Which actress provided the voice of Belle?

Paige O'Hara provided the voice of Belle in Disney's 1991 Beauty and the Beast.

O'Hara was an American actress and singer with a Broadway background when she auditioned for the role. The filmmakers selected her partly because of her distinctive, expressive voice, which combined stage-trained clarity with a quality they associated with Judy Garland. Her performance helped make Belle sound intelligent, curious, and emotionally independent.

Belle's singing voice is also O'Hara's in the animated film. She recorded songs including “Belle,” “Something There,” and parts of the climactic “Beauty and the Beast,” while Angela Lansbury performed Mrs. Potts's rendition of the title song.

A common mix-up is Lea Salonga, who sang Belle's songs for some international and promotional performances but did not provide Belle's speaking voice in the 1991 film. Mary Kay Bergman voiced other Disney characters, while Jodi Benson is best known as Ariel in The Little Mermaid. O'Hara later reprised Belle in several follow-ups and received the Disney Legends honor in 2011.