Bernadette Peters Changed Her Name When She Was Five

[@arothmanmusic]

Bernadette Peters as ‘The Witch’ in “Into the Woods” was absolutely spectacular. I remember watching that on PBS as a kid and just losing my mind over how incredible she was. Everyone in that original cast was just perfect. But Ms. Peters is an absolute treasure.

[@seppyq3672]

My favorite musical of all time. And that introduced me to Bernadette (well other than Annie probably)

[@emilydiveley9661]

@@seppyq3672 me too

[@emilydiveley9661]

I watch into the woods in 1991 with Chuck Wagner

[@SKinSKorea]

I saw her at the Saenger in New Orleans. So glad my mom prioritized theater- a big splurge for our family.

[@Savannah_Simpson]

She seems like such a sweet, humble person.

[@RealFarknMcCoy]

She is. I met her at LAX many years ago, and she was absolutely lovely to chat to - no pretense or snootiness whatsoever. Very down-to-earth.

[@Germania9]

Can't believe Ellen Degeneres is 60! *Bernadette Peters* : Hold my martini, dear.

[@jauipop]

hahahahahaha

[@josephthomaswhiting8417]

Hahahahaha YES!!!

[@deliashanahan8375]

I was next to Bernadette Peters on a hotel treadmill in Boston a few years ago and I nearly fell off it I was so delighted to meet and talk to her. It happened to be a difficult time for my family and I, but she went out of her way to be kind and I will never forget it. What a unique talent she is!

[@Manofpeasable]

Hey kids, look up her work. She is famous and really talented.

[@theogoldberg8919]

bjfdog Which is not always the case to say the least!

[@ileolai]

And don't be a condescending ass who thinks young people don't know anything about culture, like this guy

[@summermucha5207]

Indeed! I went to NYC for my HS graduation trip in the late ‘80s and was SO Blessed to see her in “Into the Woods.” Very amazing!

[@raggedyhaggity250]

saw her first thru the sondheim 80th concert. no need for words👑💐

[@jaredlazzara2314]

Believe it or not she is a relative of mine!!

[@JustNatax3]

Wow... if I look half that hot at that age... she's stunning!

[@adrienrodriguez250]

Nati Whatever *you're drop dead gorgeous*

[@gerdknudsen9259]

you are not half that hot now

[@linaabot]

My favourite Bernadette Peters role still has to be the stepmother is Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella.Truly amazing.

[@heidifiore9635]

Bernadette Peters has always been my girl crush! I've loved her since she was the Step-Mother in Cinderella when I was a little kid, and afterwards, I couldn't get enough of seeing all the incredible things she's done, past and present.

[@RealFarknMcCoy]

I met her at LAX one day, over 20 years ago. She was absolutely lovely and down-to-earth, and happy to sit and chat with me about her beautiful Himalayan kitten, which was travelling with her to a location shoot for Pink Cadillac. I actually didn't know who she was until after I walked away - I looked back and she picked up her script and the penny dropped.

[@tjsing95]

I see Bernadette Peters, I click.

[@sarahm.4926]

Her voice omg she's so cute!! Loved her in Annie 😝

[@michellelopez3639]

Sarah M. Ikr!? ? 😁

[@sarahm.4926]

Michelle Lopez when I was in middle school, (year was 2000) my chorus teacher let us watch the 1990 production of "Into The Woods" and I remember thinking how good it was 😊

[@NS1973]

What Stephen DIDN'T say (but desperately wanted to, I'm sure) is that Ms. Peters is easily one of the hottest entertainers ever, even now.

[@aromaladyellie]

Bernadette Peters is so wonderful. I've adored her since I was a kid, both as Rita the cat and the Stepmother in Disney's adaptation of Roger's and Hammerstein's "Cinderella".

[@thecraftycyborg9024]

Ellie F - I found a fellow fan!!!! I love that movie so much and most people have zero clue it was ever made. It will always be the best Cinderella for me and a big part of it was her. I own multiple copies of it now.

[@BeeWhistler]

I've adored her since I was a kid, too, though roles she was in then were... somewhat older... But holy crap, she looks amazing and still has that cute little voice.

[@josephthomaswhiting8417]

Yes! Her singing "Falling in Love with Love" was one of my favorites!

