Bio
Susan Egan is an American actress and singer best known for originating the role of Belle in the Broadway musical adaptation of the Disney animated feature Beauty and the Beast; as well as for providing the voice of Megara in the Disney animated feature, Hercules.
She is also known for her starring role as Mary, a friend of Nikki who's not as young as she used to be and serves as a reminder to Nikki that a dancer's days are always numbered, in the television sitcom Nikki, from 2000-2002.
On Broadway, Susan starred in the title role of Thoroughly Modern Millie; won critical acclaim as Broadway's longest-running Sally Bowles in Cabaret; originated the leading roles in Triumph of Love and State Fair; and most notably, received both Tony Award and Drama Desk nominations for Best Actress as the original Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Regionally, Egan starred alongside Carol Burnett in Sondheim's Putting It Together, Tommy Tune in the national tour of Bye, Bye Birdie, and created works at Yale Repertory, Baltimore Center Stage, South Coast Repertory and the Mark Taper Forum.
Susan's film credits include 13 Going on 30, Gotta Kick It Up for the Disney Channel, and countless independent features seen at the Seattle Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, Slamdance, the HBO Comedy Festival and beyond.
In animation, Egan gave voice to sultry Meg in Disney's Hercules, sang as Angel in Lady and the Tramp II, and translated two Japanese blockbusters into English for director Hayao Miyazaki: Gina in Porco Rosso, and Lin in Spirited Away, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.
She also spent years recording the voice of Belle for all those Disney Princess CDs and toys.
On television, Egan spent two seasons on The WB's Nikki, and has guest-starred on House, Numb3rs, NYPD Blue, Arli$$, Party of Five, Drew Carey, Almost Perfect, Partners, All My Children, Loving, PBS Great Performances, and several movies of the week and specials for ABC, CBS, and the Disney Channel.
As a concert performer, Susan has taken her solo concert from coast to coast in over 300 appearances and even on the high seas with the Disney Cruise Line on several occasions.
She has also headlined with some of the finest symphonies worldwide, including the National Symphony Orchestra, Hong Kong Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, the Philly Pops, Utah Symphony and more than 40 others.
She has taken the concert stage at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl just to name a few. Susan has over 40 recording credits from Broadway cast albums to film soundtracks, including her 6 solo CDs: All That and More, So Far, Winter Tracks, CoffeeHouse (Best Vocalist 2004 – TalkingBroadway.com), Susan Egan LIVE, and her 2011 release, The Secret of Happiness, produced and music directed by composer and pal, Georgia Stitt.
Egan has also been taking stage in the educational arena and now her teaching resume reads nearly as complete as her performance career, having given master classes at universities and conservatories across the country, including USC, Pepperdine, University of Miami, Pacific Conservatory of Performing Arts, CSU Fullerton, Circle In the Square Acting Program and more than a dozen others.
She has also been on faculty at UCLA (her alma mater) for their Summer Conservatory program, the Young Americans College of Performing Arts, and Cal Poly Pomona.
In 2002-3 she dedicated an entire year away from performing to be the Interim Artistic Director of the Orange County High School of the Arts, which has been named one of the top high schools in the country by both Newsweek and US News & World Report.
Susan now spends her time with a full calendar of concerts, teaching and penning the momblog, GlamourAndGoop, with composer Georgia Stitt. She makes her home in Southern California with her husband, Robert, and daughters, Nina and Isla.