1997–2014: Rise to prominence Between 1997 and 2002, Goldsberry had a recurring role on the
Fox legal comedy-drama
Ally McBeal, as one of the backup singers who frequently accompanied
Vonda Shepard's performances. She appeared in a total of 43 episodes prior to the series' cancellation. Goldsberry was in the cast of the United States national tour of
Dreamgirls (1997) and played a replacement Nala in the
Broadway production of
The Lion King (2002), Goldsberry has had a lengthy singing and songwriting career, co-writing and performing more than half the soundtrack to the 2001 film
All About You, including the title song. She was also the grand prize winner of the 1997 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for her rock music. Goldsberry wrote and recorded an album titled
Everything But the Kitchen Sink (2001) and an EP titled
Beautiful (2006). She was nominated for a
Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance, and won a
New York magazine Best of 2005 Award, for her performance as Sylvia in the 2005
Shakespeare in the Park revival of
Two Gentlemen of Verona. She went on to appear in off-Broadway productions of ''
Love's Labour's Lost and As You Like It, and appeared in I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road at Encores!. After she left One Life to Live
, Goldsberry held a recurring role as assistant state attorney Geneva Pine on the CBS political drama The Good Wife'', appearing in 23 episodes between 2010 and the series' end in 2016.
2015–2019: Breakthrough with Hamilton in costume for
Hamilton Goldsberry originated the role of
Angelica Schuyler in
Lin-Manuel Miranda created historical musical
Hamilton, playing her last performance in the role on September 3, 2016. In the musical she acted opposite Miranda,
Leslie Odom Jr.,
Phillipa Soo,
Daveed Diggs,
Jonathan Groff and
Anthony Ramos. Marilyn Stasio of
Variety praised her performance writing that she gave the role "unexpected depth". Leah Greenblatt of
Entertainment Weekly wrote that Soo and Goldsberry "bring both fierceness and fragility to keenly drawn supporting roles". In the production she gained notoriety for singing "
Satisfied" a song about the unrequited love she has for Alexander Hamilton following the number "
Helpless" which details the engagement and marriage between her sister Eliza (Soo) and Hamilton. Mark Kennedy of
Associated Press praised her performance writing, "'Satisfied' is a
Rashomon love moment led by a glorious Goldsberry." She performed "
The Schuyler Sisters" alongside
Phillipa Soo and
Jasmine Cephas Jones at the
White House in 2016. For her work in the production, she won a 2015
Drama Desk Award, the
Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical, and the 2016
Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. In addition, as a member of the principal cast, she also received a
Grammy Award after the original cast album won
Best Musical Theater Album at the
2016 Grammy Awards. In October 2015, she appeared at the
BET Hip Hop Awards, where she was one of two women to rap in the Cypher. During this time she had small supporting roles as Cynthia Barnes in the crime drama
Every Secret Thing (2014) and Kim in the comedy
Sisters (2015). Goldsberry then played the
title role in the
HBO television film adaptation of
Rebecca Skloot's nonfiction work,
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The production earned a nomination for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television Movie. In 2018, she appeared in the
Netflix science fiction series
Altered Carbon as
Quellcrist Falconer, and reprised the role in season 2. She also performed the
Johnny Cash song "
Ain't No Grave" for the end credits to the final episode. That same year she took a supporting role in the fantasy comedy
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018), acting opposite
Cate Blanchett and
Jack Black. The following year, she then took a supporting role in the
A24 psychological drama
Waves (2019) acting opposite her co-star
Sterling K. Brown. The film which debuted at the
Telluride Film Festival received positive reviews. Sheri Linden of
The Hollywood Reporter described her performance as "quietly imposing" adding, She dishes out the parental tough love...but always with an eye toward smoothing things over." That same year she took the role as Dee Dee, a backup singer in the IFC
mockumentary series
Documentary Now! episode "
Original Cast Album: Co-Op" (2019). The episode spoofs the
D. A. Pennebaker documentary
Original Cast Album: Company about the recording sessions for the original cast recording of the
Stephen Sondheim musical
Company (1970). She acted opposite
Alex Brightman,
Taran Killam,
Paula Pell, and
Richard Kind. During this time Goldsberry made guest appearances on series such as
Evil (2019 TV series from the same creators of
The Good Wife),
Star Trek: Enterprise,
Royal Pains,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,
Younger,
Masters of Sex, and ''
That '80s Show''.
2020–present: Girls5eva She was nominated for the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie for the filmed recording of
Hamilton in 2016 which was released on
Disney+ in 2020. Alissa Wilkinson of
Vox praised the staging and direction of the Disney+ taping as well as her performance writing writing that "Goldsberry’s rapid-fire flow as Angelica Schuyler, mixed with her sideways glances and obvious pain in longing for Alexander" are "emotions you can see in the film far better than you can from the back row of the Richard Rodgers Theatre" The following year she had a cameo appearance with her
Hamilton co-star
Phillipa Soo as well as Broadway legends
Bernadette Peters,
Andre de Shields,
Bebe Neuwirth,
Chita Rivera, and
Joel Grey in the
Lin-Manuel Miranda directed biographical musical film
Tick, Tick... Boom! based on the
Jonathan Larson musical of the same name. From 2021 to 2024, Goldsberry starred in the
Netflix musical comedy series
Girls5eva playing the role of Wickie Roy, a member of a one-hit wonder early 2000's girl band group Girls5eva.
Girls5eva chronicles their reunion and attempts to reignite their stardom. The series premiered on May 6, 2021, on the
Peacock. Goldsberry starred opposite
Sara Bareilles,
Paula Pell, and
Busy Philipps. For her performance she earned two nominations for the
Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Reviewing the third season, Saloni Gajjar of
The A.V. Club called Goldsberry the show's scene-stealer and MVP, writing, "It shouldn’t be this easy to root for a selfish Wickie, who spins things out of control by being extra, but Goldsberry pulls off that feat". In 2022, she portrayed
Mallory Book in the
Disney+ superhero miniseries
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law and voiced Roxy in the
Disney Junior animated series
Eureka. The next year she returned to the stage playing
Prospero in a musical adaptation of
The Tempest as part of the 2023 season of
Shakespeare in the Park. Annie Levin of
The Observer wrote, "Goldsberry, radiant with health, flies about the stage singing and dancing, wins a great victory over her enemies and has her dukedom returned to her. She does not pretend to be the elderly Prospero". She added "this very
Disney production lacks that kind of subtlety, as does Goldsberry’s delivery." In 2024, she debuted the documentary,
Satisfied, about her life and career. The film premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival in 2024. ==Personal life==