an' Sho Show. They often perform a "Wicked swap", in which Bean sings a medley of Glinda's songs and Hilty sings Elphaba's. She also continued her television work with appearances in the hit
Disney ChannelDisney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
shows
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and
Phineas and FerbPhineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
.
In 2010 Hilty confirmed that she will be voicing the character of the China Princess in the upcoming animated feature
Dorothy of OzDorothy of Oz is an upcoming computer-animated film based on the book by Roger Stanton Baum by the same name. It is being produced by Summertime Entertainment, the family entertainment division of Alpine Pictures. The film is scheduled for a 3D U.S. theatrical release on August 3, 2012....
, and she appeared as the "Heckler" in an episode of Louis CK's comedy
LouieLouie is an American comedy television series on the FX network that began airing in 2010. It is written, directed, edited and produced by the show's creator, stand-up comedian Louis C.K., who stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two...
on FX. In 2011 it was confirmed that Hilty will star in the
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
musical television series
SmashSmash is an upcoming American NBC series set to premiere on Monday, February 6, 2012.-Synopsis:The show revolves around a group of characters who come together to put on a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. But before that can happen, the people who will try to bring it all...
, which will also star
Debra MessingDebra Lynn Messing is an American actress, voice artist, and comedienne. She is perhaps best known for her role as Grace Adler in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace and as Molly Kagan in the mini-series The Starter Wife....
,
Katharine McPheeKatharine Hope McPhee is an American pop singer, songwriter, actress, model, and television personality. She gained fame as a contestant on the fifth season of the Fox reality show American Idol in 2006, eventually finishing as the runner-up.Her self-titled debut album was released on RCA Records...
,
Christian BorleChristian Borle is an American actor. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Borle has been primarily featured as an actor in Broadway productions....
, Anjelica Houston, and
Brian d'Arcy JamesBrian d'Arcy James is an American actor and musician.-Personal life:James was born in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of Mary , a seller of children's books, and a lawyer father, Thomas F. James. Brian's maternal grandfather was Harry F. Kelly, former Governor of the state of Michigan...
. The show was officially picked up on May 11, 2011 and is set to air in the mid-season.
Broadway
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Venue |
Notes |
| 2005—2006 |
Wicked Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
|
Glinda the Good Witch |
George Gershwin TheatreThe Gershwin Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 222 West 51st Street in midtown-Manhattan in the Paramount Plaza building. The theatre is named after composer George Gershwin and lyricist Ira Gershwin...
|
Nominated—Broadway.com Audience Award for Favorite Female Replacement |
| 2009 |
9 to 5: The Musical9 to 5: The Musical is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Dolly Parton and a book by Patricia Resnick, based on the 1980 movie Nine to Five...
|
Doralee Rhodes |
Marquis Theatre The Marquis Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 1535 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.Situated on the third floor of the Marriott Marquis Hotel, the 1611-seat venue was designed by developer/architect John C. Portman, Jr...
|
Nominated—Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical was first awarded at the 1974-1975 Drama Desk Awards and has been awarded every year since...
Nominated—Drama League Award for Distinguished PerformanceThe Drama League Awards, created in 1935, honor distinguished productions and performances both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, in addition to recognizing exemplary career achievements in theatre, musical theatre, and directing...
Nominated—LA Ovation Award for Lead Actress in a Musical
Nominated—Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a MusicalThe Outer Critics Circle Awards are presented annually for theatrical achievements both on and Off-Broadway and were begun during the 1949-1950 theater season. The awards are decided upon by theater critics who review for out-of-town newspapers, national publications, and other media outlets...
|
Other Theatre
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Venue |
| 2006 |
Vanities Vanities is a comedy-drama stage production written by Jack Heifner. The story centers on the lives and friendship of three Texas cheerleaders starting from high school.-Production history:Vanities had one of the longest Off-Broadway runs on record...
|
Mary |
Mountain View Center |
Concerts
| Year |
Title |
Venue |
Notes |
| 2010 |
Don't Stop Believing |
Cobb Energy Performing Arts CentreThe Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre is a performing arts venue located in the Cumberland/Galleria edge city, just northwest of Atlanta, Georgia...
|
June 13, 2010 |
| 2011 |
Megan Sings the Blondes |
Rrazz Room |
January 24, 2011 |
Films
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 2010 |
What Happens Next |
Ruthie |
|
| 2010 |
Bitter Feast Bitter Feast is an American psychological horror film directed and written by Joe Maggio. It stars James LeGros as a chef pushed over the edge by food critic J.T. Franks' vicious review...
