Bonnie Milligan

Bonnie Milligan is a musical theater performer and television actor originally from Illinois, known for her belting vocal style and wide range. She won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her portrayal of Debra in Kimberly Akimbo.

Milligan grew up as the daughter of a Protestant minister. Her parents divorced when she was sixteen, after which she relocated to Archbold, Ohio, a small farm town where she completed high school. She went on to attend Ohio State University, earning a theatre degree in 2006. Following her graduation, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in musical theater, working as a waiter while auditioning.

Her early stage work included a 2012 appearance as Holden in Restoration Comedy, a play by Amy Freed produced at the Flea Theater. In 2014, she joined the first national tour of Kinky Boots, playing Pat, a role she held through 2017. That same year, she performed in a show called Belting Bonnie's Bon Voyage at Feinstein's/54 Below, during which a recorded medley duet with Laura Osnes featuring Disney princess songs accumulated more than 2.8 million YouTube views as of November 2025.

Milligan made her Broadway debut in 2018 in Head Over Heels, originating the role of Pamela, and received a Theatre World Award in 2019 for that performance. In February and March 2022, she starred as Lorraine in the world premiere of Other World, written by Hunter Bell, Jeff Bowen, and Ann McNamee, at the Delaware Theatre Company. Prior to that production, from November 2021 to January 2022, she had played Debra in Kimberly Akimbo at the Atlantic Theater Company. The production subsequently transferred to Broadway's Booth Theatre in the fall of 2022, with Milligan continuing in the role, earning her the Tony Award.

Outside of theater, Milligan appeared as Katherine Witherbottom in the television series Search Party from 2016 to 2022. Her father, a Protestant minister, died in 2020 at the age of 69 following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Milligan has one brother, Tim.