Megan Hilty

Megan Hilty is an American actress and singer born on March 29, 1981, in Bellevue, Washington, to Donna and Jack Hilty. She began vocal training at age 12 with an early interest in opera, and attended Sammamish High School before transferring to the Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School in Redmond and later the Chrysalis School in Woodinville. Hilty graduated from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 2004 and holds membership in the Actors' Equity Association. She is also a recipient of the National Society of Arts and Letters Award for Excellence in Musical Theater.

Prior to relocating to New York City, Hilty auditioned for the 2004 national tour of Little Shop of Horrors for the role of Audrey. Though initially cast, she was released from the production after Anthony Rapp joined the company, with producers citing concerns about age appropriateness. She then pursued an audition for Wicked and, in August 2004, made her Broadway debut as the standby for Glinda the Good Witch. Her first performance in the role came on October 8, 2004, opposite Idina Menzel as Elphaba. Hilty assumed the role from Jennifer Laura Thompson on May 31, 2005, and concluded her Broadway run on May 28, 2006, succeeded by Kate Reinders. She subsequently reprised Glinda on the first national tour from September through December 2006, replacing Kendra Kassebaum, and then originated the role in the Los Angeles sit-down production, which began previews on February 10, 2007, and opened on February 21. After departing on May 18, 2008, and being replaced by Erin Mackey, Hilty returned on October 31, 2008, to close the production, which gave its final performance on January 11, 2009.

In 2008, Hilty joined Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, and Marc Kudisch in the musical adaptation of the 1980 film 9 to 5, directed by Joe Mantello. She had participated in workshops and readings as Doralee Rhodes, the character originated on screen by Dolly Parton. The production held a pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles, opening September 9, 2008, before beginning Broadway previews at the Marquis Theatre on April 7, 2009, and opening officially on April 30, 2009. The show closed on September 6, 2009. For her performance as Doralee, Hilty received nominations for the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.

Hilty also appeared in the stage musical Vanities during its premiere engagement at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Mountain View, California. In May 2012, she portrayed Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes as part of the Encores! staged concert series, appearing alongside Brennan Brown, Simon Jones, and Rachel York.

In July 2015, Hilty returned to Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre Company's revival of Noises Off, playing Brooke Ashton. The role earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Play in 2016, along with nominations for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play and the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.

In 2024, Hilty starred as Madeline Ashton in the stage adaptation of Death Becomes Her, opposite Jennifer Simard as Helen Sharp. The production's out-of-town tryout ran at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre from April 30 through June 2, 2024, before transferring to Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, where previews began October 23 and the production opened November 21. The role brought Hilty her second Tony Award nomination, for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical in 2025. She also appeared in Barack on Broadway during her Broadway career, which spans 2003 to 2024.

Beyond the stage, Hilty starred as Ivy Lynn on the NBC musical-drama series Smash, which premiered February 6, 2012, and ran for two seasons opposite Katharine McPhee, Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, and Brian d'Arcy James. On the show, she performed the Grammy Award-nominated song "Let Me Be Your Star." She subsequently portrayed Liz on the NBC sitcom Sean Saves the World alongside Sean Hayes, which premiered following an announcement on June 13, 2013, and was cancelled on January 28, 2014, after 13 episodes. In November 2021, Hilty was announced as a replacement for Jane Krakowski in the role of Lily St. Regis in NBC's Annie Live!, after Krakowski withdrew following a breakthrough COVID-19 case. Hilty's television guest appearances have included The Closer, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Ugly Betty, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Desperate Housewives, and Shark. She provided the singing voice of Snow White in the animated film Shrek the Third and voiced the China Princess in Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return. She released her debut solo album, It Happens All the Time, on March 12, 2013.

Hilty married actor Brian Gallagher in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 2, 2013. Their daughter, Viola Philomena Gallagher, was born on September 18, 2014, and their son, Ronan Laine Gallagher, was born on March 13, 2017. On September 4, 2022, Hilty's sister Lauren, brother-in-law Ross Mickel, and nephew Remy were killed in a floatplane crash into Puget Sound off the coast of Whidbey Island. Lauren Hilty-Mickel was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.