Personal details
- Birth Date: 1975-11-05
- Height: 5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
- Birth Location: Laie, Hawaii, USA
- Parents: Susanne Settle (Riwai)
- Professions: Actress, Music Department, Soundtrack
Keala Settle is this powerhouse American actress and singer who’s been lighting up stages and screens for years. Born in Hawaii back in ‘75—oldest of five, total big sister energy—her roots are Maori (thanks to her mom from New Zealand) mixed with a bit of British from her dad. She graduated from Kahuku High School, did her thing at Southern Utah University, and then hit Broadway like a wrecking ball. Her debut was in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 2011, playing Shirley and dancing around in the ensemble, but she really blew up as Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody. That was 2013, and man, critics could not shut up about her insane vocals and scene-stealing moments. She racked up nominations for the Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle, plus picked up a Theatre World Award while she was at it. She’s bounced around a bunch of huge roles—Madame Thenardier in Les Misérables (absolute icon), Becky in Waitress, and Tracy Turnblad on the Hairspray national tour. She even tackled Bloody Mary in South Pacific, earning raves for that mix of viper attitude and hidden warmth. People loved her on stage, but she hit another level when she played Lettie Lutz, the bearded lady, in The Greatest Showman. “This Is Me,” mostly her voice, won a Golden Globe and got an Oscar nod. Off stage, Settle’s got this vibe where she insists she’s not really a musical theatre person, more of an R&B singer at heart, doing backup for legends like Gladys Knight before the whole Broadway whirlwind took off.
A week before she was supposed to belt it out at the 2018 Oscars, Keala Settle lost half the movement in her body—yeah, half—thanks to a mini-stroke. Turns out, it was Moyamoya disease, something super rare that blocks blood flow in the brain. She’d basically been running on fumes, touring nonstop to promote The Greatest Showman. Stress? Through the roof. She broke down during rehearsal, felt a zinger in her head, then her right side just stopped working. The doctors called it a TIA (that’s a mini-stroke), but scans showed the real mess: her brain had been barely getting any blood because her main arteries were blocked. Her body had tried to make tiny new vessels to compensate, but they gave out. After meds and a lot of aspirin, she stood in front of millions at the Oscars—singing the song that nearly finished her. Five weeks later, she had a 10-hour brain bypass surgery. Moyamoya can’t be cured, but at least now she’s safer.
During the ‘This Is Me’ number in The Greatest Showman, there’s this wild bit of trivia—pretty much all the big-name backup dancers from Janet Jackson, Pink, Beyoncé, and Lady Gaga were on that stage together. Imagine looking around and seeing the absolute legends of backup dancers, all moving in sync, all that talent jam-packed in one room. The first rehearsal, the energy must’ve been electric. The lead’s reaction? Tears, straight up. Just overwhelmed, telling those dancers they were literally making dreams come true in real time. It’s not every day you get that kind of powerhouse lineup behind you, and honestly, it’s no wonder that performance hits so hard. You can feel that energy in the movie, like it’s not just choreography—it’s a celebration, a rush, a full-on emotional explosion. That’s the kind of behind-the-scenes magic that makes the whole thing unforgettable.
November 5, 1975
5′ 3″ (1.60 m)
Konidela Ram Charan
Laie, Hawaii, USA
Susanne Settle (Riwai) and Surekha
49 years old