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Paige O'Hara's an American actress, singer & painter. She was born on May 10, 1956 in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida as Donna Paige Helmintoller. She's best known as the voice of Belle in Beauty and the Beast (1991).

She started receiving acting lessons around 4 & singing lessons around 12. She enrolled at a performing arts high school, aspiring for a professional career as an actor & singer. She has cited American actress & singer Judy Garland as an inspiration for her career choice.

She started out as a theatrical actress, making her Broadway debut in 1983. She played the role of singer & dancer Ellie May Chipley in a revival of Show Boat, which depicts the life of fictional show-woman Magnolia "Nolie" Hawks over a 40-year period, from her 1st performances to her retirement. From 1985-1987, she played the roles of actress Alice Nutting, disappearance victim Edwin Drood & private investigator Dick Datchery in the The Mystery of Edwin Drood. In 1988, she appeared in the musical's 1st national tour. Other notable roles include Ado Annie Carnes in a 1986 revival of Oklahoma!.

In 1989, Walt Disney Animation Studios started production of Beauty and the Beast (1991). She learned about the upcoming film production from a newspaper article & applied for a voice role. She competed against 500 other applicants & was chosen for the lead role of Belle. The design team of the film had modeled Belle's appearance on Judy Garland so the casting crew wanted an actress & singer whose tone was reminiscent of her. She was thought to offer a decent artistic impression of Garland's style & had considerable experience in stage musicals, making her ideal for the role. After its release in 1991, she gained worldwide fame for voice acting.

In 1993, she joined the cast of the animated TV series The Legend of Prince Valiant (1991). She voiced Princess Aleta of the Misty Isles, a warrior woman who serves as a love interest for Valiant.

In 1995, she played Fantine in productions of Les Misérables. In 1996, she played protagonist Peter Pan in a revival of the musical Peter Pan.

She voiced Belle again in the direct-to-video film Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997) & the direct-to-video anthology film Belle's Magical World (1998). In 1999, Disney released the compilation film Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999), which had a live-action Belle presenting animated tales. The live-action Belle was played by Lynsey McLeod but she voiced Belle for an animated segment featuring a brand new story. In 2000, she voiced Belle in the video games Disney's Beauty and the Beast: Magical Ballroom (2000), Kingdom Hearts II (2005) & Kingdom Hearts II: Final Mix+ (2007).

In 2007, she played the soap opera character Angela in a story-w/in-a-story featured in the film Enchanted (2007).

In 2011, she received a Disney Legend Award, honoring her for her contributions to Disney productions over the past 20 years. That same year, she stepped down from her role as the official voice of Belle. Her voice had changed considerably over 2 decades, so she could no longer match her original voice. It was announced that she would continue to work as a painter for Disney Fine Art & make promotional appearances for Disney. In 2018, she reprised the role of Belle in Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018).

She has now mostly retired from acting though she continues to enjoy fame through voice acting in popular productions.

Paige O'Hara at an event for Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)

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