Actress and singer Megan Kathleen Hilty was born on March 29, 1981 in the United States. It was her Broadway roles—as Glinda the Good Witch in Wicked, Doralee Rhodes in 9 to 5, and Brooke Ashton in Noises Off—that brought her to notoriety. She also played Liz on the sitcom Sean Saves the World and Ivy Lynn on the musical-drama series Smash, for which she performed the song “Let Me Be Your Star,” which was nominated for a Grammy.
Hilty is the daughter of Donna and Jack Hilty, and she was born in Bellevue, Washington. She wanted to sing opera so badly that she started taking lessons when she was 12. Her education began at Bellevue’s Sammamish High School, continued through Redmond’s Washington Academy of Performing Arts Conservatory High School, and culminated at Woodinville’s Chrysalis School.
She is an Actors’ Equity Association member and a 2004 Carnegie Mellon School of Drama alum. Recently, she won the National Society of Arts and Letters Award for Excellence in Musical Theater.
Just before Hilty graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, she tried out for the role of Elphaba in the musical Wicked. Following graduation, she relocated to New York City, where she made her Broadway debut in August 2004 as the standby for Glinda the Good Witch and eventually succeeded Jennifer Laura Thompson in the role on May 31, 2005. Hilty departed the job on May 28, 2006, after having played it for a year, and was replaced by Kate Reinders. She replaced Kendra Kassebaum in the role for the show’s initial national tour, which ran from September through December of 2006. Soon after, on February 10, 2007, previews began for the Los Angeles sit-down performance, which premiered on February 21, 2007. Hilty originated the character in this production. On May 18, 2008, she was replaced by Erin Mackey, however she came back to finish the show on January 11, 2009, after having left on October 31, 2008.
At the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts in Mountain View, California, Hilty played the lead role in the world premiere production of the musical Vanities. Hilty has been on numerous television episodes as a guest star, including The Closer, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, Ugly Betty, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Desperate Housewives, and Shark, in addition to her work onstage. In the 2003 animated picture Shrek 3, she provided the singing voice of Snow White.
Hilty was a cast member in the 2008 musical 9 to 5 alongside Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, and Marc Kudisch, which was based on the 1980 film of the same name. The pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles began on September 9, 2008, under Joe Mantello’s direction. Hilty had previously performed in workshops and readings while portraying Doralee Rhodes (the role Dolly Parton had played in the film adaptation). On April 7, 2009, previews began at the Marquis Theatre in preparation for the musical’s April 30 opening and September 6 closing dates. Hilty was recognized by multiple award organizations for her performance in this musical, including the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, the Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
Hilty played a fast food manager who assists with a murder investigation at Choozy’s Chicken in the 2009 episode “Deep Fried and Minty Fresh” of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. On two episodes of Desperate Housewives, she played the love interest of Carlos’s boss. In addition, Hilty collaborated with Lesli Margherita, Steve Kazee, Morgan Karr, Natalie Weiss, and others in Rated RSO: The Music and Lyrics of Ryan Scott Oliver at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center in December 2009. A new division of Hilty, devoted to beverages, has moved out into the coffee and tea industry. Dorothy of Oz, an animated film, cast Hilty as the China Princess in 2010. She joined the cast of the NBC musical drama Smash in 2011 alongside Debra Messing, Anjelica Huston, and Brian d’Arcy James. [10] On February 6, 2012, the first episode of the series broadcast, marking the beginning of a two-season run.
As part of the Encores! series of staged performances in May of 2012, Hilty was featured in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Along with Brennan Brown, Simon Jones, and Rachel York, she portrayed Lorelei Lee. The New York Times compared Hilty’s performance to that of Carol Channing and Marilyn Monroe, both of whom she was compared to favorably.
Hilty’s participation on the album I’m Ready: The Songs of Rob Rokicki was announced in November 2012.
On March 12, 2013, Hilty released her first self-titled solo album. Hilty joined the cast of Sean Saves the World, a popular NBC comedy, on June 13, 2013. It was announced in July 2015 that Hilty would reprise her role as Brooke Ashton in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s revival of Noises Off.
Hilty was recognized for her work onstage with three nominations: Best Featured Actress in a Play at the Tony Awards, Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play at the Drama Desk Awards, and Distinguished Performance at the Drama League Awards. She made a guest appearance as Charlene on Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce in the same year. Hilty shared the stage with Matthew Morrison and The New York Pops on July 7 at Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium.
It was reported in November 2021 that Hilty will take over for Jane Krakowski as Lily St. Regis in NBC’s Annie Live! Krakowski had to leave the production after discovering a breakthrough case of COVID-19.
From 2005 through 2012, Hilty dated actor Steve Kazee. Hilty wed actor Brian Gallagher on November 2, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada. She shared the news that she was expecting the couple’s first child in March of 2014. On September 18, 2014, Hilty gave birth to a baby girl named Viola Philomena Gallagher. She revealed she was expecting again on September 24, 2016. On March 13, 2017, their son, Ronan Laine Gallagher, was born.
Hilty lost her pregnant sister, brother-in-law, and niece in a plane disaster in Puget Sound on September 4, 2022.
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