Kim Criswell was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and at an early age was deemed a successor to Ethel Merman - only sexy. With flaming red hair, a curvaceous figure, and an oval-shaped face, she graduated from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music (where her best friend was Faith Prince) and landed a role in the touring company of "Annie". Her Broadway debut came in "The First", a musical about Jackie Robinson, which was followed by a turn in "Nine", in which she served as Anita Morris' understudy, allowing her to perform the risqué "Phone Call from the Vatican" number that was banned from the 1982 Tony Awards. After appearing in "Baby", "The Three Musketeers", "Stardust" and "3 Penny Opera" (with Sting), Criswell began recording extensively, and her albums of "Anything Goes" and "Annie Get Your Gun" earned Grammy nominations. In 1992 she was called to London to appear in "Annie Get Your Gun", and her performance earned her a Laurence Olivier Award nomination as Best Actress in a Musical. Since that time, she has made her home in London, where she records, appears in musicals and concerts, and, occasionally, on television.