Caroline O'Connor is a multi-award-winning actress who has worked across three continents during her illustrious musical theatre career.
Caroline began her professional career after studying at the esteemed Royal Ballet School in London. She went on to perform extensively throughout the UK and Europe, most notably making her West End leading lady debut in 1995 as Mabel Normand in Jerry Herman's Mack and Mabel, earning her first Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
Caroline came to world attention in 2001 as tango dancing 'Nini Legs in the Air' in Baz Luhrmann's Academy Award winning film Moulin Rouge. In 2002, Caroline made her Broadway debut as Velma Kelly in Chicago at the Shubert Theatre.
Back in the UK, Caroline has starred in The Rink, Gypsy, Assassins and in the English National Opera's production of On the Town in the West End and Paris. She also had the honour of headlining both the BBC Proms' Hooray for Hollywood concert, and Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday celebration at the Royal Albert Hall. Stepping into 2011 Paris production of Sweeney Todd with less than a month's rehearsal, Stephen Sondheim declared Caroline the best 'Mrs. Lovett' he had ever heard…
More recently on Broadway, Caroline has work-shopped new musicals with Woody Allen and Hal Prince, and originated roles in Anastasia and A Christmas Story: The Musical, performing the musical's showstopper "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" at The 67th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall.
Back at home, Caroline's credits are firmly stamped in Australia's theatrical history. In addition to the recognition she received for her roles as Velma Kelly in Chicago (Mo Award, Green Room Award, Australian Dance Award), Anita in West Side Story (Mo Award, Green Room Award) and Reno in Anything Goes (Helpmann Award), Caroline also garnered accolades for her peerless interpreting of Edith Piaf in Piaf (Helpmann Award, Green Room Award) and Judy Garland in the world premiere of End of the Rainbow (Helpmann Award, Sydney Stage Award) at the Sydney Opera House.
The one-woman play Bombshells, written for Caroline by award-winning playwright Joanna Murray-Smith, played seasons in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Toronto, before touring to sell-out performances at the Edinburgh Festival, where Caroline won the coveted Fringe First Award. It also played at the Arts Centre in the West End, where Caroline received her second Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play.
In a role she seemed destined to play, Caroline was cast as Ethel Merman in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely (2004), and starred in the Australian film Surviving Georgia. Caroline has recorded four solo CDs and appeared on numerous cast recordings and television variety programs. She has delighted audiences worldwide with her solo concerts and cabarets.