Choi Joo-hee (최주희) is a South Korean-born soprano and the first Korean performer ever nominated for a Tony Award. Born c. 1967–68, she studied voice at Seoul National University before moving to the United States in 1991 and graduating from the Juilliard School in 1995. She made her Broadway debut in April 1996, originating the role of Tuptim in the revival of The King and I at the Neil Simon Theatre, one of the first Broadway productions of the show to cast all major Asian characters with Asian performers. Within a month of her Broadway debut she was nominated for the 1996 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, becoming the first Korean performer nominated for a Tony, and won the Theatre World Award for outstanding Broadway debut (announced April 20, 1996). She subsequently moved into a career as an operatic soprano, spending two seasons as a resident artist with LA Opera, where her roles included Violetta in La traviata and Mimì in La bohème.