Age, Biography, and Wiki
Sutton Lenore Foster was born in Statesboro, Georgia, and raised in Troy, Michigan. She began her career at a young age, competing in the reality show Star Search at 15 and auditioning for The Mickey Mouse Club. Foster's early start in theater led her to join the national tour of The Will Rogers Follies before pursuing higher education at Carnegie Mellon University for a brief period.
| Occupation | Stage Actress |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | 18 March 1975 |
| Age | 50 Years |
| Birth Place | Statesboro, Georgia, U.S. |
| Horoscope | Pisces |
| Country | Georgia |
Height, Weight & Measurements
Sutton Foster's height, weight, and body measurements are not widely publicized, but her performances often highlight her energetic stage presence and dance skills.
| Height | |
| Weight | |
| Body Measurements | |
| Eye Color | |
| Hair Color |
Dating & Relationship Status
Sutton Foster has been married twice. Her first marriage was to actor Christian Borle, and she is currently married to Ted Griffin, a screenwriter and producer. They married in 2014.
Foster taught a Spring Semester master class at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts Undergraduate Department of Drama, beginning in January 2010. It culminated in a cabaret performance at Joe's Pub in May titled "From Rodgers To Heart". She taught the master class again in Fall Semester 2010, culminating in another performance at Joe's Pub, "Crazy for Gershwin". Both were musically directed by Deborah Abramson. She is now on the faculty of NYU's New Studio on Broadway. Foster taught a week-long master class session at Ball State University (Muncie, IN) in January 2010. She continued her relationship with Ball State in September 2010 by working with students in the classroom, teaching master classes, and performing workshops for students of the Department of Theatre and Dance. She also guest-starred in an episode of the NBC legal drama Law & Order: SVU (opposite comedian Kathy Griffin), which aired on March 3, 2010.
Foster played Reno Sweeney in the Broadway revival of Anything Goes, which began performances on March 10, 2011, at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre and officially opened on April 7, 2011. Foster won her third Outer Critics Circle Award and second Drama Desk Award and Tony Award for her performance. Foster's final performance was on March 11, 2012, when she was replaced by Stephanie J. Block. Foster left to film the television comedy-drama Bunheads, which premiered on ABC Family on June 11, 2012. Foster played the lead role in this short-lived 2012 ABC Family drama, developed by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the creator of Gilmore Girls. She played former Las Vegas showgirl Michelle, who impulsively marries a man, moves to his small town, and begins teaching ballet lessons at her new mother-in-law's dance studio. She won the Gracie Award and received a nomination at the 3rd Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. The series was cancelled after a single season.
In the spring of 2012, she returned to Ball State, teaching classes, mentoring the interdisciplinary team that wrote the musical The Circus in Winter, and co-directing the Department of Theatre and Dance's Spring 2012 production of The Drowsy Chaperone; she also spoke at commencement and received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree for her continued engagement with Ball State students. Foster continued her relationship with Ball State in October 2012, performing in the staged reading of The Circus in Winter at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals at New World Stages in New York. In 2013, Foster guest starred in an episode of Psych and starred as Kerry in actor James Roday's comedic thriller Gravy. In 2014, she appeared opposite Robin Williams in the comedy The Angriest Man in Brooklyn. From March to August 2014, Foster starred in the Roundabout Theatre Company production of the musical Violet at the American Airlines Theatre. Foster received her sixth Tony Award nomination for her performance.
In 2016, she starred opposite Aaron Tveit and Betty Buckley in the Stephen Schwartz revue Defying Gravity in Australia. She appeared in the Off-Broadway revival of Sweet Charity as Charity Hope Valentine at the Pershing Square Signature Center from November 2, 2016 (previews) to January 8, 2017. Also in 2016, Foster played the role of Violet in the miniseries Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life opposite her ex-husband, Christian Borle. The two perform a musical within the Summer episode about the history of Stars Hollow. She appeared on the game show Match Game, broadcast on ABC in June 2016. She also made guest appearances on The Good Wife and Mad Dogs. In 2017, she once again returned to Ball State, this time to co-direct the Department of Theatre and Dance's Spring production of Shrek: The Musical. During December 2017, she performed as a guest artist for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's annual Christmas concerts. In December 2017, Foster and Jonathan Groff performed a selection of songs from many shows at The Appel Room at Lincoln Center; this concert, which also featured Megan McGinnis and Darcie Roberts, aired on PBS's "Live From Lincoln Center" on April 20, 2018.
