Lilli Cooper

Lilli Cooper (born March 4, 1990) is an American actress and singer.^[2]

Lilli Cooper
Cooper at Animate! Raleigh in 2025
Born	(1990-03-04) March 4, 1990 (age 35)[1] New York City, U.S.
Education	Vassar College (AB)
Occupations	Actress singer
Years active	2006–present
Known for	Tootsie, Spring Awakening, SpongeBob SquarePants, Hazbin Hotel
Spouse	Paul McLoughlin
Children	2
Parent(s)	Chuck Cooper Tisa Farley
Website	www.lillicooper.com

Life and career

Cooper is the daughter of actor Chuck Cooper^[1] and Tisa Farley. Her grandfather acted at the Karamu House in Cleveland.^[3] She attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts and Vassar College,^[4] graduating from the latter in 2012.^[5]

She was the standby for Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked, and originated the role of Martha Bessell in Spring Awakening.^[6] She also played Hélène Kuragina in the American Repertory Theatre production of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812 in 2015. She originated the role of Sandy Cheeks in the Broadway production of SpongeBob SquarePants, which opened on December 4, 2017.^[7] In September 2018, Cooper played Julie Nichols in the musical adaptation of the 1982 film Tootsie in its Chicago debut and reprised the role on Broadway in spring 2019, receiving a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for her performance.^[3]

In 2022, she played the role of Doc on Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. Also in 2022, she took part in the HBO documentary film Spring Awakening: Those You've Known, which saw the 15 year reunion of the original cast of the musical.

In 2024, she served as the voice of the character Velvette in Hazbin Hotel.^[8]

Cooper lives in New York City with her husband Paul. Their first child, a son named Bodie, was born in September 2021. Their second child, a son named Desi, was born in April 2024.^[9]

Theatre credits

Year	Production	Role	Notes
2006	Spring Awakening	Martha Bessell	Atlantic Theater Company • Off-Broadway
2006–08			Eugene O'Neill Theatre • Broadway
2014	The Threepenny Opera	Lucy Brown	Atlantic Theater Company • Off-Broadway
	Wicked	Elphaba understudy/standby	Munchkinland national tour
		Elphaba standby	Regent Theatre • Australian tour
2014–15			Gershwin Theatre • Broadway
2015–16	Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812	Hélène Kuragina	American Repertory Theater
2016	The SpongeBob Musical	Sandy Cheeks	Oriental Theatre
	Tick, Tick... Boom!	Susan	Acorn Theater • Off-Broadway
2017	Sundown, Yellow Moon	Ray	Second Stage Theater (McGinn/Cazale Theater) • Off-Broadway
2017–18	SpongeBob SquarePants: The Broadway Musical	Sandy Cheeks	Palace Theatre • Broadway
2018	Tootsie	Julie Nichols	Cadillac Palace Theatre
2019–2020			Marquis Theatre • Broadway
2020	Mack and Mabel	Lottie Ames	New York City Center • Encores!
2022	POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive	Chris	Shubert Theatre • Broadway
2023	Oliver!	Nancy	New York City Center • Encores!
	The Cottage	Marjorie	Helen Hayes Theater • Broadway
2024	Titanic	Kate Murphey	New York City Center • Encores!
	Edge of the World	Kath	Lynn F. Angelson Theater[10]

Television credits

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2022–present	Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock	Doc	22 episodes
2024	Hazbin Hotel	Velvette (voice)	2 episodes

Accolades

Year	Awards	Category	Work	Result
2019	Tony Awards	Best Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical	Tootsie	Nominated[11]
2024	Broadway.com Audience Awards	Favorite Featured Actress in a Play	The Cottage	Nominated