[@hoouos2]

100th LIKE

[@amiegamble1678]

I remember the first time I saw that version. It was a Wonderful World of Disney movie, on a Sun night if I remember correctly in late summer of 1996.😊

[@samanthagonzalez8555]

I have been blessed enough to not only see her twice in Hello Dolly but to have also met her and lemme tell you...she really is such a kind and sweet person.

[@nopenotes]

I love this woman, no matter what role she plays; she's always awesome.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

"Bernadette Peters Changer Her Name When She Was Five" So, like, fifteen years ago? 🤔

[@Savannah_Simpson]

lazyperfectionist1 ikr? The woman never ages!

[@pelvis_assley]

I dropped my jaw checking wikipedia! 6 fucking 9 years old?? That's basically Trump age. I would never give her more than 50 even being mean

[@gusmonster59]

Facelifts and botox work wonders. I'm not criticizing her, do what you what, but no one looks like that at 69 without some help. She is still beautiful.

[@sammygirl6910]

Smooth. ;)

[@NiecieSavo]

gusmonster59 Not necessarily. My mom lived to 74 and looked about 40. She swore by cold cream. I'm hoping it's hereditary haha.

[@ghostgal18]

I saw her in Hello, Dolly! in January and it was absolutely amazing. I feel so privileged to have seen her live.

[@ezraalbarra4045]

69 years old and still a bomb!

[@wayneharrison6621]

Man, she is still the cutest thing, there's got to be a hell of a Dorian Gray portrait hidden away somewhere.

[@theogoldberg8919]

Wayne Harrison very very funny!

[@suzannebracker8219]

She’s adorable.

[@Gwen3344]

Bernadette Peters, one if my favorite performers. Lots of Light in her spirit. Maybe that's why she hasn't seemed to age at all the last 20 years. You go, girl!

[@Dina-nm1nx]

You said it perfectly----there is---Lots of light in her spirit......

[@edboy484]

Bernadette Peters looks better at 70 than I do at 20

[@theogoldberg8919]

edboy484 honey you got time to improve!!!

[@tatemitchell1479]

Me too. 😔 Let's hope we both age like fine wine, haha!

[@Prizzlesticks]

When I heard Disney was making an Into the Woods movie, I said, "I love you Meryl Streep, but you ain't got nothin' on Bernadette Peters." I hold by that. This woman has been and will remain legendary in my eyes.

[@Amanda-ex6em]

yeah she broke the mold for anyone else in that role, for sure

[@jochenstossberg5427]

Meryl Streep in my opinion, was better. She's a brilliant actress - and that matters in this show.

[@Prizzlesticks]

@@jochenstossberg5427 It's a good thing I'm a-okay with other people having different opinions. (◡‿◡✿) For the record, and as I said in my comment, I love Meryl Streep. She's a fantastic actress. Whether she has me rolling with laughter in Death Becomes Her, or actually almost liking Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady, she's undeniably brimming with talent. And her work in Into The Woods is not bad. That movie adaptation as a whole is ...awful ... But that's not because she was bad. Heck, most of the cast is incredibly good, the play was just so mangled, it's hard to tell what is bad acting, bad rewriting, bad directing, or bad post-production... That being said, the role was explicitly written with Peters in mind, so it's natural to for her to feel the most organic in the role as it's intended. The movie version of The Witch is not exactly the same character, and the world she exists in is not quite the same world. Somehow, in trying to erase the darkest parts of the play, they've washed out most the humour. And, they've really changed the witch's storyline. Feel free to skip this, I just gotta rant now. In the play, Rapunzel winds up with pretty severe PTSD, on top of being overstimulated after a life spent isolated in a tower. So the witch definitely messed up. However, she was also somewhat right. Rapunzel's prince cheats on her with Snow White while she's at home with twins having panic attacks. In the end, she's crushed by a giant after fleeing from the Prince and the Witch both in another episode of panic. Ultimately, while her methods are wrong, the witch acts out of a place of realistic fear of the world taken to unrealistic extremes, and she loses Rapunzel in the most tragic end possible--a terrible example of self-fulfilling prophecy. So she's already lost everything important to her when Last Midnight begins. The entire song is built around her character's morals and themes and is as much a condemnation of her own failures as it is of the rest of the casts', hurtling towards her epic end, caused ultimately by her own fatal flaws. But the main message is 'who's to blame' doesn't matter--what matters is fixing it. Rather than participate in a witch hunt, her final act, with nothing left she really cares for, is to metaphorically burn herself at the stake so the others will either knock it off and fix it, or get what they deserve. It's brilliant. By giving Rapunzel a happy end and removing most of their relationship, it not only weakens Stay With Me, Lament, and Children Will Listen, it makes The Witch seem more like a butthurt sociopath than a grieving mother in Last Midnight. It also makes her role as a voice of reason in Act II moot, because if there's any chance of her reconnecting with her daughter, she's not going to literally throw herself to a giant for no reason. In the play, she has literally lost everything. In the movie, it's kind of a weird choice that completely contradicts her whole story. So anyway. It's hard to say whether I'd like Meryl Streep as The Witch, because she didn't play The Witch, as far as I'm concerned. Whatever character she did portray was fine, but I think she was hindered more by bad writing decisions than anything else. Unfortunately, Sondheim writes very deliberately and intricately, building songs and narratives that seem suspiciously simple ...until one small thing is changed sends it all crashing like dominos. ┐(´∀｀)┌

