Audiences might be getting to know Cynthia Erivo amid the success of “Wicked,” but to seasoned fans, the British actress has been an acting powerhouse for decades. Nearly two months after the debut of the musical fantasy epic, based on the 1995 novel and long-running Broadway play, on January 8, 2025, Erivo celebrates her 38th birthday. 

The milestone comes at a turning point in Erivo’s career, as she portrayed the great Aretha Franklin in “Genius: Aretha,” a trustworthy accomplice in the crime drama “Widows” and pioneering Underground Railroad abolitionist Harriet Tubman in “Harriet.”

Along the way, Erivo has had noteworthy spots in television and Broadway. To honor her remarkable ongoing career and manifest an Academy Award to complete her ‘EGOT’ status, here are eight notable Erivo performances.

“The Color Purple”

Nearly a decade after LaChanze’s origination of “The Color Purple” protagonist Celie on Broadway, Erivo took on the role during the show’s 2015 revival on the Great White Way. Starring opposite Jennifer Hudson as Shug Avery and Danielle Brooks as Sofia–the latter who’d return in the 2023 film adaptation–“The Color Purple” won fans over, earning her a Tony in 2016 for Best Leading Actress in a Musical.

“Widows”

Acting alongside film, television and theater great Viola Davis is no easy feat, but in 2018 heist thriller “Widows,” Erivo made it look natural. In the film, Erivo played Belle, a trusted babysitter and ally to Davis’ Veronica Rawlings, who leads a band of women looking to avenge their murdered spouses.

“The Outsider”

Based on the 2018 novel of the same name, one-season 2020 thriller crime drama “The Outsider” showed a vulnerable side of Erivo as private detective Holly Gibney. Although reserved, Gibney’s heightened perception makes her an essential part of a local murder case.

“Harriet”

Utilizing her strong singing skills, Erivo brought a songbird twist to the legacy of Harriet Tubman in her 2019 historical drama biopic. While closely portraying Tubman’s bravery in the face of American slavery, the film recounts Tubman’s life and fellowship with her abolitionist comrades. 

“Genius: Aretha”

Although controversial due to Erivo being a British performer, the actress brought her best Aretha Franklin chops to biography anthology miniseries “Genius: Aretha.” The show centers Franklin throughout the highs and lows of her career, including her foundational albums “Lady Soul” and “Young, Gifted and Black.”

“Drift”

Erivo tackles trauma and embarks on a friendship with a person of another culture as Liberian woman Jacqueline Kamara in 2023 drama “Drift.” Opposite Alia Shawkat as American tour guide Calie tries to mend herself after war devastation impacts her family.

“Luther: The Fallen Sun”

A film companion to former British crime thriller series “Luther,” in “The Fallen Sun,” Erivo’s Odette Raine first tries to arrest Idris Elba’s Luther, before partnering with him to take down a serial killer millionaire. Raine shakes up “The Fallen Sun” with her resilience and take-charge attitude.

“Wicked”

Alongside actress-singer Ariana Grande’s Galinda Upland, Erivo steals the screen as co-protagonist Elphaba Thropp, a misunderstood and green-skinned woman. While Upland and Thropp begin a friendship, outside discrimination and government corruption threaten to tear them apart. The story will be continued in the second and final “Wicked” installment, which releases this November.