Tony-winner Ruthie Ann Miles was nominated for her West End performance a year after losing her daughter and unborn child
Ruthie Ann Miles just got a reason to smile during what is sure to be a difficult month.
On Tuesday, the Tony winner, 35, picked up a best actress in a supporting role in a musical nomination from the upcoming Olivier Awards (the British Tony Awards). Miles made her return to the stage in The King and I in London, just months after suffering the tragedy of losing her 4-year-old daughter and unborn child.
Miles previously won the Tony in 2015 for the same role.
In March 2018, Miles — who was seven months pregnant at the time — was injured and her 4-year-old daughter, Abigail Blumenstein, was killed when a driver struck them in Brooklyn, New York. The driver also struck and killed 1-year-old Joshua Lew and injured his mother, Miles’ friend Lauren.
On May 17, Miles’ family lawyer, Ben Rubinowitz, announced on Instagram on her behalf that the child she and her husband Jonathan Blumenstein were expecting did not make it.
“At the time of the crash, Ruthie was pregnant and was severely injured,” Rubinowitz said.
He went on to explain that the couple had chosen a name, Sophia Rosemary Wong Blumenstein, for their unborn daughter, adding, “The pain suffered by Ruthie and Jonathan is nearly impossible to fathom.”
In August 2018, Miles returned to the stage in London’s West End for the very first time since accident in March that year. She reprised her role as Lady Thiang in The King and I. She was regular in the show’s London cast when the car crash took place.
Other Olivier nominees include Gillian Anderson, Kelli O’Hara and Ian McKellen.