Stars Who Got Their Start on Broadway

It’s common for successful movie and film actors to make the jump to Broadway. In fact, award-winning stars usually net a huge profit for Broadway productions. The revival of Chicago, running since 1996, has seen names like Erika Girardi, Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, Christie Brinkley and Melanie Griffith in the role of Roxie Hart. In fact, right before the Broadway shutdown, many celebrity-led products were slated for the roster, including Debra Messing in Birthday Candles and Laurence Fishburne in American Buffalo.

But you may be surprised to know that many of today’s biggest stars actually got their start in one of the many theaters on Broadway. Meryl Streep went from the Yale School of Drama to New York, where she was cast in Trelawny of the Wells. Of course, it’s a tremendous challenge to perform live, sometimes twice a day, with only a day or two off each week. Many actors credit the work ethic and rigor of Broadway shows as a stepping stone to film and television.

While there are the bonafide singing powerhouses who made their mark in musical theater, like Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, many Broadway stars found success in serious plays. Scarlett Johansson, for example, won the Tony for best actress in a play for 2010’s A View From the Bridge. There’s something about the lights, skyscrapers and energy of Times Square that exudes excitement for theater buffs. Take a trip down memory lane and check out these movie and television stars who started their careers in Broadway plays and musicals.

Taye Diggs originated the role of Benny in the original run of Rent in 1996. A year later, he debuted on TV in the soap opera Guiding Light. In 1998, he crossed over to make his big-screen debut in the blockbuster How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

Before she was Carrie Bradshaw, Parker made her Broadway debut in 1976's The Innocents---at age 11! She made a big splash three years later in the title role of Annie on Broadway. Parker continues to act on Broadway, slated to star alongside her husband Matthew Broderick in Plaza Suite. She has gone on to star in TV and film with the notable Hocus Pocus, Sex and the City and Failure to Launch, to name a few.

Audra McDonald made her mark on Broadway with her role as a replacement in The Secret Garden in 1992. But her breakthrough came the same year in Carousel, where she won her first (of six!) Tony Awards. Aside from acting, McDonald has a successful recording career. She had a long-running role on ABC's Private Practice and is slated to appear in Respect, a 2021 film about Aretha Franklin.

Jason Alexander's career took off on 1981's Broadway production of Merrily We Roll Along. In 1989, he earned a Tony for Jerome Robbins' Broadway. Alexander is best known for crossing over to television and starring as George Costanza in Seinfeld from 1989 to 1998. His film roles include Pretty Woman, Jacob's Ladder and Shallow Hal.

Before winning three Oscars and nine Golden Globes, Meryl Streep got her start on Broadway. She starred in Trelawny of the Wells in 1975. One year later, she earned a Tony Award nomination for 27 Wagons Full of Cotton. Streep's star continued to shine with film roles in Kramer vs. Kramer, Sophie's Choice and The Bridges of Madison County.

You probably think of Pitch Perfect when you hear Skylar Astin's name, but the actor actually got his start on Broadway six years before that popular movie. Astin starred as Georg alongside Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff in 2006's Spring Awakening,. He's currently sticking to his musical roots with the TV show Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist.

A young Diane Keaton started her career on Broadway in 1968 as an understudy in Hair. The following year, she starred alongside Woody Allen in Play It Again, Sam and was nominated for a Tony. In 1972, the two reunited to film the movie version of the Broadway hit. Keaton has enjoyed a long Hollywood career with roles in Annie Hall, Father of the Bride and Something's Gotta Give.

Jones made his Broadway debut in 1957's Sunrise at Campobello. He performed in numerous plays like The Iceman Cometh, Othello and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He won three Tony Awards throughout his career. Jones experienced similar success on film, with his first role in 1964's Dr. Strangelove. He is set to reprise his role of Jaffe Joffer in the 2021 sequel Coming 2 America.

Before the Disney Channel, hit song "Jealous" and wife Priyanka Chopra, a 7-year-old Nick Jonas was starring in Broadway productions of Les Misérables and Annie Get Your Gun. Years later, he became a huge success due to Camp Rock and the family band, the Jonas Brothers. He's also acted on the big screen in Jumanji and works as a coach on The Voice.

Viola Davis starred in an off-Broadway production of As You Like It in 1992, and then made her Broadway debut four years later in Seven Guitars. She went on to TV and film success, with the notable main role in How to Get Away with Murder. She also won an Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG Award for the 2016 film Fences. Davis returned to Broadway in 2001 for King Hedley II, for which she received a Tony Award.

