Disabled People You Should Know

Ali Stroker’s Sensational Broadway Career

From high school theater to award winning actress.

Ali as Ado Annie in Oklahoma! Credit: Liz Gumbinner on Cool Mom Picks

This is another entry in my series Disabled People You Should Know, which highlights disabled people who haven’t gotten the recognition they deserve for the things they’ve done. This entry focuses on actress and singer Ali Stroker.

The hype around the Tony Awards is usually centered around the most prestigious awards. Who won Best Actor/Actress, Best Musical, Best Director, etc. In 2019, however, one award dominated the conversation:

Broadway’s first wheelchair user just won the Tony for Best Featured Performer.

Ali Stroker has reached incredible heights, and her career is just getting started. From reality TV to musical theater to Hallmark movies, she truly has done it all.

Early Life and Finding Theater

Stroker was born on June 9, 1987 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. When she was two years old, she, her mother, and her older brother Jake were involved in a serious car accident. Stroker suffered a spinal cord injury and Jake suffered a traumatic brain injury, leaving both with permanent disabilities.