[@Jerricola2]

Hot damn, I would never have guessed her age, and she still sounds amazing even just when talking!

[@ingeborg-anne]

SHE'S SIXTY-NINE?! Holy bunnysticks!

[@animaljustice7774]

She doesn’t age

[@fadhilramadhani1847]

She is ageless!

[@2kooldancin]

I can't even believe her age! She looks incredible and her voice hasn't changed a bit! l love her!

[@rohe4077]

2kooldancin You have to take care of yourself. She obviously takes care of her voice. She's been a singer for over fifty years.

[@TheReySkywalker]

Broadway legend. First introduced to her watching The Muppet Show when I was little. Then The Jerk, of course.

[@Amanda-ex6em]

The Original ANNIE movie for me

[@claytonis1]

Nine times out of Ten, his interviews with stage actors/actresses are way more interesting than their big and small screen counterparts.

[@tidalkingv]

She is just simply so adorable.

[@jimbutler1189]

What. The. Hell. She looks exactly the same as when she was in movies I watched decades ago. Amazing looks aside.... love her.

[@andreaandrews6713]

Bernadette Peters isn't an actress I've really thought of since the 80's as I don't typically follow stage performances', however, I'll admit, she was a lovely, vivacious guest. It was sweet to see Steven a little "star-struck." I love that The Late Show has a variety of guests; not just your typical "Hollywood types." I'd also like to add that she looks fantastic!

[@Alabalalululababa]

This woman was 70 here, let that sink in

[@CrossfacePanda]

I hope she’s gonna be on the new Animaniacs cartoon they’re making. She was awesome as Rita on the original show, and I can’t imagine anybody else in the role.

[@SAMZIRRA]

CrossfacePanda what!? NEW Animaniacs?! Thank you for this info, I’m looking that up next. 👍🏼

[@CrossfacePanda]

SAMZIRRA Yeah, there’s no guarantee it’ll be any good, though. And not to be a downer, but if anything it’s guaranteed to not have the budget the old one had, won’t be hand animated like the old show, nor have a 35-piece orchestra score the music, because cartoon shows don’t get that kind of budget anymore (and it was a comparatively expensive show even back then). Heck, we don’t even know if the old staff and actors would be working on it (and my guess would be: probably not). It’s just wishful thinking on my part.

[@lanareed214]

CrossfacePanda , wow! I didn't know they are making a new one!!!! And I didn't know she was Rita that's why I always loved to hear Rita sing!

[@pkidawmbt]

Pretty sure Spielberg and Co. are actually coming back, and Maurice and Paul have both hinted that they will be back for it so I can't imagine the others not reprising their roles since they were all sad when Fox pulled the plug years ago. That being said, this is a Hulu exclusive thing so i might be missing out.

[@lanareed214]

pkidawmbt sad to hear that but it's awesome for me I have Hulu!!!!! So that's why they put anamaniacs and tiny toons on?! Kool, I'm getting my 5 Year old into it

[@MarenAnne66]

Even her voice sounds fabulous. I loved her in Annie. "Like the hotel."