One of the biggest crossover success stories, Idina Menzel made her Broadway debut in 1996's Rent. She starred in a few other shows on Broadway following Rent's success, with her most popular being the breakout Wicked, alongside Kristin Chenoweth. The role earned Menzel a Tony Award. She made her big-screen debut in 2001's Kissing Jessica Stein, but started gaining buzz after appearing alongside Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams in 2007's Enchanted. In 2013, Menzel became more of a household name providing the voice of Elsa in Disney's Frozen.

Best known as Dustin on Stranger Things, Gaten Matarazzo was pretty well known on the Broadway circuit long before the Netflix hit. He made his debut in 2011 in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and earned rave reviews for playing a young Gavroche in Les Miserables in 2014.

Whether you know her from Veronica Mars or as Anna from Frozen, Kristen Bell's TV and film roles have made her a household name. But in 2001, she made her debut on Broadway in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. She decided to move to Los Angeles in 2002 and started acting on screen in Gracie's Choice and Spartan.

Freeman debuted in 1968's all-Black version of Hello, Dolly! on Broadway. He quickly crossed over to TV and starred in the PBS children's show The Electric Company in 1971. Things took off for Freeman in 1978's Street Smart, a role that earned him his first Oscar nomination. One of his biggest cinematic successes was 2004's Million Dollar Baby, for which he earned an Oscar.

The pop princess is all over the radio today, but she actually hit the stage when she was 15 in the Broadway musical 13. After that, she starred on Victorious and Sam & Cat, two Nickelodeon shows. After signing with Republic Records, Grande started releasing chart-toppers like "Dangerous Woman" and "Thank U, Next".

We loved watching Jesse Tyler Ferguson as Mitchell Pritchett on Modern Family for 11 years, but he's also well known in the theater scene. His debut on Broadway was in 1998's On the Town. He is scheduled to make his Broadway return in the revival of Take Me Out.

Chenoweth is one of the best-known crossover Broadway stars, demonstrating a long, successful career on stage and screen. She made her Broadway debut in 1997's Steel Pier. She won a Tony Award for playing Sally in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. But her most notable performance was originating the role of Glinda in Wicked. Chenoweth also won an Emmy for the ABC show Pushing Daisies.

It's impossible to discuss Broadway without mentioning the genius that is Lin-Manuel Miranda. After struggling early in his career, he finally started experiencing success as co-creator of In the Heights, which debuted on Broadway in 2008. The show won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Things only got better with the debut of Hamilton, which won 11 Tony Awards, a Pulitzer and Grammy. Miranda has been collaborating with Disney and contributing music to many movies, like Moana. He recently appeared on the big screen in 2018's Mary Poppins Returns.

Michele started her Broadway career at the age of 8, debuting as a replacement for Cosette in 1995's Les Miserables. She also appeared in Ragtime and Fiddler on the Roof. Most notably, she originated the role of Wendla in the off-Broadway debut of Spring Awakening and stayed with the role from 2006-2008 in its Broadway run. A year later, she impressed viewers as Rachel Berry in Glee, where her singing chops matched her acting skills. Michele received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for the role. She was signed to Columbia Records in 2012 and has released several albums.

America fell in love with Carol Brady on The Brady Bunch, a role that Henderson played from 1969 to 1974. But long before, she made her Broadway premiere in 1952's Wish You Were Here. She helmed The Florence Henderson Show, which was nominated for an Emmy.

Anna Kendrick made a splash on Broadway in 1998's High Society when she was 12 years old. She crossed over to the big screen in roles that have showcased her singing voice, like Camp and the Pitch Perfect series. She also earned an Oscar nomination for Up in the Air.

Remembered for his role as Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order, Jerry Orbach had a long career on Broadway before working in film and television. Orbach's first role on stage was in 1955's The Threepenny Opera. He earned a Tony for Promises, Promises. He also starred in The Fantasticks, Chicago and 42nd Street.

English actress Julie Andrews first appeared on Broadway in 1954's The Boy Friend. She also earned rave reviews playing Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. She made the leap to television and film and found major success in 1964's Mary Poppins and 1965's The Sound of Music. She won a Golden Globe for both films. She's currently the voice of Lady Whistledown in the Netflix hit Bridgerton.