Ruthie Ann Miles

Ruthie Ann Miles (born April 21, 1983)[1] is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in musical theatre. Off-Broadway, she has played Christmas Eve in Avenue Q and starred as Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love, winning a Theatre World Award and a Lucille Lortel Award for the latter role. Miles is performing the role of Lady Thiang in the 2015–2016 Lincoln Center production of The King and I on Broadway, for which she won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.

Life and career

Miles was born in Arizona and raised by her Korean mother, Esther Wong, a music teacher, first in Korea and, from 2nd grade, in Honolulu, Hawaii. "I had to work very quickly and very hard to break my accent," Miles has said.[2] She attended Kaimuki High School, graduating in 2001,[3][4] and then Southern Oregon University before earning her bachelor's degree at Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2005.[5] She received a master's at New York University.[6] She is married to Jonathan Blumenstein and has a daughter, Abigail.[3]

With the off-Broadway York Theatre, Miles appeared as Leah in Two by Two and Red Urchin in The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd.[7][8] She played Christmas Eve and other characters in Avenue Q off-Broadway for two years beginning in 2011. For her starring role as Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love, in 2013 off-Broadway at The Public Theatre, she won a Theatre World Award and a Lucille Lortel Award. Miles has appeared in national tours of Sweeney Todd (as Adolfo Pirelli) and Annie.[6] She has played numerous roles in regional theatre and appeared as a doctor in the film I Am Michael.[8][9]

Miles received glowing reviews for her role as Lady Thiang in the 2015 Broadway revival of The King and I, with Ben Brantley of The New York Times writing that she "turns 'Something Wonderful' into an exquisite expression of romantic realism that could be the show's anthem."[10] Another critic called her "the one featured performer in a play or musical, on or off-Broadway, who I thought was giving the best performance this season ... [her] Lady Thiang is more empathetic than in other productions I have seen. ... People who see this King and I will think about Lady Thiang. They will think about what she knows, what she feels."[11] For this role, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical.[9][12]

In 2016, Miles had a recurring guest role in the television series The Americans, playing the role of Young-Hee Seong, a Korean immigrant and Mary Kay consultant whose husband is of interest to the KGB.[2][13]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2014 Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical Here Lies Love Won
Theatre World Award Honoree
2015 Tony Award Best Featured Actress in a Musical The King and I Won
Drama League Award Distinguished Performance Nominated
Outer Critics Circle Award Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical Won

References

  1. ↑ For birth year, see: "Ruthie Ann Miles becomes second actress of Asian descent to win a Tony Award", The Korea Times, June 9, 2015, accessed March 16, 2016. For day of the year, see: "Ruthie Ann Miles", Twitter, accessed March 16, 2016
  2. 1 2 Zarum, Lara. "The Americans: Tony-Award-Winning Ruthie Ann Miles on Young-Hee, TV's Favorite Mary Kay Consultant", Flavorwire, May 18, 2016
  3. 1 2 Ting, Yu Shing. "Taking Imelda to the Big Apple", Midweek.com, July 23, 2013, accessed June 1, 2015
  4. ↑ Lemon, Brendan. "Tony Nominee Ruthie Ann Miles Discusses Powerful Women", Lincoln Center Theatre blog, April 27, 2015, accessed March 16, 2016
  5. ↑ Streeter, Leslie Gray. Palm Beach Atlantic grad Ruthie Ann Miles wins Tony as professor’s son heads to Broadway", Palm Beach Post, June 8, 2015, accessed March 16, 2016
  6. 1 2 Kaufman, Joanne. "A Miles in Those Shoes: A Cultural Conversation With Ruthie Ann Miles", The Wall Street Journal May 20, 2014, accessed June 1, 2015
  7. ↑ "The King and I's Ruthie Ann Miles' Featured Actress Tonys Speech. June 8, 2015, accessed March 16, 2016
  8. 1 2 Miles, Ruthie Ann. Resume, Ruthie Ann Miles, accessed June 1, 2015
  9. 1 2 "Ruthie Ann Miles", Playbill Vault, accessed June 1, 2015
  10. ↑ Brantley, Ben. "Review: The King and I, Back on Broadway", The New York Times, April 16, 2015
  11. ↑ David, Cara Joy. "Something Wonderful: The King and I's Ruthie Ann Miles Talks Tonys", The Huffington Post, May 28, 2015
  12. ↑ Chang, Lia. "The King and I's Ruthie Ann Miles Wins Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical", BackstagePasswithLiaChang.com, June 7, 2015
  13. ↑ Collins, Sean T. "'The Americans' 4×09 Recap: Sunlight Reflecting Off Clouds", Observer.com, May 12, 2016
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