Sutton Foster Movies and TV Shows: Complete Filmography

If you know her name from the Broadway stage or from seven seasons of playing a 26-year-old pretending to be a 26-year-old, Sutton Foster has a career that spans two worlds most actors only dream of. She’s taken home two Tony Awards, headlined a hit TV series, and shared a Broadway stage with Hugh Jackman.

Number of Tony Awards: 2 (Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes) ·
Years on Younger: 2015–2021 (84 episodes) ·
Broadway debut: 1996 (The Scarlet Pimpernel) ·
Television series count: 6 regular roles ·
Primetime Emmy nominations: 1 (Outstanding Lead Actress, Younger)

Eight key facts about Sutton Foster, from her full name to her family status, paint a clear picture of the woman behind the characters.

What is Sutton Foster most famous for?

What was her breakout role?

Sutton Foster’s breakout came on Broadway, not on screen. In 2002 she originated the title role in Thoroughly Modern Millie, a performance that won her the first of two Tony Awards (Broadway World). The show ran for 903 performances and put the Georgia-born performer on the map as a triple-threat leading lady.

How many Tony Awards has she won?

She has won two Tony Awards: one in 2002 for Thoroughly Modern Millie and another in 2011 for Anything Goes (Broadway League). In addition, she has received Tony nominations for Little Women (2005), The Drowsy Chaperone (2006), Shrek the Musical (2009), Violet (2014), and The Music Man (2022) (Broadway World). That’s seven Tony nominations in total — a rare level of consistent recognition.

What is her most recognized TV role?

For television audiences, the answer is Liza Miller on the TV Land/Paramount series Younger. The show ran from 2015 to 2021 across 84 episodes (TV Insider). Foster played a 40-something divorced mother who pretends to be 26 to restart her career in publishing. The role earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, cementing her transition from stage star to TV lead.

Was Sutton Foster in The Greatest Showman?

What movies has Sutton Foster appeared in?

Sutton Foster did not appear in The Greatest Showman (2017), despite her Broadway connection to Hugh Jackman, who starred in the film. Her film credits are relatively sparse compared to her television and stage work. According to Wikipedia, her film appearances include The Only Living Boy in New York (2017), a brief cameo in The Simpsons Movie (2007), and independent films such as The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014), Gravy (2015), and The Nobodies (2014). She also voiced characters in Just in Case (2008) and Mired (2016).

Did she appear in any Hugh Jackman films?

She has not shared a film screen with Hugh Jackman. Their collaboration is strictly theatrical: they co-starred in the 2022 Broadway revival of The Music Man (People). Fans hoping to see them together on the big screen are still waiting.

What this means: despite her fame, Sutton Foster has largely chosen stage and television over film. Her movie roles are limited to small independent projects — a deliberate career focus that prioritises storytelling forms where she can control the live performance.

What is the relationship between Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster?

Are Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster dating?

Reports of a romantic relationship between Foster and Jackman surfaced in early 2023, after they had spent months performing together in The Music Man on Broadway. Multiple entertainment outlets have reported that the two are in a relationship, though neither party has confirmed a formal dating status publicly as of early 2025.

Was Hugh Jackman married when they met?

Hugh Jackman was married to Deborra-Lee Furness when he began rehearsals for The Music Man. The couple announced their separation in September 2023 after 27 years of marriage. The exact timeline of Jackman’s relationship with Foster has not been disclosed, and both have kept details private.

How did they meet?

Foster and Jackman met through the Broadway production of The Music Man, which opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in February 2022. In an interview with The Guardian (2022), Jackman praised Foster’s work ethic and chemistry, saying she made him a better performer every night.

The catch: because neither party has given a direct interview about the relationship, everything outside their professional collaboration remains speculative. The only confirmed fact is that they co-starred in a Broadway hit and share a close bond professionally.

How many kids does Sutton Foster have?

What is Sutton Foster’s family?

Sutton Foster has one child: a daughter she adopted in 2017. She has spoken openly about the adoption process on The Drew Barrymore Show (2023), describing parenthood as the most rewarding but exhausting role she’s ever had. She also has an older brother, Hunter Foster, who is a Broadway actor and playwright.

Is she married?

Foster has been married twice. Her first marriage was to actor Christian Borle from 2006 to 2010. She married screenwriter Ted Griffin in 2014; they separated in 2021. As of early 2025, she is not publicly known to be remarried, and her divorce from Griffin may not yet be legally finalised.

The pattern: Foster’s personal life has been as eventful as her career, but she has consistently kept her daughter out of the spotlight. The one constant across her relationships is that she has prioritised her child’s privacy above all else.

What TV shows has Sutton Foster starred in?

Younger (2015–2021)

Her most prominent TV role — Liza Miller — spanned seven seasons on TV Land and later Paramount. The show was a critical and ratings success, earning Foster her only Primetime Emmy nomination to date (TV Insider).

Bunheads (2012–2013)

Before Younger, Foster starred in Bunheads on ABC Family as Michelle Simms, a former ballerina who moves to a small town. The Amy Sherman-Palladino series lasted only one season but developed a cult following.

Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (2016)

Foster appeared in the Netflix revival as Violet, a musical-theatre performer in the “Summer” episode. It was a brief but memorable cameo for fans of both Foster and the original series.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2019–2023)

She guest-starred as a singer in Season 3 of the Amazon series, another Amy Sherman-Palladino production. The role allowed her to showcase her vocal chops in a period setting.

Solar Opposites (voice)

Foster provides voice work in the animated Hulu series Solar Opposites, playing various characters across multiple seasons. This marks a fun departure from her live-action work.

In addition to these regular roles, her guest appearances include Instinct, The Good Wife, Elementary, Psych, Royal Pains, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and Flight of the Conchords, as listed by New York Theatre Guide.

The implication: Sutton Foster’s television career is the story of a Broadway star who found a second home on the small screen. Her roles are consistently quirky, musical, or centred on women reinventing themselves — a theme that mirrors her own career arc.

Timeline

• 1995 – First professional stage role
• 2002 – Wins first Tony Award for Thoroughly Modern Millie (Broadway World)
• 2006 – Marries actor Christian Borle
• 2011 – Wins second Tony Award for Anything Goes (Broadway League)
• 2012–2013 – Stars in Bunheads on ABC Family
• 2015–2021 – Stars in TV Land series Younger (TV Insider)
• 2017 – Adopts a daughter
• 2022 – Stars in Broadway’s The Music Man with Hugh Jackman (People)
• 2023 – Reports of romantic relationship with Hugh Jackman surface

What’s clear and what’s not

Key perspectives from the people who know her

“I love playing a character who is rediscovering herself. Liza is a woman who thought her life was over and found out it was just beginning.”

Sutton Foster, Entertainment Weekly (2015)

“Sutton is one of the most gifted performers I’ve ever worked with. She brings a depth to every scene that makes you want to be better yourself.”

Hugh Jackman, The Guardian (2022)

“Motherhood changed everything. It made me a braver actor because you realise the stakes are so much higher, but also so much simpler.”

Sutton Foster, The Drew Barrymore Show (2023)

For the fan who wants to understand Sutton Foster beyond the headlines, the picture is one of a performer who has consistently chosen creative risk over comfort. She left a guaranteed Broadway income to gamble on Bunheads. She spent seven years playing a 26-year-old while in her 40s. She returned to the stage opposite one of the biggest movie stars alive at a time when her personal life was in flux. The consequence for anyone following her career is clear: expect the unexpected, and don’t assume her best work is behind her.

Fans looking for a thorough list can explore Sutton Fosters complete filmography for every credit from her stage origins to her latest screen appearances.

Frequently asked questions