Denée Benton

Denée Benton is an American actress and singer born on December 31, 1991, in Eustis, Florida. Her father served as mayor of Eustis and worked as an airport executive, while her mother's career spanned journalism, therapy, and business. An early encounter with Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella shaped her ambitions as a performer. Benton attended Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park, Florida, and went on to earn a degree from Carnegie Mellon University in 2014, where she also met Carl Lundstedt, whom she later married in 2020; the two divorced in 2023. Benton is queer.

Her professional career gained early traction through the role of Nabulungi in both the West End and the U.S. national tour of The Book of Mormon. She subsequently took on the title role of Natasha Rostova with the American Repertory Theatre's production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, a casting that would define her Broadway debut. The show opened at the Imperial Theatre on November 14, 2016, with Benton performing opposite Josh Groban as Pierre. During the run, she also starred alongside Okieriete Onaodowan and the show's creator, Dave Malloy, in the role of Pierre. On December 12, 2016, she appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to discuss the production. Her performance earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical as well as a Theatre World Award in 2017.

In October 2018, it was announced that Benton would join the Broadway cast of Hamilton as Eliza Hamilton, beginning performances on October 30 opposite Michael Luwoye, Daniel Breaker, Mandy Gonzalez, and James Monroe Iglehart. She remained with the production until December 8, 2019. In May 2022, Benton played Cinderella in a New York City Center production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods, sharing the stage with Heather Headley, Neil Patrick Harris, Sara Bareilles, and Gavin Creel. That November, she moved the role to Broadway, replacing Krysta Rodriguez in the revival and performing alongside Creel, Brian d'Arcy James, Patina Miller, Stephanie J. Block, Montego Glover, Andy Karl, Joshua Henry, and Joaquina Kalukango. She departed the production on December 24, 2022. In December 2023, it was announced that Benton would star as Susan in a Kennedy Center production of Tick, Tick... Boom!

Beyond the stage, Benton appeared in a recurring role as Ruby Carter on the second season of the Lifetime series UnREAL in 2016. Beginning in 2022, she joined the main cast of the HBO historical drama The Gilded Age as Peggy Scott, appearing alongside Louisa Jacobson, Cynthia Nixon, and Christine Baranski. In 2023, she and the ensemble received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.