Lindsay Michelle Mendez is an American actress and singer, best known for her work in American musical theatre. Mendez won the 2018 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carrie Pipperidge in a Broadway revival of Carousel. Her other credits on Broadway include Elphaba in Wicked, Godspell, and Grease as Jan. Beginning in September of 2019, she co-stars on the CBS drama seriesAll Rise as court stenographer Sara Castillo.
Life and career
Mendez was born in Norwalk, California. Her father is of Mexican descent and her mother is of Russian Jewish ancestry. She played Lizzie in a preview of "A Little More Alive", written by Nick Blaemire, in Kansas City. Other credits include roles in The Marvelous Wonderettes, 35MM, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, and Princesses. In 2012, Mendez appeared opposite Derek Klena in Dogfight as Eddie and Rose, and in Wicked as Elphaba and Fiyero. The two frequently perform together at the Broadway supper club54 Below. Mendez sings jazz and blues at other cabarets and dining clubs with pianist Marco Paguia. The two released a jazz album entitled "This Time" in 2013. Mendez, along with composer Ryan Scott Oliver, founded and runs Actor Therapy: a five-week training experience for young actors in NYC. For her role as Rose Fenny in Off-Broadway's Dogfight, she was nominated for the 2013 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, the 2013 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and the 2013 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical. In 2014, she also played Naomi Rodriguez in 21 Chump Street and then in 2015, Laura in the play Significant Other. While performing in Wicked, Mendez filmed a series of video blogs for Broadway.com entitled "Fly Girl: Backstage at Wicked with Lindsay Mendez", giving an inside look at the smash musical, including interviews with current cast members, glimpses of costumes, sets, props, and how Mendez herself was transformed into the musical's protagonist, Elphaba, the green-skinned girl who becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Mendez played Carrie in the 2018 Broadway revival of Carousel, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. The production also starred Jessie Mueller and Joshua Henry.
