Laura Benanti to Star in PLAYBOY Pilot for NBC

Deadline.com is reporting that "Laura Benanti is set to star in NBC's drama pilot Playboy. The project, from 20th TV/Imagine TV, is set at the Playboy Club in Chicago in 1963. Benanti will play Carol-Lynne, a 30-year-old bombshell and an established star at the Playboy Club who knows that her days as a Bunny are numbered."

Laura Benanti most recently starred in the Broadway production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Prior to that, she played the title role of the Patti LuPone revival of Gypsy, for which she was honored with the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Award, and a Drama League nomination. She previously starred in the Encores! production.

Broadway: The Sound of Music (Maria, opposite Richard Chamberlain), Swing! (Tony nomination: Best Featured Actress), Into The Woods (Cinderella; Outer Critics Circle, Drama Desk, LA Ovation and Tony nominations), Nine (Claudia, opposite Antonio Banderas; Outer Critics Circle, Drama Leauge nominations), The Wedding Singer (Julia Sullivan). Encores: Gypsy (Louise), Wonderful Town (Eileen). Benefits: The Secret Garden (Lily), Hair, Pippin (Catherine) and Children of Eden. Off-Broadway: Time and Again (Julia, MTC). LA Opera: A Little Night Music (Anne). Williamstown: The Winter's Tale (Perdita, opposite Kate Burton). Film: Falling for Grace (Princess Alexandra), Take the Lead. Television: "Eli Stone" (ABC), "Starved" (FX). Recordings: several Broadway cast recordings, as well as "NEO," "The Stephen Schwartz Album" and "The Maury Yeston Songbook."

Laura studies voice with her mother Linda Benanti, a former Broadway performer. She was raised in Kinnelon, NJ with her sister Marielle, by her mother and father, Dr. Salvatore Benanti. She is married to actor Steven Pasquale.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos