Cynthia Erivo Height, Age, Girlfriend, Family, Biography

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Age: 38 Years

Girlfriend: Lena Waithe

Height: 5' 1"

Bio/Wiki
Birth Name	Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo
Profession(s)	• Actor • Singer
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 1" (155 cm)
Eye Colour	Brown
Hair Colour	Bald
Career
Debut	Film: Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) as 'Darlene Sweet' TV: Chewing Gum (2015) as 'Magdalene' Play: The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (2011) as 'Madeleine'
Awards, Honours	2016: Best Actress in a Musical award for 'The Color Purple' at the 70th Tony Awards 2016: Outstanding Actress in a Musical award for 'The Color Purple' at Drama Desk Awards 2016: Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance award for 'The Color Purple' at Theatre World Awards 2016: Outstanding Actress in a Musical award for 'The Color Purple' at the 66th Outer Critics Circle Awards 2017: Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program award for 'The Color Purple' at the Daytime Emmy Awards 2017: Best Musical Theater Album award for 'The Color Purple' at the 59th Grammy Awards 2017: Best Song in a Documentary award for the song 'Jump' from the documentary 'Step' at the 2nd Critics' Choice Documentary Awards 2018: Best Ensemble award for the film 'Widows' at the Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2019: Hollywood Breakout Actress Award for the film 'Harriet' at the 23rd Hollywood Film Awards 2019: Best Original Song – Feature Film for 'Stand Up' (from the film Harriet) at Hollywood Music in Media Awards 2019: Best Original Song Written for a Film award for 'Stand Up' at World Soundtrack Awards 2019: Best Actress and Best Female Action Hero awards for 'Harriet' at the Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2020: Breakthrough Performance Award for 'Harriet' at the 31st Palm Springs International Film Festival 2020: Virtuoso Award for 'Harriet' at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2020: Outstanding Original Song for Visual Media award for 'Stand Up' at the Society of Composers and Lyricists Awards 2024: Best Actress award for the film 'Wicked' at the 8th Astra Film Awards 2024: Actress – Film Award for 'Wicked' at Celebration of Cinema and Television Awards 2025: Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 36th GLAAD Media Awards 2025: Visionary Award at the Sundance Film Festival
Personal Life
Date of Birth	8 January 1987 (Thursday)
Age (as of 2025)	38 Years
Birthplace	Stockwell, London, England
Zodiac sign	Capricorn
Signature
Nationality	British
Hometown	Stockwell
School	La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School, Clapham Park, London
College/University	• University of East London (2004) • Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) (2010)
Educational Qualification	• A music psychology degree from the University of East London (dropout) • A bachelor's degree in acting from RADA
Religion	Roman Catholicism
Food Habit	Vegan
Tattoo(s)	Tattoos • In the Middle of the Chest: 3 hearts • On the Back: Multiple tattoos including butterflies and flowers • Above the Left Elbow: Two cartoon characters • On Both Forearms: A woman's face on the right forearm • On the Right Bicep: A fairy • Below the Right Elbow: A text • On the Left Leg • On the Right Thigh: A floral pattern • On the Left Hand: 'For Good' (matching with singer and actor Ariana Grande) • On the Right Hand: A flower (matching with Ariana Grande) Piercings • On Both Ears: Standard Lobe, Upper Lobe, High Lobe, Helix, Forward Helix, Mid-Helix, Flat Helix, Anti-tragus, Rook • Nose: Septum
Controversy	Jesus Christ Superstar: In early 2025, Cynthia Erivo sparked controversy when she was cast as Jesus Christ in the Hollywood Bowl's Jesus Christ Superstar production. The casting of a Black queer woman drew backlash on social media. Many accused it of being disrespectful.
Social Media	• Instagram • Facebook • YouTube • Official Website
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Unmarried
Gender Identity	Queer
Sexual Orientation	Bisexual
Affairs/Boyfriends	• Dean John-Wilson (actor) (2013-2017) • Mario Martinez (actor, musician) (2017-2019)
Affairs/Girlfriends	Lena Waithe (actor, film producer) (2020 - Present)
Family
Parents	Mother- Edith
Siblings	Brother- None Sister- Stephanie Erivo (younger)
Favourites
Singer	Beyoncé
TV Host	Oprah Winfrey
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)	$3 million (as of 2025)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Cynthia Erivo

Cynthia Erivo’s parents were Nigerian immigrants.

When the Nigerian Civil War started, Cynthia’s mother, Edith, was only 15. Though she was not officially a refugee, she and her family had to leave their home and move from place to place to stay safe.

Cynthia’s parents moved to the UK in their early twenties but separated when she was very young. After that, she and her younger sister were raised by their mother.
A childhood picture of Cynthia Erivo with her mother

When Cynthia was 16, her father cut ties with them, and she has had no contact with him since.

When Cynthia was a child, she acted in playwright Bertolt Brecht’s play ‘The Caucasian Chalk Circle.’

In 2003, she appeared on the television show ‘Trust Me, I’m a Teenager,’ which aired on Channel 4.
Cynthia Erivo in a still from the reality show ‘Trust Me, I’m a Teenager’ (2003)

In 2004, Cynthia started studying music psychology at the University of East London. However, after a year, she switched to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in acting.

Her performance as ‘Leila’ in the play ‘I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky’ (2010), performed at the Theatre Royal Stratford East in London, was highly appreciated by the audience.
Cynthia Erivo as ‘Leila’ in the play ‘I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky’ (2010)

Cynthia played the role of ‘Celie Harris Johnson’ in the play ‘The Color Purple’ (2013), which was performed at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London.
Cynthia Erivo as ‘Celie Harris Johnson’ in the play ‘The Color Purple’ (2013)

Cynthia met British actor Dean John-Wilson while working on the play ‘Sister Act’ in 2013. They soon began dating and made several public appearances. Their relationship, however, ended in 2017, but they never shared the reason.

Erivo has performed in many other plays such as ‘Dessa Rose’ (2014) at Trafalgar Theatre in London, ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ (2015) at Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, ‘The Last Five Years’ (2016) at The Town Hall in New York, and ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ (2025) at Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Cynthia Erivo and Cassidy Janson while performing ‘Dessa Rose’ at the Trafalgar Theatre in London

In 2016, Cynthia appeared as ‘Alberta Hunter’ in PBS and ITV’s series ‘Mr Selfridge.’ That same year, she played the role of ‘Mel’ in the television series ‘The Tunnel,’ which aired on Canal+.
Cynthia Erivo as ‘Alberta Hunter’ in the series ‘Mr Selfridge’ (2016)

Cynthia met actor and musician Mario Martinez in 2016. Martinez was interested in Cynthia even while she was dating Dean John-Wilson. In 2017, Cynthia began dating Mario. They were together for about two years, but they split in 2019.

In 2018, she played the role of ‘Darlene Sweet’ in the film ‘Bad Times at the El Royale.’

Cynthia lent her voice to the character ‘Turtleneck Superstar CEO Baby’ in Netflix’s animated series ‘The Boss Baby: Back in Business’ (2018).
A poster of the series ‘The Boss Baby: Back in Business’ (2018)

In 2019, Erivo lent her voice to the character ‘Raylene Watts’ in the podcast ‘Carrier.’ She also worked as a producer for the podcast series.
Cynthia Erivo’s Instagram post about working as a voice-over artist and producer for the podcast series ‘Carrier’ (2019)

She has worked as a voice artist for a few other podcasts including ‘The Two Princes’ (2019), ‘Hank the Cowdog’ (2020), and ‘1984’ (2024).
A poster of the podcast series ‘The Two Princes’ (2019)

In August 2020, Cynthia founded a production company which she named ‘Edith’s Daughter’ as a tribute to her mother.

Cynthia and Lena Waithe, an actor and film producer, started dating in 2020. They met at the 2018 Met Gala and were later seen together at many events.
Cynthia Erivo and Lena Waithe at the 2018 Met Gala

In 2021, she worked as an executive producer for the podcast ‘Grandpa Was an Emperor.’
A poster of the podcast ‘Grandpa Was an Emperor’ (2021)

Cynthia appeared as ‘Hildy’ in an action-thriller film titled ‘Chaos Walking’ in 2021. That same year, she played the role of ‘Janine Mikkelsen’ in the romantic science fiction film ‘Needle in a Timestack.’
Cynthia Erivo as ‘Hildy’ in a still from the film ‘Chaos Walking’ (2021)

In 2021, she appeared as a guest judge on VH1’s reality show ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ and BBC One’s dance contest show ‘Strictly Come Dancing.’
Cynthia Erivo (extreme right) as a guest judge in a still from the reality show ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ (2021)

Cynthia has appeared in many other films such as ‘Pinocchio’ (2022), ‘Luther: The Fallen Sun’ (2023), and ‘Wicked’ (2024).
Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba Thropp) and Ariana Grande (as Galinda Upland ‘Glinda’) in the film ‘Wicked’ (2024)

She has lent her voice to various characters in animated series like ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock’ (2022), ‘Roar’ (2022), ‘Star Wars: Visions’ (2023), ‘Strange Planet’ (2023), and ‘Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur’ (2024).
A poster of the series series like ‘Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock’ (2022)

In 2023, Cynthia played the role of ‘Jacqueline’ in the drama film ‘Drift.’ She also worked as a producer for the film.
Cynthia Erivo as ‘Jacqueline’ in a still from the film ‘Drift’ (2023)