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Keala Joan Settle (born November 5, 1975) is an American actress and singer. She originated the role of Norma Valverde in the 2013 Broadway production of Hands on a Hardbody, earning nominations for the Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama Desk Award, and Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In 2017, Settle played Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady, in the musical film The Greatest Showman. The film's song "This Is Me," primarily performed by Settle, won the 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and received an Academy Award nomination in the same category.
Born in Hawaii, Settle is the eldest of five children to Susanne (née Riwai), of Māori descent from New Zealand, and David Settle, who was born in Britain. She graduated from Kahuku High School in 1993 and attended Southern Utah University. Settle made her Broadway debut in 2011 in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert as Shirley and as part of the ensemble.
Settle originated Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody, a musical based on the 1997 documentary about contestants competing to win a truck, which had a brief Broadway run in 2013. TheatreMania praised her performance, noting her scene-stealing portrayal and soulful gospel vocals in the song "Joy of the Lord." Her role earned her nominations for the Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, and Tony Awards for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, as well as the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Broadway or Off-Broadway debut performance in the 2012-13 season.
From March 2014 to March 1, 2015, Settle played Madame Thenardier in the Les Misérables revival. She originated the role of Becky in the Broadway musical Waitress, which opened on April 24, 2016, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre following its 2015 premiere at the American Repertory Theater. Settle also portrayed Tracy Turnblad in the national tour of Hairspray; a Washington Post review from the Kennedy Center stop in 2005 described her as a "fine Tracy." In 2009, she appeared as Bloody Mary in the national tour of Lincoln Center's South Pacific, with the Pioneer Press praising her commanding performance. In late 2012, she played Mrs. Fezziwig in the Pioneer Theatre Company's production of A Christmas Carol in Salt Lake City. From July 31 to August 25, 2013, Settle was the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Maine. She performed in the Encores! concert staging of Violet on July 17, 2013, alongside Sutton Foster, but did not continue with the Broadway revival due to her commitment to Les Misérables; Annie Golden replaced her in Violet.
Settle has shared that she does not consider herself primarily a musical theatre performer but rather an R&B singer, influenced by her mother, who was an R&B singer in New Zealand. Early in her career, she focused on backup singing and studio work, including performing as a backup singer for Gladys Knight in Las Vegas. After her time in Hairspray, she took a step back from performing to work backstage with designers before returning to the stage in South Pacific.
In 2017, Settle appeared as Lettie Lutz in The Greatest Showman, starring alongside Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, and Zendaya. The song "This Is Me," mainly sung by Settle, earned the 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and was nominated for an Academy Award. On December 22, 2017, she released an extended play titled Chapter One.
