All about Wicked's Cynthia Erivo - Age, films, TV shows and more

2 December 2024, 14:33 | Updated: 2 December 2024, 16:00

Here's a look at Cynthia Erivo's career. Picture: Getty/Alamy

By Abbie Reynolds

Here's everything you need to know about Wicked's Cynthia Erivo.

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We've all fallen in love with Cynthia Erivo due to her pure talent and love for the role of Elphaba in Jon M. Chu's movie adaptation of Wicked the musical.

The 37-year-old actress and singer plays the role of Elphaba Thropp aka The Wicked Witch of The West on the big screen, but she initially gained recognition after starring in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple between 2015 to 2017.

Cynthia has a wonderful voice but has also starred in non-singing roles like her recent role in the thriller Luther: The Fallen Sun. The star is so acclaimed she is only an Oscar away from becoming an EGOT award winning actress - and her performance in Wicked has curated a lot of award buzz already.

Here's everything else you need to know about the English star who is making waves in Hollywood.

Read more: Cynthia Erivo recalls mum’s adorable reaction to watching Wicked
Read more: Wicked's Cynthia Erivo explains why she went entire days without bathroom breaks while filming

Cynthia Erivo at the BAFTA Film Awards 2023. Picture: Getty

Who is Cynthia Erivo?

Cynthia Erivo is an English actress and singer who is best known for her musical performances. The talented actress stars as Elphaba in the movie musical Wicked alongside 'Positions' singer Ariana Grande and her boyfriend Ethan Slater.

Cynthia gained recognition on Broadway playing leading lady Celie Harris in The Color Purple between 2015 to 2017. She was awarded the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance and even won a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album.

In 2017 she performed performed 'God Only Knows' alongside John Legend at the Grammys as a tribute to musicians who had died over the past year.

Idris Elba and Cynthia Erivo at the "Luther: The Fallen Sun" Global Premiere. Picture: Getty

After mastering the musical field she branched out to film in 2018, making her film debut in Bad Times at the El Royale, which also starred Chris Hemsworth and Dakota Johnson.

The London born star identifies as queer and bisexual and has opened up about coming out later in life. Speaking on The Kelly Clarkson Show, she said: “I don’t think I had the language to even know what was going on. It’s come much later to me now and it’s wonderful to just be me, really.”

She went on: “I think it’s sort of made space creatively to just sort of let go of whatever I was hiding.”

How old is Cynthia Erivo?

The English actress, who was born to Nigerian parents in South London on 8th January 1987, is 37 years old. She has spent most of her career in the UK - where Wicked was filmed - but spent a few years on Broadway in America.

A day in the life of Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo

What TV shows and films has Cynthia Erivo been in?

Before securing her role as Elphaba in Wicked, Cynthia had already made her TV and film debut.

The first show she starred on was Michaela Coel's Chewing Gum which is a BAFTA-winning sitcom. In the series Cynthia appeared in the final episode as Magdalene.

Here's the full list of TV shows that Cynthia Erivo has been in:

Chewing Gum (2015)
Mr Selfridge (2016)
The Tunnel (2016)
Broad City (2017-2019)
The Boss Baby: Back in Business (2018)
Anthem: Homunculus (2019)
Sunny Day (2019)
The Outsider (2020)
James and the Giant Peach with Taika and Friends (2020)
Genius (2020)
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (2022)
Roar (2022)
Star Wars: Visions (2023)
Blue's Clues & You! (2023)
Strange Planet (2023)
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur (2024)

She's also appeared as a guest judge on shows like American Idol and RuPaul's Drag Race.

Cynthia Erivo made her film debut in 2018. Picture: Getty

Here's the full list of films that Cynthia Erivo has been in:

Widows (2018)
Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Harriet (2019)
Chaos Walking (2021)
Needle in a Timestack (2021)
Disney's Pinocchio (2022)
Drift (2023)
Luther: The Fallen Sun (2023)
Wicked Part One (2024)

Upcoming films:

Wicked Part Two (2025)

Which musicals has Cynthia Erivo been in?

The star's first musical theatre credit dates back to her role in the production of Marine Parade which premiered at the 2010 Brighton Festival. After that show she went on to do a couple of others before landing the UK Tour of Sister Act, in which she played Deloris Van Cartier and Sister Mary Clarence.

Later on she performed in shows such as I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical and A Midsummer Night's Dream but she is best known for performing in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple between 2015 and 2017.

Cynthia Erivo often pays homage to her Nigerian heritage through her fashion. Picture: Getty

Does Cynthia Erivo have any awards?

Yes, the actress not only has a Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in a Musical she also has a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album and a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance.

This means if she secures an Oscar she'll officially be an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) award winning actress.