Jennifer Holliday Says Michael Bennett Prepared Her to Lose the 1982 Tony Award Because Sheryl Lee Ralph Was Also Nominated (Exclusive)
Jennifer Holliday Says Michael Bennett Prepared Her to Lose the 1982 Tony Award Because Sheryl Lee Ralph Was Also Nominated (Exclusive)
Angela AndaloroThu, July 23, 2026 at 5:30 PM UTC
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Obba Babatunde, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Michael Bennett, Jennifer Holliday, Ben Harney and Cleavant Derrick in May 1982Credit: AP Photo/G. Paul Burnett -
Jennifer Holliday originated the role of Effie White in Dreamgirls on Broadway in 1981
Holliday’s performance earned her a Tony Award nomination in 1982, but she tells PEOPLE she was prepped not to win because she was up against castmate Sheryl Lee Ralph, who played Deena Jones
The actress, 65, has been named the recipient of the 2026 Music Honoree award from the Boston Arts Academy Foundation (BAAF)
Jennifer Holliday’s success caught her by surprise.
The entertainer, 65, recently caught up with PEOPLE as she prepares to be honored as the recipient of the 2026 Music Honoree award from the Boston Arts Academy Foundation (BAAF). Holliday will be celebrated at the BAAF HONORS event on October 22.
The special recognition led her to look back at her earliest and biggest honor: her nomination and win at the 1982 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her iconic portrayal of Effie White in Dreamgirls. As Holliday tells PEOPLE, the win took her by surprise because she was prepared to lose to her costar, Sheryl Lee Ralph, who was nominated for her portrayal of Deena Jones.
“I really didn’t know anything about awards or award season and all the hype. It wasn’t anything that fazed me. In fact, my director, Michael Bennett, had forewarned me. He said, ‘Listen, you might not win,’ ” she recalls.
“He explained, ‘I know you don’t know a lot about show business, but you and Sheryl Ralph are in the same category, which could split the vote.’ And he just told me the truth. ‘Sheryl’s a better actress than you. You can sing, but Sheryl’s a better actor than you. So you might not win.’ ”
Loretta Devine, Adrienne Warren, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Syesha Mercado, Jennifer Holliday and Moya Angela in March 2010Credit: Ryan Miller/Getty
Bennett also reminded both that they couldn’t count out the competition. “We had two other new shows that we were also up against, because Dreamgirls did not win Best Musical that year,” Holliday noted. Nine took home the 1982 Tony for Best Musical.
“He was trying to prepare me in terms of not being disappointed and how to make sure if the camera’s on us, what our faces need to look like and everything like that, in case you don’t win. So I did not know what would happen,” she shared.
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“And of course, I was elated when I got the award and especially with Victor Borge at the Tony Awards. He couldn’t read [the card announcing the winner]. He had it upside down. It was quite a first time in terms of just that exuberance and relief because I did want everybody to be proud of me. But I was already being prepped in case I didn’t, for all of the show business reasons why I might not win,” Holliday said.
Holliday says that another moment from that night stands out, adding, “I was already grateful for my Tony Award performance because that, I felt, was more important than any award.”
Sheryl Lee Ralph and Jennifer Holliday in March 2018Credit: David Livingston/Getty
“That performance had to be my most amazing performance I could ever give because back then, on TV, there wasn’t social media or anything like that. So a lot of times, I was going to be introduced to people’s homes who could not afford to come to Broadway or anything like that,” she explains. “That was important to me, that Tony Award performance, more so than actually whether I was going to win the Tony Award.”
The BAAF’s annual HONORS celebration raises critical support for Boston Arts Academy, the city’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts. This year’s “Come Dream With Us: A Masquerade Ball” event will honor visionary leaders across music, dance, fashion, film, visual arts, civic leadership, and sports and entertainment.
Of the honor, Holliday says, “It’s pretty nice to be Jennifer Holliday right now. At 65, I’m starting a whole new venture and I’m far more open and saying yes to a lot of things that I used to say no to. And I’m enjoying it this time around.”
The Boston Arts Academy Foundation’s 2026 BAAF HONORS: “Come Dream With Us: A Masquerade Ball” will take place on Thursday, October 22, 2026, at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts. Tickets must be purchased in advance by visiting baahonors.org.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
