Award winning Elaine Paige, actress, singer, producer, radio presenter, has made a unique and major contribution to the stage musical. She has starred in more smash hit West End & Broadway musicals than anyone else of her generation – Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Billy, Anything Goes, Piaf, Sunset Boulevard, The King & I, Sweeney Todd, The Drowsy Chaperone, Follies, originating the award-winning role of Eva Peron in Evita, followed by Grizabella in Cats and Florence in Chess. Elaine has defined musicals, set standards and in 1995 was awarded an OBE for services to Musical Theatre by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
A thrilling live performer, with appearances in concert all over the world from The White House, The Great Hall of the People in Beijing and the Sydney Opera House to the Bolshoi, New York’s Lincoln Center and London’s Royal Albert Hall. Elaine has recorded 22 solo albums, working with producers such as Tony Visconti, Dennis Lambert, Peter Matz and Phil Ramone, and artists such as Freddie Mercury & Queen and Abba. Elaine has featured on 7 cast albums, earned eight consecutive gold and four multi-platinum discs achieving chart topping hits including Memory, Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and I Know Him So Well which have become her signatures.
Further stage work includes Sir Peter Hall’s Theatre Company in The Misanthrope (Piccadilly Theatre,) Feydeau’s Where There’s A Will (Yvonne Arnold Theatre.) In 2014 Elaine celebrated 50 years on stage with a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, I’m Still Here, which was filmed and screened in cinemas worldwide. Christmas 2017 saw Elaine play the evil Queen Rat in the London Palladium’s pantomime spectacular – Dick Whittington, which went on to win an Olivier Award for Best Entertainment & Family and Elaine, won Best Female Baddie at the Great British Panto Awards!
Elaine’s television work includes Beautiful People (BBC,) A Murder is Announced (Granada/WGBH,) Where The Heart Is (Granada Television,) her own TV series The Elaine Paige Show (Sky Arts,) Midsummer Night’s Dream (BBC), Home From Home (BBC) Midsomer Murders (ITV) All Star Musicals (ITV); Musicals: The Greatest Show (BBC), Life (BBC) and Father Brown (BBC).
Elaine continues to be one of the star presenters on BBC Radio 2 with her own lunchtime show, Elaine Paige On Sunday, which is now in its 20th year and regularly attracts over 2.5 million listeners each week.
She has been honoured with a number of awards: Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Variety Club Award for Show Business Personality of the year (1978); Variety Club Award for Musical Artiste (1986); Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (1994); Order of the British Empire for services to Musical Theatre (1995); Variety Club Award for Best Actress (1995); HMV Lifetime Achievement Award (1996); Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Operatic and Dramatic Association (1999); Variety Club Special Presentation for 40 Years on Stage (2009); Honorary Degree of Doctor Of Letters by the University of East Anglia and Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts (2012); Variety Lifetime Achievement Award (2016), University of Hertfordshire Honorary Doctor of Arts (2017), and Lady Ratings Carmen Silver Outstanding Achievement Award (2023). Out of her work schedule Elaine supports various charities close to her heart including The Dan Maskell Tennis Trust, The Children’s Trust Tadworth, EveryChild, The Royal Voluntary Service, Breast Cancer Campaign, Noah’s Ark Hospice, The Lady Taverners, Support Dogs, West End Woofs and St Thomas’ Lupus Trust amongst others
Follow Elaine on Twitter: @elaine_paige
Click here to download a detailed overview of Elaine Paige’s career highlights as a PDF file.
