Jessica Ruth Mueller (born February 20, 1983)is an American actor and singer. She started her acting career in Chicago and won a Joseph Jefferson Award in 2008 for her role as Carrie Pipperidge in Carousel. In 2011, she moved to New York City to star in a Broadway revival of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. She won the 2014 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Carole King in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. She also received two additional Tony Award best actress nominations for her roles in Waitress in 2016 and in the Broadway revival of Carousel in 2018. 　　Early years 　　Mueller was born and raised in Evanston, Illinois, the daughter of actors Jill (née Shellabarger) and Roger Mueller. Her brothers, Andrew and Matt, and sister, Abby, are all actors, known for their work in the Chicago theatre community, Broadway, and Off-Broadway.Mueller is Lutheran.She graduated from Evanston Township High School in 2001 and from Syracuse University in 2005.