January LaVoy (born in Trumbull, Connecticut) is an American actress and audiobook narrator. As an actress, she is most recognized as Noelle Ortiz on the ABC daytime drama One Life to Live. LaVoy made her Broadway debut in the Broadway premiere of the play Enron at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 27, 2010. As an audiobook narrator, she has received five Audie Awards and been a finalist for nineteen. In 2013, she won Publishers Weekly 's Listen Up Award for Audiobook Narrator of the Year. In 2019, AudioFile named her a Golden Voice narrator.

Personal life

LaVoy married Mat Hostetler on September 4, 2011. They divorced in 2019, and she married fellow narrator and author Will Damron in 2022. They reside in Atlanta, Georgia.

Education

LaVoy received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater from Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, where she was a member of Theatre Fairfield, the resident production company. She received her Master in Fine Arts degree from the National Theatre Conservatory at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in Colorado.

Career

Theatre credits

In the fall of 2012, LaVoy created the character of Lena in the world premiere of Pearl Cleage's What I Learned in Paris at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. Her work has been seen in regional theatres across America, including the Denver Center Theatre Company, Pittsburgh's City Theatre and Public Theater, CATF in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, Philadelphia's Wilma Theater, and the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. LaVoy played the character Risa in the 2007 Lucille Lortel Award-winning play, Two Trains Running. She received the 2004 Denver Post Ovation Award, as Best Actress, for her portrayal of Portia in the Denver Center Theatre Company's production of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. LaVoy played the role of Helen Keller in the play, Helen Keller Speaks, performed first on March 14, 2009, at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University in Connecticut. The play was written by John Orman, a professor of politics at Fairfield University and a former teacher of LaVoy's. The play captures the social activist views of Keller based on her documented speeches and letters between 1913 and 1919. LaVoy was featured in Signature Theatre Company's Off-Broadway production of Samm-Art Williams' Home playing Woman One/Pattie Mae Wells, as well as productions of Adrienne Kennedy's Funnyhouse of a Negro, and the world premiere of Will Eno's Wakey, Wakey alongside emmy winner Michael Emerson. She also performed in the world premiere of the musical Coraline at the MCC Theater. She shares a 2019 Lucille Lortel nomination for Outstanding Play with The Mad Ones, Phillip James Brannon, Brad Heberlee, and Carmen M. Herlihy. In 2022, LaVoy was nominated for two Helen Hayes awards -- Outstanding Lead Performer in a Play, and Outstanding Direction in a Play (co-nominated with Adam Immervahr) for her work in Anna Deavere Smith's Fires in the Mirror at Theater J.

Television and film credits

In addition to her role on One Life to Live, LaVoy has been seen on Law & Order (including the SVU and Criminal Intent franchises), All My Children, Guiding Light, and 3 Lbs.. Guest star appearances include Elementary, NOS4A2, and Blue Bloods. She also appeared in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds and the short film High Ground.

Voiceover and audiobooks

LaVoy has voiced many national commercials, including for Toll House, Revlon, Home Depot, Danone, and UnitedHealth Group. In 2008, she recorded her first audiobook under a pseudonym because she feared the work may interfere with her roles on soap operas. Since then, she has recorded dozens of audiobooks for publishing houses such as Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette, Penguin Audio, and Macmillan Audio, including the following: • Version Control by Dexter Palmer • The Diviners series by Libba Bray • 11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro • 12th of Never by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro • Private Berlin by James Patterson and Mark T. Sullivan (Co-read with Ari Fliakos) • Guilty Wives by James Patterson and David Ellis • Invisible by James Patterson and David Ellis • Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson and various authors (book 11 onwards) • If I'm Dead by Marcia Clark • Guilt By Association by Marcia Clark • Guilt By Degrees by Marcia Clark • Killer Ambition by Marcia Clark • Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal • Triangles by Ellen Hopkins • Dreams of the Dead by Perri O'Shaughnessy • Skinnydipping by Bethenny Frankel • Shadow Show - inspired by Ray Bradbury • The Bridge by Karen Kingsbury • The Beginning by Karen Kingsbury • The Chance by Karen Kingsbury • Angels Walking series by Karen Kingsbury (Co-read with Kirby Heyborne) • The Baxters series by Karen Kingsbury (Co-read with Kirby Heyborne) • A Distant Shore by Karen Kingsbury (Co-read with Kirby Heyborne) • Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman • The Deep, Deep Snow by Brian Freeman • The Third Twin by Ken Follett • The Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett • The Liar by Nora Roberts • Shelter in Place by Nora Roberts • Under Currents by Nora Roberts • Hideaway by Nora Roberts • Legacy by Nora Roberts • The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks (Co-read with Ron McLarty) • I've Got My Eyes on You by Mary Higgins Clark • You Don't Own Me by Mary Higgins Clark • Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry by Mary Higgins Clark • Piece of My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark • Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi: Into the Void by Tim Lebbon • Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray • Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson • Missing You by Harlan Coben • Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben • Agenda 21 by Glenn Beck and Harriet Parke • Agenda 21: Into the Shadows by Glenn Beck and Harriet Parke • Camino Island by John Grisham • Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie • Accused by Lisa Scottoline • Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Narrated by a full cast. LaVoy played the character, Camila Dunne) • The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger • The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

Awards and honors

Awards

"Best of" lists