Linda Balgord

Linda Balgord (February 18, 1960 – March 5, 2024) was an American actress and singer whose Broadway career spanned from 1982 to 2013. Born in New Lisbon, Wisconsin, she developed an interest in acting during grade school and graduated from New Lisbon High School in 1978. She earned her undergraduate degree from Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1982, and later received a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

In the years between completing her undergraduate studies and beginning graduate school, Balgord performed at the Fireside Theatre in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, from 1982 to 1984. Following her graduate studies, she worked at the Goodman Theater in Chicago, appearing in Sunday in the Park with George. She relocated to New York in 1990 and within five months secured the lead role in a two-year national tour of Aspects of Love. Her Broadway debut came in Passion.

Among her most prominent credits, Balgord was personally selected by Andrew Lloyd Webber to portray Norma Desmond in the 1996 United States tour of Sunset Boulevard. She also originated the role of Queen Elizabeth I in The Pirate Queen on Broadway, and was the last actress to play Grizabella in the original Broadway run of Cats. Her association with Andrew Lloyd Webber's work extended further through her portrayal of Madame Giry in The Phantom of the Opera, a role she performed in both the restaged North American tour and on Broadway. Additional Broadway credits include La Cage aux Folles.

Balgord received a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical in 2007 for her work in The Pirate Queen. Her earlier honors included the Distinguished Young Alumna Award from Viterbo University in 1990, a Helen Hayes Non-Resident Acting Award in 1993, and a Helen Hayes Resident Acting Award in 1999.

In her personal life, Balgord married stage manager Andrew Fenton in July 1993. The two met while working together on the Toronto production of Aspects of Love. Balgord died on March 5, 2024, in Naples, Florida, at the age of 64.