Linda Eder (/ˈɛdər/; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical Jekyll & Hyde, originating the role of Lucy, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Eder has performed in concert halls across the country including Carnegie Hall and Radio City Musical Hall. She has released 15 solo albums.

Biography

Eder was born in Tucson, Arizona on February 3, 1961 and raised in Brainerd, Minnesota. Her parents, Georg (from Austria) and Laila (from Norway), exposed her to music at an early age. She cites Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Eileen Farrell as her childhood inspiration. Eder cites Garland, specifically, as her greatest influence. Eder was 4th runner up in the 1980 Miss Minnesota Pageant.

Before her work on Broadway, Eder gained experience in the entertainment industry by appearing first in clubs in Minneapolis and performing at Harrah's Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1988 she won the talent show Star Search, where her performance caught the notice of Frank Wildhorn. She signed her first record deal with BMG Records and starred in two 1991 stagings of Wildhorn's musical Svengali (the 1990 world premiere and 1995–96 national tour), the 1997 Broadway production of his Jekyll & Hyde, and the 2003 World Premiere of Camille Claudel. During those years, Eder continued to record several CDs on Angel Record and Atlantic Records. Wildhorn and Eder married in 1998 and divorced in 2004; they have one son, Jake. Eder is a recipient of the Theater World Award (1996–97) for her work in Jekyll & Hyde.

During Eder & Wildhorn's high-time on Broadway, she received much attention for not only her Broadway vocals, but her pop albums as well. After her first solo concert at New York's famous Carnegie Hall she caught the attention of two celebrities who were in the audience that night: Rosie O'Donnell and Kathie Lee Gifford. She made frequent appearances on The Rosie O'Donnell Show and Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and the Late Show with David Letterman. O'Donnell would often be seen playing a clip of Eder's famous single "Vienna". She was invited to Gifford's final performance on Live... and sang the song "Anything Can Happen", which was written for the musical Wonderland: Alice's New Musical Adventure,

Eder lists her first musical theatre credit to her high school days as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music. The first professional Broadway musical production she saw was the national tour of Evita, a role which she had once expressed interest in playing.