Over the course of nearly a century, Disney Princesses have evolved from being passive figures in their own stories to fully-fledged forces to be reckoned with. Never has this strength been manifested with more grace than in Belle’s provincial journey in Disney’s 1991 animated masterpiece Beauty and the Beast. Smart, loyal, and sassy – Belle is the perfect counterbalance needed to reform a once-unruly Beast.
As part of our Disney Legends Spotlight series, let’s celebrate Disney Legend Paige O’Hara – the spirit of true inner beauty within one of Disney’s most remarkable princesses.
Paige O’Hara: The Heart of a Performer
Paige O’Hara (born Donna Paige Helmintoller on May 10, 1956) was destined for royal greatness from a young age. Born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, she knew at just three years old that performing was her passion.
A young child with the heart of an entertainer, Paige started taking acting lessons when she was only four years old. The Floridian’s first lead role was – appropriately enough – a Disney character, when she was cast at age nine as Cinderella in a school musical. “That was a big turning point for me,” Paige told Disney D23 in a 2016 interview. “It gave me a lot more confidence.”
Buoyed by her performing success, Paige augmented her acting chops with singing lessons at age 12. With her crystal clear singing voice emerging, Paige drew inspiration from multiple childhood idols. Actress and singer Judy Garland enraptured Paige with her performance in The Wizard of Oz, and Disney Legend Julie Andrews inspired her with her flawless performance as Mary Poppins. Broadway star Mary Martin’s iconic rendition of Peter Pan offered Paige a more direct connection to performing, as she was inspired to enter into a local talent competition, singing “I Gotta Crow.” For her performance, Paige was awarded an honorable mention.
In addition to acting, Paige now caught the singing bug. Taking her passion to a more formal level, Paige studied in a performing arts high school, aspiring to achieve a professional career as an actor and singer.
Broadway Bound
Having the heart of an entertainer, 19-year-old high school graduate Paige O’Hara packed her bags and headed to the Big Apple. She landed her first role fairly quickly, making her theater debut in 1975, appearing as Della in an off-Broadway production of The Gift of the Magi.
Paige’s first role was applauded and successful from a critical perspective, but that praise was not nearly enough to pay her expensive New York City bills. Taking inspiration from another classic Disney character – Bert the chimney sweep from Mary Poppins – Paige exercised another of her artistic talents – painting. “I would paint at night, watercolors,” she told Disney D23 in a 2016 interview. “I would paint Disney characters as well as a lot of Judy Garland portraits, and I’d sell my little watercolors on the street. My favorite spot was 84th Street and Broadway. And that would pay my rent.”
Paige’s artistic ingenuity kept her financially afloat while she worked on lifting her acting career off the ground. In 1983, her persistence paid off when she made her Broadway debut as Ellie May Chipley in the 1983 revival of Showboat. Paige stuck with Ellie for years, performing the character in the Houston Grand Opera’s 1989 production of the musical, followed by an international run in the Cairo Opera House in Egypt. Cementing her legacy as Ellie, Paige sang the part on a 1989 Grammy-nominated recording of the musical.
Outside of Showboat, Paige’s other major American stage credits include the role of Ado Annie in a 1979 national tour of Oklahoma!, as well as the title role in the musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood (both on Broadway and national tour) in the mid-1980s.
But it was an off-stage role that would define the rest of Paige’s career.
Beauty and the Beast
As the 1990s dawned, Paige O’Hara began a new era in her life and career. It began with a single small step, when she responded to a New York Times article seeking auditions for a Disney animated film based on a “Tale as Old as Time” – Beauty and the Beast. Paige auditioned (and re-auditioned) five times for a role she felt in her heart she was meant to play – the lead role of the heroine Belle. She finally landed her dream role, besting a field of over 500 candidates. Paige remembers the moment vividly, as the magical phone call came the day after her birthday (which was also the day she became engaged to future husband Michael Piontek).
The role of Belle not only gave Paige a Disney credential for her resume, it also offered her the chance to work with legendary songwriting team (and Disney Legends) Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, on what would be the final major film project of Ashman’s astonishing career.
Over the course of over two years, Paige recorded and re-recorded lines and songs for the role that defined her career. In conjunction with her audio recordings, the filmmakers also captured Paige on video, and in doing so incorporated many of her physical features and mannerisms into the character. So when you watch Belle lead her way through the film, you are actually seeing a large piece of Paige O’Hara, memorialized forever in animation.
