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Keala Settle facts: Greatest Showman singer's age, family, songs and career revealed

9 January 2024, 13:03

By Tom Owen

Keala Settle was one of the breakout stars from The Greatest Showman, one of the biggest musical films of all time.

She is known for originating the role of Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody on Broadway in 2013, and was nominated for a Tony Award.

Outside theatre, she is best known for playing Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady, in the musical film The Greatest Showman.

In the film, she performed the song 'This Is Me', which won the 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Who did Keala Settle play in The Greatest Showman?

The Greatest Showman Cast - This Is Me (Lyric Video)

In The Greatest Showman, Keala plays Lettie Lutz, a bearded lady.
Lutz is a composite character partly based on the real-life performers Josephine Clofullia and Annie Jones.
Her song 'This Is Me' reached number three in the UK singles chart in 2018, and she performed the song at the 2018 Oscars.
“Singing that song scared the living daylights out of me because of how well it was written and where it was within the sequence of the film and what I knew it would mean for not only those that were involved on set but for the rest of the world once they saw it,” she told Playbill.
How old is Keale Settle and where was she born?

Keala Settle was born on November 5, 1975. She celebrated her 48th birthday in 2023.
She was born in Hawaii, and is the eldest of five children. Her parents are Susanne (née Riwai), who is of Māori descent from New Zealand, and British-born David Settle.
What else has Keala Settle appeared in?

Other plays she has appeared in include:
- Hairspray
- Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
- Les Miserables
- Waitress
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- & Juliet
- Sister Act
Keala made her pantomime debut in 2022, playing the role of Fairy Sugarsnap in Jack and the Beanstalk at the Royal Derngate Theatre, Northampton.