Annaleigh Ashford to Star as Judy Holliday in Major Motion Picture Smart Blonde

Annaleigh Ashford has landed her first headlining role on the big screen. The Tony-winning Broadway favorite will portray Tony and Oscar winner Judy Holliday in the new biopic Smart Blonde, according to Deadline. Willy Holtzman will craft the screenplay from his stage play.

The film will center on Holliday's rise from nightclub singer to Oscar and Golden Globe winner for her turn as Billie Dawn in Born Yesterday, a role she first played on Broadway. Holliday later earned a Tony Award for her performance as Ella Peterson in Bells Are Ringing.

Ashford, a Tony winner for You Can't Take It With You, has also been seen on Broadway in Kinky Boots, Sunday in the Park with George, Legally Blonde, Hair, Sylvia and Wicked. Her screen credits include Masters of Sex and the upcoming Unbelievable. This month, Ashford will appear at Lincoln Center as part of the acclaimed Stars in Concert series.

Holtzman's Judy Holliday bio-play, also titled Smart Blonde, will appear at off-Broadway's 59E59 Theaters in 2019 starring Andréa Burns as Holliday.