Beauty and the Beast was a true team effort, combining the vocal talents of Paige with many other entertainers, artists, animators, storytellers, and musicians. The film debuted in November 1991, and was an instant runaway success, winning Academy Awards for Best Original Song (for “Beauty and the Beast”) and Best Original Score, and being nominated for Best Picture and Best Sound. The film also won multiple Grammy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and many other accolades.
But beyond the critical accolades, the “Tale as Old as Time” became an instant Disney classic – living in the same atmosphere as unforgettable films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Peter Pan. Beauty and the Beast spawned a mega franchise including additional films, a Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical, Disney Parks productions, books, toys, clothing, and much, much more.
To say Paige’s role as Belle in Beauty and the Beast was a major breakthrough in her career would be a massive understatement. The smashing success of one of Disney’s greatest animated achievements defined her career, where she is now proudly and inextricably linked to one of Disney’s most beloved princesses. Paige has reprised her role in the additional franchise films Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997), Belle’s Magical World (1998), and Belle’s Tales of Friendship (1999). She has also voiced Belle as minor parts of many other Disney films, video games, and special productions.
Beyond Belle
While the role of Belle is widely considered to be the pinnacle of Paige’s entertainment career, the talented performer and artist has gone on to excel in other roles and ventures. For Disney, she made a fun Easter Egg cameo appearance in the 2007 film Enchanted, as a soap opera star performing on television in the film. Paige also participated in the documentary film Always Belle.
In 1995, Paige joined the Broadway production of Les Misérables, where she played the role of Fantine. That same year, she starred as Venus in the BBC’s broadcast of One Touch of Venus.
1996 was a busy year for Paige. She returned to Neverland, playing the “boy who never grew up” in a revival of the musical Peter Pan. Also in 1996, she extended her reach worldwide, touring Japan with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra in a live rendition of Beauty and the Beast (in which she performed with her husband – Michael – playing the role of Beast). She also starred as Nellie Forbush in the Australian production of South Pacific.
In April 2011, Paige fulfilled another of her childhood dreams, playing the role of Judy Garland in From Gumm to Garland: JUDY, The Musical at the Tempe Center for the Arts in Tempe, Arizona. This full circle moment brought Paige right back to the beginning, emulating her childhood idol.
Musically Speaking
Boasting her flawless singing voice, Paige was a featured vocalist on the recording of Mack and Mabel in Concert (1988). She has performed live many times, most notably as a concert soloist at the Hollywood Bowl, in Boston with the legendary Boston Pops, at the Turin Opera House in Turin, Italy, and with orchestras across the United States. She even performed live at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration.
But if you ask Paige about her favorite live moments, she’ll proudly recall all the smaller performances she has given to children for hospitals and charities around the country. When kids don’t quite understand – or believe – that Paige is Belle, all it takes is one quick line from the film, and they are instant believers!
Beautiful Brushstrokes
Paige O’Hara’s artistic talents extend beyond the stage and screen. As a child, Paige was always comfortable with a paint brush, thanks in part to her father – an architect who was always drawing and designing.
Paige never took formal painting lessons the way she did with acting and singing, but this self-taught painter clearly knows her way around a palette. As her artistic inclinations matured, Paige studied the art of several classical and modern artists, including Leonardo da Vinci and John Singer Sargent. Her prowess with the paintbrush kept her financially afloat while she was breaking into her acting career. Even when Paige found success in the performing arts, she continued to paint as a creatively productive hobby.
But the painter in Paige was “found” when she brought one of her paintings of Belle to a signing event in Los Angeles. The head of Disney Fine Art saw Paige’s work and invited her to join the organization’s exclusive roster of artists. Diving deeper into her creative outlet, Paige created a series of paintings which she titled “Belle By Belle.” The series was based on her favorite moments from Beauty and the Beast, and it includes dozens of original film moments (and countless reproductions). Paige has since broadened her brushstroke to include other Disney pieces, as well as some impressive creations outside the Disney universe.
Paige is indeed a multi-dimensional talent.
A Beautiful But Funny Girl…That Paige!
Paige O’Hara has spent roughly half her life as an iconic Disney Princess. In formal recognition of her impact on the Disney community worldwide, Paige was named a Disney Legend in 2011.
Her place of royalty within the Disney universe has afforded her opportunities to spread her own flavor of peace and happiness around the world. Some of this comes in the form of being a Disney ambassador, and the rest is just Paige being Paige.
“She really is a special girl…that Paige!”
I hope you enjoyed this article in our series of Disney Princess Legends. Check out our previous pieces on Disney Legends Jodi Benson, Ming-Na Wen, and Anika Noni Rose.
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Sources:
Disney D23 Legend page – Paige O’Hara
