Alicia Roanne Witt an American actress and musician. She first came to fame as a child actress after being discovered by David Lynch in 1980, when he heard her recite Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet on the television show That’s Incredible! at age five. He cast her in Dune (1984) and Twin Peaks (1990). Witt was a regular on Cybill Shepherd’s sitcom Cybill (1995–1998) for four seasons, playing the title character’s daughter, Zoe Woodbine. She had a critically acclaimed role as a disturbed teenager in Fun (1994), appeared as a music student in Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995) and as a terrorised college student in the horror film Urban Legend (1998)
In addition to acting, Witt is a professional singer-songwriter and pianist, and is reported to have been a musical prodigy. She played piano at the restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in the early/mid 1990s. Responses to her 2006 stage portrayal of Abigail in Piano/Forte, which included scenes of piano-playing, noted her skill as an “outstanding pianist”.
In 2009, Witt released her self-titled extended play album, followed by Live at Rockwood in 2012 and Revisionary History in 2015; the latter was produced by Ben Folds. In 2013, Witt and Folds performed a song they had co-written on the soundtrack for the independent film Cold Turkey. The Nashville Scene said of Revisionary History: “Witt’s new album Revisionary History is a piano-pop gem that sounds by turns like ‘Grey Seal’–era Elton John, an alt-universe Fiona Apple and a film-noir chanteuse notching her nights in cigarette burns on the fallboard.”
In 2016, Witt joined the cast of ABC’s Nashville in a recurring capacity playing established country singer Autumn Chase. Witt performed several songs throughout season four. In August 2018, Witt released a five-song EP album titled 15,000 Days (a reference to the length of time she had been alive when she recorded the album) working with producer Jacquire King. She is currently finishing recording her new album, which she co-produced with Jordan Lehning and Bill Reynolds. Titled The Conduit, it was scheduled to be released in September (24th, most regions) of 2021.
In 2020, Witt released two new Christmas songs, as heard in her Hallmark Christmas film, Christmas Tree Lane. “Why Christmas” and “Christmas Will Never End” are performed on-screen by her character, music-store owner and songwriter Meg. In August 2023, Witt released the six-song EP, Witness.