[@beaellie9766]

This is a TERRIFIC interview....he asked good questions AND gave her time to answer. Her stories are fun/funny and she is absolutely charming. Thanks for posting it!

[@debrabelz]

Too gifted for words. And beautiful

[@NewMessage]

She always reminds me of a song I heard on the radio, that reminded me of the way we were.

[@Theendofeverything7036]

This women looks fabulous for her age! I love her, she’s an amazing actress.

[@lolkayleen2757]

She is the sweetest sweetest ever omg and she talks like such a young person love her humor hahahah and love her so much

[@GroovyGirl1990]

Still lovely and enormously talented

[@dropUrPeaches]

A genuine legend. I've been in awe of her since I was a child, watching a worn-out VHS of The Jerk.

[@lesasawahata4652]

she's going to be 70 in a couple of days!

[@MichaelFlynn0]

What !!!!

[@BladeWinters]

That's crazy...

[@veggivet737]

On February 28th, to be exact. I've seen her up close working out at the gym, and she is spectacular! Her personality is as sweet as her appearance!

[@athanasiascheuermann2106]

Lesa Sawahata whaaaaat??? That's insane! She's amazing!

[@davidadams2395]

Lesa Sawahata even her neck, decolletage, and hands look great. And those gams are stupendous! She's 21 years older than I, yet she looks my age or better.

[@drjekyll82]

She's still so smoking hot. I remember I used to have a huge crush on her years ago just from watching her old films. Seeing her again I'm still stunned over how gorgeous she is still looking

[@toddprifogle9911]

Bernadette makes me want to live.

[@tatemitchell1479]

So you enjoy Being Alive because of Bernadette? 😉😂

[@willreaver2295]

Seeing all these comments about how everyone loved her so much as a character in animanics when they were children makes me feel so so much older :( as I remember her from many movies from much earlier when I was a child. She is still gloriously beautiful and witty.

[@MichaelFlynn0]

what a classy gal.

[@dm95422]

She was golden in "The Jerk" with Steve Martin. Best movie ever !

[@writerspen010]

Ugh, I recently had the privilege to see Bernadette in "Hello, Dolly!" and let me tell you that it was a MARVELOUS experience. It goes without saying that Bernadette was a gem and it was like a dream being able to finally see her on stage (I grew up watching her in the Rogers and Hammerstein "Cinderella"), but I gotta say. The ensemble of that show. THE ENSEMBLE! They get so many amazing, elaborate dance sequences, and you can tell that their talent is magnified by the excitement of having worked with theatre legends Bette Middler and now Bernadette Peters. Well done to everybody involved! :D

[@trwent]

If you loved it so much, WHY did you start your first sentence with “Ugh”?

[@cleanfreak2005]

She is one of my favorite film actresses, I would love to see her on stage. I was so hoping she would sing here with the Late Show Band, Stay Human.

[@HighHeelKnight]

She's one of the most adorable tiny lady. :-D

[@ajcbng8289]

My goodness! She is absolutely stunning. I haven't seen her in years but you could not tell by me. Astounding!

[@andrewtucker5025]

I'm a little sad she forgot Follies. It was the only time I was able to see her perform live.

[@theogoldberg8919]

Nikki S. Oh god gracious I didn't know that. Are you sure?

[@josearturogarza5114]

*WAITER!* There are snails on her plate! Loved Bernadette in _The Jerk_

[@josearturogarza5114]

15 minutes with Bernadette Peters in The Longest Yard...let's hear it for her hair! 😆

[@saoirseblack6105]

@@josearturogarza5114 YES! I’m glad someone else noticed that! She was so wonderfully naughty (she usually is lol).

[@trwent]

Bernadette Peters is an absolute national-no make that a world-treasure. Actor (stage, movies, TV), singer, comedian, animal lover, humanitarian, the list just goes on!! What an INCREDIBLE career she has had, and she is still going strong in 2022!!

[@habbogigi]

What a delight, I didn’t know she was in Mozart in the jungle, I might have to check it out

[@theogoldberg8919]

habbogigi she plays Gloria the administrator of The New York Philharmonic. I am a huge fan of the show which stopped unfortunately last year 😢😢😢

[@saoirseblack6105]

It’s. Excellent.

