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Jennifer Jean Simard (born August 8, 1970) is an American actress known primarily for her work in theater. A three-time Tony Awards nominee, she rose to prominence with roles in Broadway theatre and Off-Broadway productions in the 2000s, such as I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, The Thing About Men and , nominated for a Drama Desk Award and Lucille Lortel Award for the latter.
In 2016, Simard starred as Sister Mary Downey in Disaster!, receiving rave reviews and her first nomination for Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Between 2020 and 2022, she starred as Sarah in the Broadway revival of Company for which she received her second Tony nomination. Other Broadway credits include the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly!, Mean Girls, and Once Upon a One More Time. She received her third Tony nomination for her performance as lead role Helen Sharp in Death Becomes Her.
Simard's screen credits include Somewhere in Queens, Law & Order and Younger.
She made her Broadway debut in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and later performed in the Broadway productions of Shrek The Musical and Sister Act.
Simard garnered Drama Desk Award nominations for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for her roles in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, The Thing About Men, and (2005).Murray, Matthew (April 28, 2005). "2005 Drama Desk Award Nominations Announced". TheaterMania.
She originated the role of Sister Mary Downey in the 2016 Broadway theatre musical Disaster!; her performance earned her a Tony Award nomination, as well as a Drama League Award nomination, in 2016. She was also nominated for a Drama Desk Award for the role, which she performed off-Broadway in 2014.
She appeared on Broadway as Ernestina in the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly!, starring Bette Midler and David Hyde Pierce. Simard played Miss Hannigan in the The Muny production of Annie from July 18–25, 2018. In August 2018, it was announced that Simard would join the Tony-nominated musical Mean Girls as Mrs. Heron, Ms. Norbury, and Mrs. George that September, replacing Kerry Butler. Her last performance was on December 8, 2019.
In October 2019, it was announced that Simard would join the gender-swapped revival of Company as Sarah at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre. She returned to the production after the pandemic, starring as Sarah over the course of 2020 to 2022. Between February 26 to March 6, 2022, she took over the role of Joanne due to the unavailability of Patti LuPone. At the 75th Tony Awards Simard received her second nomination for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical.
In 2023, she originated the role of Stepmother in the Britney Spears jukebox musical Once Upon a One More Time at the Marquis Theatre.
In 2024, Simard starred in the stage adaptation of Death Becomes Her as Helen Sharp, opposite co-lead Megan Hilty as Madeline Ashton. The production's out of town tryout ran at Chicago's Cadillac Palace Theatre from April 30 to June 2, 2024. Simard and Hilty led the production on Broadway, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, which began previews on October 23, 2024, before opening on November 21, 2024. Simard received a Tony nomination for her portrayal of Helen.
| 1996 | I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change | Woman #1 | Westside Theatre | ||
| 2003 | The Thing About Men | Woman | Promenade Theatre | ||
| 2004 | Various Characters | Douglas Fairbanks Theatre | |||
| 2006 | The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee | Rona Lisa Peretti | US National Tour | ||
| 2007 | Rona Lisa Peretti | Circle in the Square Theatre | |||
| 2008 | Shrek the Musical | Queen Lillian/Wicked Witch/ Magic Mirror Assistant | Broadway Theatre | ||
| 2011 | Sister Act | Ensemble | |||
| 2013 | Disaster! | Sister Mary Downy | St. Luke’s Theatre | ||
| 2016 | Nederlander Theatre | ||||
| 2017–18 | Hello, Dolly! | Ernestina | Shubert Theatre | ||
| 2018 | Annie | Miss Hannigan | The Muny | ||
| 2018–19 | Mean Girls | Mrs. Heron/Ms. Norbury/ Mrs. George | August Wilson Theatre | ||
| 2020 | Company | Sarah u/s Joanne | Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre | ||
| 2021–22 | |||||
| 2022 | Joanne | ||||
| Sarah u/s Joanne | |||||
| 2023 | Once Upon a One More Time | Stepmother | Marquis Theatre | Keone Madrid and Mari Madrid | |
| 2023 | Hello, Dolly! | Dolly Gallagher-Levi | Renaissance Theatre | Michael Thomas | |
| 2024 | Death Becomes Her | Helen Sharp | Cadillac Palace Theatre | Christopher Gattelli | |
| 2024–26 | Lunt-Fontanne Theatre | ||||
| 2025 | Pete 'n' Keely | Keely Stevens | Concert at Carnegie Hall | Mark Waldrop | |
| 2000 | The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas | Bride-To-Be | |
| 2001 | Wish You Were Dead | Cake Girl | |
| 2013 | Shrek the Musical | Wicked Witch | |
| 2014 | Non-Stop | Maggie Evans (uncredited) | |
| 2015 | Sisters | Pet Activist at Party | |
| 2022 | Somewhere in Queens | Patsy |
| 1999 | The King of Queens | Paula | Episode: "Best Man" | |
| 2006 | Law & Order | Danielle Andreas | Episode: "Invaders" | |
| 2008 | Debra Jackson | Episode: | ||
| 2015 | The Good Wife | Janie Mullaby | Episode: "Payback" | |
| 2016 | Younger | Sherry | Episode: "Last Days of Books" | |
| 2021 | Girls5eva | Daphne | Episode: "Catskills" |
| + !Year !Award ceremony !Category !Show !Result ! | |||||
| 1997 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change | ||
| 2004 | The Thing About Men | ||||
| 2005 | |||||
| Lucille Lortel Award | Outstanding Featured Actress | ||||
| 2014 | Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | Disaster! | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance Award | ||||
| 2016 | |||||
| Tony Award | Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical | ||||
| 2022 | Company | ||||
| Drama Desk Award | Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical | ||||
| 2025 | Drama Desk Award | Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical | Death Becomes Her | ||
| Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance Award | ||||
| Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Lead Performer in a Broadway Musical | ||||
/ref> | Best Musical Theater Album | ||||
| Tony Award | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical | ||||
| Broadway.com Audience Choice Award | Favorite Leading Actress in a Musical | rowspan=3 | |||
| Favorite Diva Performance | |||||
| Favorite Funny Performance | |||||
| Favorite Onstage Pair (with Megan Hilty) | rowspan=1 | ||||
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