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"You've gotta be original, because if you're like someone else, what do they need you for?" Bernadette Peters has always focused on being original, and being herself. As a singer, an actress, and the author of children's books, she's continued to reinvent herself and move forward anytime she needed to. That's helped to keep her career going, and also helped her to have a personal life to enjoy along the way. Her career has spanned more than 50 years, and she's still active in the entertainment industry. She's come a long way, and her many awards and nominations show the dedication she has to her career.

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She first started performing on stage in the 1960s, and was an actress even as a child. There have been television and film roles for Peters, but it's her Broadway roles that have made her a household name. Musical theater has been a huge part of her life, and she has been in productions such as Mack and Mabel, Into the Woods, The Goodbye Girl, and Hello, Dolly! But how did Peters get to be such a star, and where is she planning on going next? Those are great questions, and we have the answers for you. Read on to find out all you need to know about this talented lady.

The Early Years, Growing Up in Queens

Peters was born in the NYC borough of Queens, to a Sicilian-American family. Her father drove a bread truck, and her mother got her into show business early by putting her on a TV show called Juvenile Jury when she was just three and a half years old. By the time she was five, she had been on other TV shows several times. She's the youngest of three children, with an older brother named Joseph and an older sister named Donna who is a casting director. She got her Actor's Equity card when she was just nine years old.

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At that time, she and her parents chose to put it under the name Bernadette Peters so she wouldn't have to deal with any stereotyping based on her actual last name or ethnicity. The same month she got her card, she made her professional debut on the stage. She was also on television several times in 1958, the same year she made her stage debut. At 10 years old, she appeared on the stage in New York, playing Tessie in The Most Happy Fella (1969). As a teen, she went to the now-defunct Quintano's School for Young Professionals.

The Musical Annie Made Her a Superstar

With all the success Peters had as a child and a teenager, it's the role of Annie that most people know her for. But before she played the little red-haired girl she was in Gypsy when she was 13, and in 1964 she was cast in The Sound of Music. She graduated from high school, and once her schooling was out of the way she took on even more work. Most of her work was in off-Broadway musicals at that time, but she was also a standby for a Broadway production of The Girl in the Freudian Slip (1967). Her Broadway debut came that same year, with Johnny No-Trump.

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Beginning in 1973, Peters was in 33 television movies and feature films. She was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Silent Movie in 1976, but it was Annie in 1982 that really made her into someone who everyone knew. It's the most iconic role she's remembered for. While most of the plays and theater productions Peters has been in have been musicals, she has also starred in non-musical productions, as well. Peters has been a prolific actress and singer, and has been seen on variety shows, comedies, dramas, and other television productions throughout the 1970, 1980s, and beyond.

About the role of Annie, she has said, "You'd look out and there'd be little babies watching the show, and boys and girls. They loved the cowboys, and they loved Annie. There were young people seeing the show for the first time. I stayed for two years because I enjoyed it so much." The way she felt about seeing her audience happy speaks volumes about the things that are important to her in her career and in her life. She has always been focused on the joy that singing and acting can bring, and as she ages she continues to see that value.

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She has written children's book and actively participates in dog rescue efforts, as well. Peters is unique, well-rounded, and clear about the things that matter to her. She has also put on concerts and benefits, both for shelter pets and other causes. While Peters has had a long career, it's very likely that fans haven't seen the last of her just yet.