| Parents | |
| Husband | Christian Borle (m. 2006-2009) Ted Griffin (m. 2014-2024) |
| Sibling | |
| Children |
Net Worth and Salary
As of 2025, Sutton Foster's net worth is estimated to be around $4 million, primarily based on her earnings from Broadway shows and her roles in television series like Younger and Bunheads. Her salary varies depending on the project she is involved in, but notable Broadway and television roles have significantly contributed to her financial success.
Career, Business, and Investments
Sutton Foster's career is marked by her impressive performances on Broadway, including Thoroughly Modern Millie, Little Women, The Drowsy Chaperone, Shrek the Musical, and Anything Goes. She has won two Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her roles in Thoroughly Modern Millie and Anything Goes. Foster has also appeared in television shows like Younger, where she plays the lead role of Liza Miller, and Bunheads, a short-lived series on ABC Family.
At the age of 15, she was a contestant on the reality competition show Star Search and also auditioned for the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club. She left Troy High School before graduating (she received her diploma via correspondence courses) to join the national tour of The Will Rogers Follies directed by Tommy Tune. She then attended Carnegie Mellon University for one year, but left to pursue a theatrical career full-time. In May 2012, she received an honorary doctorate from Ball State University, "in recognition of her outstanding career in theater, television and music and for her contributions to the educational experience and professional growth of Ball State students." In May 2019, she also received an honorary doctorate from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, which introduced a merit scholarship in her name to be awarded to one student every four years. Her older brother, Hunter Foster, is also an actor.
Upon leaving, Foster did a concert version of Snoopy! The Musical and returned to the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera for a production of Me and My Girl to wrap up the year. In May 2005, Foster co-starred as Jo March opposite Maureen McGovern as Marmee in the musical adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's classic novel Little Women, for which she was nominated for her second Tony Award. The production closed after just a few months. She returned to Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in May 2006 in The Drowsy Chaperone, a spoof of 1920s musicals. She played Janet van de Graaff, a famous Broadway starlet who opts to forgo a stage career in favor of married life. The musical had a pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson Theatre, Los Angeles in November to December 2005. Her performance earned her a third Tony nomination. Foster left the musical in 2007 and co-starred in Mel Brooks' musical adaptation of his film Young Frankenstein as the Swedish yodeling fräulein Inga, first at the Paramount Theatre and then on Broadway from October 2007 to July 2008.
Foster performed at the 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors in a tribute to Jerry Herman, singing "Before the Parade Passes By." She performed at the Kennedy Center Honors the following year in a tribute to Barbara Cook. She made a third appearance at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2013, performing for the tribute to Shirley MacLaine. Foster performed a concert tour, An Evening With Sutton Foster from September 2010 to May 2011, performing songs from both her Broadway career and her solo album.
In October 2021, Foster published a memoir, Hooked, in which she opens up about how she used crafts, specifically cross-stitching, collaging and crocheting, to get through significantly challenging milestones in her life. She shares how using crafts as creative outlets helped her deal with painful experiences in her life and remain present and resilient. In 2019, she crocheted an octopus toilet paper cover for Younger costar Hilary Duff's wedding.
Over her career, she has been recognized multiple times by either the Tony Awards or Laurence Olivier Awards for her work on the Broadway stage and London theatre, for:
Social Network
Sutton Foster is active on social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, where she engages with her fans and shares updates about her projects.
