Veanne Cox

Veanne Cox is an American stage and screen actress born on January 19, 1963, in Norfolk, Virginia. A graduate of Manchester High School in Chesterfield, Virginia, in 1981, Cox trained in multiple disciplines before pursuing a professional career, studying ballet at the Washington School of Ballet, acting at the Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., and voice at Catholic University of America. Her background as a ballet dancer informed her work as a performer across stage and screen.

Cox made her Broadway debut in 1986 in the Marvin Hamlisch musical Smile, originating the role of Sandra-Kay Macaffee. Nearly a decade later, she returned to Broadway in the Roundabout Theatre's 1995 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Company, playing Amy. The performance earned her both a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, both in 1996. She went on to appear in Caroline, or Change at the Eugene O'Neill Theater in 2004, playing Rose Stopnick Gellman, a production that had previously been presented at The Public Theater in 2003. Additional Broadway credits include A Free Man of Color and An American in Paris at the Palace Theatre in 2015, extending her Broadway career across nearly three decades.

Beyond Broadway, Cox's stage work has taken her to prominent regional and off-Broadway venues. She appeared in La Cage aux Folles in the 2010 Broadway revival, and her earlier credits include The Dinner Party at the Music Box Theatre in 2001 and House/Garden at Manhattan Theatre Club in 2002. Off-Broadway appearances include The Altruists at the Vineyard Theatre in 2000 and The Wooden Breeks at the Lucille Lortel Theatre in 2006. At the Guthrie Theatre in 2007, she starred as Amanda in a production of Private Lives. Her stage work has also extended to the Kennedy Center, where she appeared in The Music Man in 2019, and the Goodspeed Opera House, where she performed in Summer Stock in 2023.

On screen, Cox appeared as one of the stepsisters in the 1997 made-for-television film Cinderella and played Theresa Dallavale in the film Erin Brockovich. Her television credits include an appearance on Seinfeld as Toby in the episode "The Fire," as well as roles on Blue Bloods in 2016 and Odd Mom Out. Her work across television has earned her an Emmy nomination in addition to her Tony recognition.