[@sonjadianehopfer5189]

I saw "Sunday in the park with George" on PBS when I was a tween! Love her and Mandy Patinkin!

[@alfcab]

She looks amazing. Brava.

[@chief45kc2572]

One of my earliest celebrity crushes. Fell in love with her after watching "The Jerk"

[@charlesperez9976]

Oh that knockout of a woman! I have loved her since I was 8! I am 51 now,and still love Bernadette! ❤️

[@lizholmes5801]

Hilarious comedian, dynamic singer and actress, so beautiful love her

[@missjaszmine1968]

And she's lovely and spirited and I love her cascade of curls and her spirited way. Such a spectacular, fabulous performer.❤

[@LlamaBean20Fluff]

Thats exactly the actress playing as Cinderella’s stepmother in 1999 version

[@Michaelartzer]

This interview was freaking adorbs. "We just need to find the light"

[@KDTube11]

I love her. Such a talented and lovely lady.

[@probablysleeping3927]

How can a human being be this perfect

[@dulynoted2427]

She has a very pretty singing voice as well!

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

She's older than Stephen...?! =O

[@SutapaBhattacharyaKolkata]

She is 69. unbelievable!

[@MichaelBerthelsen]

Sutapa Bhattacharya WOW! She looks great for her age...! =O

[@crewsadist]

By over 16 years. On February 28, in 3 weeks plus 2 days, she will turn 70 young, with no suggestion of her age and her appearance having crossed paths for decades. On May 13, Coal Bear will turn 54 (relatively) gnarly grizzled years old, continuing to settle into his potty mouth John Chancellor persona. Assuming that Coal Bear first watched on Broadway in 1984, which is when she headlined with Mandy Patinkin in Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George (for which performance she received her by then THIRD Tony Award nomination, at that time, Miz Peters was 36, Coal Bert 20. By 20, Miz Peters had already received the Theatre World Award, which goes to the most outstanding DEBUT performance on Broadway, playing the part of Josie, sister to George M. Cohan in the original production of George M!, based on some of the life and times of the then-legendary Broadway performer. Cohan himself was played by Joel Grey, then 36 (from Cleveland! and still alive at 85! as dancers so often live long), best known for his role as M.C. in the movie version of Cabaret, and BTW father of film star / dancer Jennifer Grey. Despite that George M! was mostly panned by critics, it won awards not just for Miz Peters, but a Tony for Joel Grey for best performance and another for best choreography (among other awards centering on its dancing and music). So Miz Peters essentially had conquered Broadway by the time Coal Bear first watched her on stage, and was by that time the same age Joel Grey was when she debuted with him. I cannot believe it's taken this long for her to come onto Coal Bear's show, nor that they failed to do some music and dance number together. I expect this to happen the next time - get right on it, Mister Music Jon Batiste!

[@deedavis9511]

Michael Berthelsen - Stephen is 89.

[@SRLovesPandas1]

Sondheim is 90 lol She’s like 20 some years off

[@user-gl8vv8ck8j]

Unbelievable! Bernadette Peters is 69! I loved her so much in The Jerk. One thing I hate about modern life is that you can't fully express something unless it's reactionary. There's nothing to react to here, but I love to see her being her beautiful self, working, promoting, and projecting her innate funniness and i hope we get to see more from her.

[@carolebrunette]

She looks amaaaaazing

[@rogerkomula8057]

My first Christmas away from home at college, me and two friends went to see The Jerk and waited hours to get into the evening show at the big mall in South Bend, IN. I've been in love with her ever since. One of my buddies was from Italy and spent the whole day before the show making the most amazing spaghetti and meatballs.

[@xellosmetallium8519]

Bernadette Peter is an amazing actress, the fact that she is so stunning as well is icing on the cake.)

[@esotericone9101]

This woman is 69, she looks Amazing!

[@regmunday8354]

Shows that true beauty is ageless and timeless. Unlike the robotically enhanced kim kardashians of this world.

[@barbararey4337]

Yes!! Sunday in the Park With George!!!!

[@ingeborg-anne]

Oh she's so lovely :'D

[@davidchurchill3244]

Hahaha. Gorgeous at 70. A pleasure to listen to her. There's hope for us all. 😊

[@victorialavenderasmr]

Bernadette peters will always be ageless. What a beauty!