Thoroughly Modern Millie finally opened on Broadway at the Marquis Theatre in 2002, to positive reviews. The New York Daily News reviewer said: "newcomer Sutton Foster, who has the pert look, the silver voice and the dazzling legwork to make an extraordinarily winning Millie." Clive Barnes, reviewing for the New York Post wrote "Newcomer Sutton Foster's own star turn as Millie is perfectly charming, but as a star she doesn't twinkle, glitter or light up Broadway like a Christmas tree defying a July noon. But she has a good voice and is cutely agreeable." The Newsday reviewer wrote: "She has a smile that may remind you of Mary Tyler Moore, the gawky comic precision of the young Carol Burnett, the lyricism of a romantic heroine and a smallish but vibrant voice as accurate as it is expressive. As [Millie], another of New York's prototypical small-town girls with big-city dreams, [Sutton Foster] appears unfazed by the burden of a character created onscreen by Julie Andrews. The newcomer takes the big stage with an uninhibited what-the-heck comfort level and the discipline to go with her instincts." Time Magazine wrote: "she's [Sutton Foster] got the full package: girlish gawkiness and Broadway brass, the legs and the lungs. Foster is a big reason the show is just about the cutest thing to hit Broadway since Annie's dimples, with perkily retro songs by Jeanine Tesori and clever staging by director Michael Mayer..." Foster went on to win the 2002 Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical for her performance. During the run, Foster appeared in concert versions of Chess and Funny Girl, before leaving in 2004.
In 2007, Foster guest-starred on the children's musical puppet show Johnny and the Sprites and in a three-episode story arc on the HBO sitcom Flight of the Conchords. She left the show to play Princess Fiona in Shrek the Musical, which opened on Broadway on December 14, 2008. For this role, Foster won her second Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical and was nominated for her fourth Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. She played her final performance on January 3, 2010, when the show closed on Broadway. Foster participated in a reading of a work-in-progress new musical, Bonnie and Clyde: A Folktale, in June 2009. Her brother, Hunter is writing the music for this musical.
Education
Foster attended Carnegie Mellon University for a year before deciding to pursue a full-time career in theater. She left Troy High School to join a national tour but later earned her high school diploma via correspondence courses.
Foster's debut solo album Wish was released by Ghostlight Records in February 2009. The songs range from jazz to pop to cabaret to Broadway. In 2010, Foster promoted the album with concert performances in Boston, New York City, Chicago, the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Orange County, California, and Washington, D.C. Foster starred as Nurse Fay Apple in the New York City Center's Encores! production of Anyone Can Whistle, which played from April 8 to 11, 2010. Foster made her Off-Broadway debut in Paul Weitz's comedy Trust with Zach Braff, Bobby Cannavale and Ari Graynor which began previews July 23, 2010, with an official opening August 12, running through September 12, 2010, at Second Stage Theatre. Foster and Seth Rudetsky participated in the one night only Actors Fund benefit concert version of They're Playing Our Song on August 30, 2010, at the Gerald W. Lynch Theater, John Jay College, New York. The full cast included Efé, Kaitlyn Davidson, Alex Ellis, Maynard, Matt Loehr, and Jesse Nager, and was directed by Denis Jones.
In December 2021, she returned to Broadway, starring as Marian Paroo opposite Hugh Jackman as Harold Hill in a revival of The Music Man. For her performance, Foster received her seventh nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and also won the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance. The production played its final performance on January 15, 2023. As of March 2023, she is currently on the faculty of Ball State University as an instructor of theatre, focusing on internships. In February 2024, she replaced Annaleigh Ashford in the Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street as Mrs. Lovett. She starred in the production for a 12-week limited engagement opposite Aaron Tveit as Todd. Foster starred as Princess Winnifred in a concert production of Once Upon a Mattress as part of the New York City Center Encores! series. In May 2024, it was announced that the production would transfer to Broadway's Hudson Theatre for a limited engagement lasting from July through November with an additional four-week engagement playing at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles in December. Foster's performance earned her a nomination for the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical.
Foster met actor Christian Borle in college, and married him on September 18, 2006. Although they divorced in 2009, Foster and Borle remain friends and continue to support each other's work. On September 19, 2013, Foster confirmed she was engaged to screenwriter Ted Griffin. She and Griffin married on October 25, 2014. In April 2017, Foster announced that the couple had welcomed a baby girl, Emily, born March 5, 2017. Foster filed for divorce from Ted Griffin in October 2024.
