Photo: Greg Hernandez / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
Jennifer Holliday was born on October 19, 1960 in Houston, Texas, United States and is credited as a singer, stage actor and voice actor. That puts Jennifer Holliday at 65 years old in 2026. Education on record includes Booker T. Washington High School. Recorded honors include Theatre World Award (1982), Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical (1982) and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
My Take
Jennifer Holliday possesses one of those voices that makes critical analysis feel beside the point. Her Tony-winning turn in Dreamgirls, capped by And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going, is for me a benchmark of raw emotional delivery on Broadway, the rare performance that leaves audiences shaken rather than merely impressed. What strikes me is that she never relied on polish for its own sake; she sang as though the stakes were life and death. Decades on, that ferocious commitment still sets the standard, and I consider her among the truly irreplaceable voices of American musical theatre.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Jennifer Holliday
- Name (Japanese)
- ジェニファー・ホリデー
- Reading
- じぇにふぁー・ほりでー
- Born
- October 19, 1960 (age 65)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Libra / Rat
- Origin
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Occupation
- singer / actor / stage actor / voice actor / soul musician
2. Background
- High school
- Booker T. Washington High School
Awards & achievements
- 1982 Theatre World Award
- 1982 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical
- Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical
3. Links
4. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-20
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.
Frequently asked questions
When was Jennifer Holliday born?
Born October 19, 1960 (age 65).
Where is Jennifer Holliday from?
Jennifer Holliday is from Houston, Texas, United States.
What does Jennifer Holliday do?
Jennifer Holliday works as singer, actor, stage actor, voice actor, soul musician.
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