Bailey Hanks
Encyclopedia
Bailey Noel Hanks is an American singer, actress, and dancer best known for winning MTV's
Legally Blonde - The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods
. She performed on Broadway
as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical
in 2008.
, South Carolina
, to Brad and Angie Hanks. She has one older sister, Brooke, and one younger sister, Bradlee. Her father is a pastor and youth minister in addition to being a highway patrolman, while her mother is a nurse. Hanks attended Westside High School (South Carolina)
in Anderson. She transferred to and graduated from Pendleton High School in 2006. Growing up in the local theater, her notable appearances were as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
; Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical the Musical; Baby June in Gypsy; Hello, Dolly!; Music Man; A Year With Frog and Toad; Annie; Bye Bye Birdie; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; and High Steppin' Country. Bailey studied under Sarah Reese, an esteemed former opera singer. Bailey was also crowned Miss Liberty Teen 2005, and competed in the Miss SC Teen Pageant. Hanks also had the honor of performing the National Anthem for president Bill Clinton in 2000. Hanks is an alumna of Gamma Phi Beta
(Coastal Carolina University
) in real life. Hanks most recently starred as Sharpay Evans in a production of High School Musical
which ran from November 5 to December 7, 2008 at the Paper Mill Playhouse
.
Hanks appeared in the daytime television soap opera Guiding Light
in April 2009.
Bailey played the part of the NYU Tour Guide in the third installment of Touchstone Pictures' "Step Up
" franchise. The film, titled Step Up 3D, premiered in August 2010.
Hanks currently resides in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
Legally Blonde - The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods
Legally Blonde - The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods
Legally Blonde — The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods is an MTV program created in order to cast an actress to replace Laura Bell Bundy in the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde – The Musical...
. She performed on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde: The Musical
Legally Blonde (musical)
Legally Blonde is a musical with music and lyrics by Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin and book by Heather Hach. The story is based on the novel Legally Blonde by Amanda Brown and the 2001 film of the same name. It tells the story of Elle Woods, a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to...
in 2008.
Life and career
Hanks was born on February 6, 1988 in AndersonAnderson
-People:* Anderson Cooper, American television personality, son of Gloria Vanderbilt* Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira, Manchester United football player-Places:In Canada:* Anderson, British Columbia* Anderson Bay, British Columbia...
, South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, to Brad and Angie Hanks. She has one older sister, Brooke, and one younger sister, Bradlee. Her father is a pastor and youth minister in addition to being a highway patrolman, while her mother is a nurse. Hanks attended Westside High School (South Carolina)
Westside High School (South Carolina)
Westside High School is a high school located in Anderson, South Carolina. The school serves the west side of Anderson and is part of Anderson School District 5. Westside High School is administered by principal Henry 'Daddy' Adair. He took over Westside High as principal in 1983...
in Anderson. She transferred to and graduated from Pendleton High School in 2006. Growing up in the local theater, her notable appearances were as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1900 novel by L. Frank Baum, which has been adapted into several different works, the most famous being the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland...
; Gertrude McFuzz in Seussical the Musical; Baby June in Gypsy; Hello, Dolly!; Music Man; A Year With Frog and Toad; Annie; Bye Bye Birdie; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; and High Steppin' Country. Bailey studied under Sarah Reese, an esteemed former opera singer. Bailey was also crowned Miss Liberty Teen 2005, and competed in the Miss SC Teen Pageant. Hanks also had the honor of performing the National Anthem for president Bill Clinton in 2000. Hanks is an alumna of Gamma Phi Beta
Gamma Phi Beta
Gamma Phi Beta is an international sorority that was founded on November 11, 1874, at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York. The term "sorority," meaning sisterhood, was coined for Gamma Phi Beta by Dr. Frank Smalley, a professor at Syracuse University.The four founders are Helen M. Dodge,...
(Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...
) in real life. Hanks most recently starred as Sharpay Evans in a production of High School Musical
High School Musical
High School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
which ran from November 5 to December 7, 2008 at the Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse
Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theatre with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey, less than 25 miles from Manhattan. Due to its location, it can draw from the pool of actors who live in New York City. Its location, as well as its focus on producing large-scale shows, makes...
.
Hanks appeared in the daytime television soap opera Guiding Light
Guiding Light
Guiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
in April 2009.
Bailey played the part of the NYU Tour Guide in the third installment of Touchstone Pictures' "Step Up
Step Up (film)
Step Up is a 2006 American dance/romance film directed by Anne Fletcher starring Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan.Set in Baltimore, Maryland, the film follows the tale of the disadvantaged Tyler Gage and the privileged modern dancer Nora Clark , who find themselves paired up in a showcase that...
" franchise. The film, titled Step Up 3D, premiered in August 2010.
Hanks currently resides in Hendersonville, Tennessee.
Stage
- Legally Blonde: The Musical, Broadway, July 23 - October 19, 2008
- High School MusicalHigh School MusicalHigh School Musical is a 2006 American television film, first in the High School Musical film franchise. Upon its release on January 20, 2006, it became the most successful film that Disney Channel Original Movie ever produced, with a television sequel High School Musical 2 released in 2007 and...
, Paper Mill Playhouse, November 5 - December 7, 2008 - VOTE!, New York International Fringe Festival, August 14–26, 2009
- Freckleface Strawberry (reading) Manhattan Movement Arts Center, September 2009- Role of Emily
Television
- Legally Blonde - The Musical: The Search for Elle WoodsLegally Blonde - The Musical: The Search for Elle WoodsLegally Blonde — The Musical: The Search for Elle Woods is an MTV program created in order to cast an actress to replace Laura Bell Bundy in the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde – The Musical...
(2008) - American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
(auditions) - Guiding LightGuiding LightGuiding Light is an American daytime television drama that is credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running drama in television and radio history, running from 1937 until 2009...
(2009) - Meet the BrownsMeet the BrownsMeet the Browns is a play written by Tyler Perry in 2004. In it, Cora and Mr. Brown are headed to Brown's side of the family. In Madea's Class Reunion, it is revealed that Brown is actually Cora's father, so he is taking his new daughter to his family...
(2010)