Sophie Hayden

Hayden was born on February 23, 1954, in Miami, Florida, to Sophie Schwab.^[1][4] She grew up in North Java, New York,^[5] and attended Attica Central High School.^[2] Hayden was crowned as world champion baton twirler in 1971.^[5] She attended Northwestern University and majored in acting.^[6] She moved back to New York in 1976.^[6]

In 1979, she performed in The King of Schnorrers on Broadway.^[1] She was an original cast member of Barnum on Broadway in 1980, and appeared in a production of The Comedy of Errors at Vivian Beaumont Theater in 1987.^[2][1] In 1991, she joined the revival production of The Most Happy Fella during its run in East Haddam, Connecticut, as Rosabella.^[2] The show delayed its transfer to Broadway until after Hayden, who was pregnant while it was staged in Connecticut, gave birth.^[2] It opened in January 1992,^[1] and closed in August 1992.^[7] For her performance, she was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.^[1][3] In 1997, Hayden portrayed Edith Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank, a stage adaptation of Diary of a Young Girl, at Music Box Theatre.^[8]

Hayden married in 1980 and they have one child together.^[1] Shortly before starring in The Comedy of Errors, she changed her stage name to Sophie Hayden in honor of ballerina Melissa Hayden.^[4]