KATHARINE MCPHEE

Date of Birth: March 24, 1984

Born in Los Angeles, California, Katharine McPhee got her break when her parents and boyfriend convinced her to audition for the hit television show American Idol.

McPhee started singing at the age of two and throughout her childhood she received vocal lessons from her mother, Patricia Burch McPhee—who is a vocal coach and accomplished cabaret singer. After graduating high school in 2002, the aspiring actress attended Boston Conservatory for three semesters, majoring in musical theater. Her manager suggested that she try out for TV pilots, so McPhee moved to LA to start the audition process. She was then cast in the musical film Crazy, local professional productions of Annie Get Your Gun and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and an MTV series that didn't make it to air.

In 2006, McPhee auditioned for the fifth season of American Idol and was an immediate fan favorite. After making it through the entire season, she was crowned runner-up, losing the top spot to fellow contestant Taylor Hicks. Although McPhee did not win, she scored a record deal and released her first album on January 30, 2007. The self-titled album sold over 116,000 copies and debuted at #2 on the Billboard Albums Chart.

Although her fans know her best from American Idol, her passion has always been theater. In 2006, McPhee co-produced Michael Albanese's play Red Herring and in 2008, she appears in the comedy The House Bunny and the fantasy/drama The Storyteller.

On February 2, 2008, at the age of 23, McPhee married her 43-year-old boyfriend, Nick Cokas, in Beverly Hills.

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