[@michellelopez3639]

She is ageless! ❤

[@59jlopez70]

I cannot believe she is in her 70s she looks like she could be in her 40s. It’s amazing that lady had her debut in 1958.

[@Dashoost]

70 years old. She's a goddess, no other explanation

[@alex377687]

74!!!!! ♡♡

[@marilyntaylor2892]

Great actress and always fun, funny and nice. One of my girls had changed her first name and her age, on her third birthday. She walked around a party my parents were having, introducing herself as, "Tara" and "I'm five, like my sister". She's a Mom of four now and we, still laugh about it.

[@theogoldberg8919]

Marilyn Taylor thanks for sharing that anecdote Marilyn it is actually a very nice one.

[@hnc52]

She is still gorgeous.

[@mupo1811]

what a lovely lady

[@vivacolombiagames]

“It’s the witch from next door!” “We have no bread” “OF COURSE YOU HAVE NO BREAD”

[@WAAAAAAAAAAAY]

Would've been nice if at one point Colbert produced a trumpet & a uke and they sang a little bit of "Tonight You Belong to Me" ha :)

[@zipjok8850]

One day many years ago when I was a background actor in Los Angeles, i was a stand-in on the television show, Ally McBeal for Peter MacNicol. This show was filmed at raleigh studios in manhattan beach california. It required a long drive on the 405 freeway. And you never knew when the 405 was gonna be clogged up But it was best To assume it was always going to be clogged up all the time. So I got there at least an hour before call time. I was the only person waiting in the waiting room until a lady showed up who I did not recognize at first. She had the most amazing smile and she did smile with me before she went to her book or whatever she was doing that early in the morning. And it was only a few moments later I realized I was sitting next to Bernadette Peters. Right next to her in the next chair. No one else showed up for at least thirty minutes. 30 minutes alone With Bernadette Peters. I did not say anything. Because it was not my job to say anything. You never forget moments like that.

[@castodivo]

She seems like a deeply down-to-earth lady. She really listens and is very present. She's really just a normal person who's doing what she loves!

[@MorganFrancophile]

She has such gorgeous curls!

[@falcychead8198]

I still so, _so_ would. ....I can't, but I absolutely would.

[@michaelm7116]

holy fuck!!,she is 70 yrs old.

[@tomalcolm]

Sunday in the Park!

[@jauipop]

LEGEND!!!!!!!

[@marlinmr7]

Bernadette has always past, present, and future looks fantastic; is so classy it is unbelievable in today's world; talented beyond belief; and yet stay's down to earth and real - all the time! One particular point to make that says more about her character than almost anything else is her love of animals and all that she does as well as many of her friends to assist. She is in my personal opinion something of a "national treasure" ! :-) :-) :-)

[@Smashley18]

I absolutely adore Ms. Peters! She’s such a treasure!

[@ag4713]

This woman grew up in my neighborhood of ozone pk NY. her autographed picture was in half the Italian stores in the neighborhood. Her name Peter's is from her dad's first name Peter. Probably to ease the discomfort of a old fashioned Italian dad.

[@robinmarie8213]

Somehow she's even HOTTER now than when I was a kid.

[@zyzzyvacation]

I have to apologise for not being able to forget her performance in "The Jerk" (1979) with Steve Martin almost 40 years ago

[@tonyafinster9354]

What a lovely lady with a lovely face, voice, heart and most definitely soul! Would that I could have seen in concert would be most wonderful day in my life! Great comedian as well!

[@Knonnynonny]

I am here to give MY TESTIMONIAL that this woman is quite literally and PHYSICALLY luminous. Especially her exquisite SKIN that had me do a triple take from right next table to hers right after a show. This was during the LEGENDARY original run of Into The Woods .. cocktail / dinner hour. I had to restrain myself from prostrating myself ... kept eyeing her glistening skin. Now, I was in my VERY prime of beauty at 22. I am Korean, with that so called "glass skin" that keeps getting mentined around me. I was bowled over by her beauty and magic. Basically. Yep. Oh, gosh, I so love Stephen and Bernadette. My idols.

[@Myouqa]

i love her! can't wait for the new season of mozart in the jungle

[@fingerstylefan]

OMG I had such a crush on her when I was younger. She is still so gorgeous all of these years later.