Singer, actress and comedian Berandette Peters from Queens is one of the most well-known and critically-acclaimed Broadway performers in the history of theater. In the 1960s, Peters began performing on the stage as a child and debuted on Broadway in The Girl in the Freudian Slip in 1967. During most of the 1970s, she spent her time making television appearances and got her first taste of success on the big screen with her starring roles in the 1981 and 1982 films Pennies from Heaven and Annie. She returned to the theater in the 1980s and became a household name on and off Broadway, having been nominated for seven Tony Awards and eight Drama Desk Awards. With the role as Emma in 1985's Song and Dance, Peters won her first Drama Desk Award for "Outstanding Actress in a Musical" and her first Tony Award for "Best Actress in a Musical." During her Broadway reign, she recorded several solo albums, most of which featured her fellow cast members and three of which were Grammy nominated, including her 1996 effort I'll Be Your Baby Tonight. In addition to her talent, Peters contributes time and effort into Broadway charities including Broadway Barks, an annual animal adoption fundraiser that she co-founded with Mary Tyler Moore in 1999, and also serves on the Board of Trustees of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Peters is a lasting icon in the theater world as she continues to showcase her talent on the stage for new generations of theater-goers by taking on classic but relevant roles, including her part as Sally Durant Plummer in the 2011 Broadway Revival of Follies.
