Jennifer Gambatese

Biography

Jennifer “Gamby” Gambatese is an American actress and singer. Gambatese has performed in the musical production of Disney’s Tarzan as Jane. Gambatese also played Glinda on the first National Tour of Wicked.

Gambatese was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Richmond Heights, a suburb of Cleveland. Her passion for acting began during the summer of fourth grade at the Willoughby Fine Arts Center where she attended theater classes. Her first performance was “playing a ‘whitewasher’” in the story of Tom Sawyer. She continued taking acting classes, and in her senior year of high school attended Beck Center as well as Cleveland State University. In 1993 she moved to Manhattan, where she enrolled in NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts drama department. She graduated in 1997 with a double major in sociology and drama and received an “Artist & Scholar” award.

After graduation her first professional job was performing with Theatre for Young Audiences, a touring children’s theater company. She played Serena Katz in the North American Tour of Fame-The Musical with Gavin Creel as Nick Piazza. She also played the role in a European Tour of the show.