Bernadette Peters Early Life and Background:
Born in New York City on February 28, 1948, Bernadette Peters is a well-known and acclaimed American singer, actress, and writer who has starred in Broadway productions and motion pictures for more than fifty years. Peters is sometimes referred to as the “Queen of Broadway” because of her amazing singing voice, charming demeanor, and sharp sense of humor. She is regarded by many as one of the greatest interpreters of renowned lyricist and composer Stephen Sondheim’s compositions.
Family and Childhood:
The Queens borough of New York City is where Bernadette Peters was born. Her mother was Marguerite (Maltese) Lazzara, and her father, Peter Lazzara, was a delivery driver. Out of her three siblings, she was the youngest. At a very young age, Peters became interested in theater. She debuted on stage in Otto Preminger’s 1958 play This Is Goggle, despite the production ended before it could make it to New York City. The Most Happy Fella (1959), in which she portrayed Tessie for 16 performances, was her debut New York production.
Early Stage Beginnings:
When Bernadette Peters was thirteen, she went on tour with her mother’s Gypsy production, singing in the chorus and acting as the lead performer’s understudy. She briefly stopped performing after returning from the tour and enrolled at Manhattan’s exclusive Quintano School for Young Professionals, which is now defunct. Inspired by her father’s name, she took on the stage name “Peters” at her mother’s recommendation.
Breakthrough in Theater:
Bernadette Peters had two significant theatrical triumphs in 1968. She portrayed Ruby in the Off-Broadway musical Dames at Sea and starred opposite Joel Grey in the Broadway production George M!. She won the Drama Desk Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance. She kept becoming more well-known in the ensuing years. For On the Town, she was nominated for her first Tony Award in 1972 for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 1975, she received a second nomination for her performance in Mack and Mabel as Mabel Normand.
Television and Film Career:
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Bernadette Peters concentrated more on television and film work even though she continued to perform on stage. She also starred in George M. on television. She made cameo appearances in episodes of Maude and All in the Family in 1970 and 1975. For her role in The Muppet Show (1978), she was nominated for an Emmy Award. She costarred with Steve Martin in the popular movie The Jerk in 1979. After dating for a number of years, the two were reunited on screen in Pennies from Heaven (1981), for which Peters was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
Collaboration with Stephen Sondheim:
Sunday in the Park with George, a Stephen Sondheim production, featured Peters in her first major role in 1984. She starred alongside Mandy Patinkin as Dot/Marie and was nominated for a Tony Award and a Drama Desk Award. Later, she played the part again in the musical’s 1986 television adaptation. She received her first Tony Award that year for her performance as Emma in Song and Dance, which also brought her another Drama Desk Award.
She rejoined Sondheim the next year and played the Witch in Into the Woods, a role she held until 1989. She has performed in five of Sondheim’s musicals over the years: Follies (2011–12), Gypsy (2003–04), Sunday in the Park with George (1984–85), Into the Woods (1987–89), and A Little Night Music (2009–11).
Relationship with Stephen Sondheim:
Without a doubt, Bernadette Peters and Sondheim, who died in 2021, were great admirers of each other’s artistic abilities. “To me, he is our Shakespeare,” Peters remarked of Sondheim in a 2024 interview with Variety. I genuinely feel that way, and I think that’s how people will remember him for hundreds of years.
In a 1999 Washington Post story, Sondheim himself commended Bernadette Peters, stating, “Like very few performers, she sings and acts at the same time.” The majority of artists sing after acting, then act again, and so on. In my opinion, Bernadette is just unmatched. In addition to the composer’s admiration, Peters’ reputation as one of the best interpreters of Sondheim’s music was established by the acclaim of theatergoers and even Broadway critics, who are frequently hard to win over.
According to writer Charles Isherwood’s 2010 review of A Little Night Music for The New York Times, watching Bernadette Peters perform the show’s well-known song “Send in the Clowns” is arguably the most exciting thing for theater enthusiasts. He said that her performance was so musically intricate and emotionally complex that it turned the song into a stunning work of art that could completely engross the listener.
Major Awards and Recognition:
For her role as Paula opposite Martin Short in Neil Simon’s The Goodbye Girl in 1993, Peters received her sixth Tony nomination. For Annie Get Your Gun (1999–2001), she received her second Tony Award in 1999. She was well praised for her performance of the family matriarch Rose in Sam Mendes’s critically acclaimed 2003 production of Sondheim’s Gypsy. The part was one of the most challenging of her career, according to Peters, who explained that many theatergoers had a deep association with the character’s iconic performances by Tyne Daly and Ethel Merman.
Later Career and Recent Work:
In honor of the composer’s 90th birthday, Bernadette Peters took part in the livestream tribute event Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Celebration in 2020, amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. She starred in Cameron Mackintosh’s tribute show, Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, which debuted on Broadway in 2025.
Bernadette Peters kept up his active involvement in theater and television. In the 1997 television movie Cinderella, she portrayed the stepmother with Whitney Houston and Brandy Norwood. She played Gloria Windsor in 35 episodes of Mozart in the Jungle from 2014 and 2018. She replaced Bette Midler as the lead of Hello, Dolly! in 2018. Additionally, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her roles in Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist (2021), Bobbie’s Girl (2003), and Ally McBeal (2001). Additionally, Peters appeared as a guest in the Lin-Manuel Miranda movie Tick, Tick.The 2021 film BOOM! is based on the life of Jonathan Larson, a composer and dramatist.
Awards and Achievements:
Bernadette Peters has received two Tony Awards, three Drama Desk Awards, and four Grammy Award nominations. She was selected Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year in 1987 and was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was the youngest inductee into the Theater Hall of Fame in 1996. Her philanthropic initiatives were recognized in 2012 with the Isabelle Stevenson Award from the Tony Awards. Additionally, Peters has authored three children’s books in favor of Broadway Barks, an animal advocacy group she co-founded with Mary Tyler Moore in 1999.
Personal Life:
In 1996, Bernadette Peters wed Michael Wittenberg, an investment advisor. He unfortunately perished as a passenger in a helicopter crash in Montenegro nine years later. There were no children born to the marriage. In a 2025 interview with Vanity Fair, Peters, who has now remarried, said, “At the top of the list is my husband, Tom,” when asked who her greatest love of all time was.