|
Peg |
|
| 2012 |
Dorothy of Oz Dorothy of Oz is an upcoming computer-animated film based on the book by Roger Stanton Baum by the same name. It is being produced by Summertime Entertainment, the family entertainment division of Alpine Pictures. The film is scheduled for a 3D U.S. theatrical release on August 3, 2012....
|
China Princess (voice) |
Post-production |
Television
| Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
| 2007 |
The Suite Life of Zack & Cody |
Enid |
Episode: "The Arwin That Came to Dinner" |
| 2007 |
The CloserThe Closer is an American crime drama, starring Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, a Georgia police detective who often closes her cases using sometimes-questionable methods...
|
Michelle Edwards |
2 episodes |
| 2007 |
Ugly BettyUgly Betty is an American comedy-drama television series developed by Silvio Horta, which premiered on ABC on September 28, 2006, and ended on April 14, 2010. The series revolves around the character Betty Suarez and is based on Fernando Gaitán's Colombian telenovela soap opera Yo soy Betty, la fea...
|
Glinda |
Episode: "Something Wicked This Way Comes" |
| 2008 |
Shark Shark is an American legal drama created by Ian Biederman that originally aired on CBS from September 21, 2006 to May 20, 2008. The series stars James Woods.-Synopsis:...
|
Laurel Hasbrouck |
Episode: "One Hit Wonder" |
| 2009 |
CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
|
Kiwi Long |
Episode: "Deep Fried and Minty Fresh" |
| 2009 |
Desperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
|
Shayla Grove |
2 episodes |
| 2009 |
Eli StoneEli Stone is an American TV series, and also the name of the title character.San Francisco lawyer Eli Stone begins to see things, which leads him to discover a brain aneurysm...
|
Cheryl |
Episode: "Flight Path" |
| 2010 |
Phineas and FerbPhineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
|
Aunt Tiana (voice) |
Episode: "Just Passing Through/Candace's Big Day" |
| 2010 |
American Dad!American Dad! is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane and owned by Underdog Productions and Fuzzy Door Productions. It is produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television...
|
Unknown (voice) |
Episode: "Return of the Bling" |
| 2009—2010 |
Glenn Martin, DDS Glenn Martin, DDS is an American stop-motion-animated television series that premiered on Nick at Nite on August 17, 2009. The series is produced by Tornante Animation in association with Cuppa Coffee Studio...
|
Unknown (voice) |
2 episodes |
| 2010 |
BonesBones is an American crime drama television series that premiered on the Fox Network on September 13, 2005. The show is based on forensic anthropology and forensic archaeology, with each episode focusing on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent...
|
Julie Coyle |
Episode: "The Death of the Queen Bee" |
| 2010 |
Louie Louie is an American comedy television series on the FX network that began airing in 2010. It is written, directed, edited and produced by the show's creator, stand-up comedian Louis C.K., who stars as a fictionalized version of himself, a comedian and newly divorced father raising his two...
|
Heckler |
Episode: "Heckler/Cop Movie" |
| 2011 |
Melissa & Joey Melissa & Joey is an ABC Family original television series starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. It first aired on ABC Family on August 17, 2010...
|
Tiffany |
Episode: "#1.24" |
| 2011 |
The Penguins of MadagascarThe Penguins of Madagascar is an American CGI animated television series airing on Nickelodeon. It stars nine characters from the DreamWorks Animation animated film Madagascar: The penguins Skipper , Kowalski , Private , and Rico ; the lemurs King Julien , Maurice , and Mort...
|
Frances Alberta |
(voice) Guest star |
| 2011 |
Tinker Bell and the Pixie Hollow Games Pixie Hollow Games is a half-hour TV special broadcast in 2011, based on the Disney Fairies franchise, produced by DisneyToon Studios. It features the voices of Mae Whitman, Brenda Song, Megan Hilty, and others, as Tinker Bell and the other fairies of Pixie Hollow in Never Land, taking part in an...
|
Rosetta |
(voice), fills in for Kristin ChenowethKristin Chenoweth is an American singer and actress, with credits in musical theatre, film and television. She is best known on Broadway for her performance as Sally Brown in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown , for which she won a Tony Award, and for originating the role of Glinda in the musical...
|
| 2012 |
Smash Smash is an upcoming American NBC series set to premiere on Monday, February 6, 2012.-Synopsis:The show revolves around a group of characters who come together to put on a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. But before that can happen, the people who will try to bring it all...
|
Ivy Lynn |
Airing in the winter |
External links