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Summary
While some actors are recognized for their work on screen , there are several actors who in reality got their cock-a-hoop break on the Broadway stage . Though film and theater showcase the shared cunning of playing , the disciplines and skill each medium ask differ vastly . The natural endowment cover working under Broadway ’s demand shape , such as honing singing , terpsichore , and live performance in front of audience nighttime after nighttime , can furnish ideal formulation for finally conquering Hollywood ’s heights . Numerous now - famous adept first stepped into the spotlight within a Broadway show , parlaying stagecoach achiever into TV and movie fame .
With film adaptations of Broadway musicals always being released , like thesoon to be released musicalWicked , more and more actors are revealing their Thespian backgrounds . Even some less gestate figures like Scarlett Johansson and Gaten Matarazzo boast Great White Way credit predating their widespread fame . While some prosecute theater after cementing star condition , many luminaries started out on Broadway , their ability nurtured by musicals or straight gambol . Indeed , for all the glamor of Hollywood , Broadway ’s stagecoach may still provide the best breeding undercoat for ash gray screen fame .
10Taye Diggs
Broadway Debut: Rent
His breakout theater operation launched a screen career just a year afterward .
Taye Diggs made his Broadway debut originating the role of Benny in the smash 1996 rock and roll musicalRent . Displaying both smooth dancing skills and singing abilities , his breakout theater execution set up a screen career just a year later . Starting with the soap operaGuiding Lightin 1997 , Diggs quickly graduated to the classic movieHow Stella get Her Groove Backin 1998 . Leaving behind his stain in dramaturgy , Diggs leveraged his musical talents to successfully crossover into filmand television .
9Viola Davis
Broadway Debut: Seven Guitars
She made her Broadway first appearance in the 1996 dramaSeven Guitars .
Oscar succeeder Viola Davis plant her act roots on the stage , ab initio starring in the off - Broadway workAs You Like Itin 1992 . She made her Broadway unveiling in the 1996 dramaSeven Guitars . Though a theater of operations veteran and Julliard alumna , this breakthrough performance cemented Davis as a force play designate for further acclaim . Sure enough , major television and picture show part shortly stick with , including acclaimed turns inHow to Get Away with Murderand the award - advance filmFences . However , Broadway still call back Davis for the 2001 revival ofKing Hedley II , pull together her a richly deserved Best Actress Tony .
8John Travolta
Broadway Debut: Over Here!
Travolta ’s earliest celebrity first came from the Broadway footlights .
Long before transform into a braggy - screen ikon withSaturday Night FeverandGrease , John Travolta stepped into the spotlight on the Broadway stage . After minor movie roles , he made his unveiling in the musicalOver Here!Travolta exhibit smooth attainment as an American serviceman , earning a Tony nomination for his execution . Though the show itself proved short - lived , itestablished Travolta ’s threefold - threat talent and charismatic screen bearing . Shortly after , he photograph to superstardom onWelcome Back , Kotter . Even for one of Hollywood ’s enduring faces , Travolta ’s early fame first came from the Broadway footlights .
7Sarah Jessica Parker
Broadway Debut: The Innocents
Sarah Jessica Parker continued double up her theatrical chop into eventual television and film celebrity .
Though known as iconicSex and the Cityfashionista Carrie Bradshaw , Sarah Jessica Parker first built fame on Broadway . cause an other foot in the door , Parker debut inThe Innocentsrevival at just 11 years old . After understudying , she thenbroke out , originate the title role in the original 1977 Broadway production ofAnnie . From showcasing an incredible tattle voice and mien with seasoned veterans , Parker continued double up her theatrical chops into eventual television and film famous person . However , dramatics set the stage for her maven major power .
6Scarlett Johansson
Broadway Debut: A View from the Bridge
While she technically did n’t embark on her acting career on Broadway , Scarlett Johansson made a notable expiration from Hollywood in 2010 to pursue a passionateness project in the field of operations . Her first appearance occurred in that class ’s revival of the Hellenic dramaA thought from the Bridge , where Johansson cover a dramatic digest function to showcase her stage talent beyond her movie fame position . She excelled in her carrying into action , earn the Best Featured Actress Tony Award for her compelling portrayal . Despite facing disbelief from some doorman questioning her believability as an outsider , Johansson allowed her acclaimed study to speak for itself .
Scarlett Johansson ’s Natasha Romanoff has always been a fundamental MCU lineament , but the Black Widow sensation ’s time in the franchise has make out to an end .
5Morgan Freeman
Broadway Debut: Hello, Dolly!
Although Freeman advance prominence in photographic film , he continued to return to Broadway , notably in 1988’sThe Gospel at Colonus .
Despite being recognized for his talent in high school theater , Morgan Freeman ab initio select to suffice in the Air Force rather than pursue a play learning . However , his cacoethes for theater persisted , leading to his groundbreaking Broadway entry in 1968 in an all - opprobrious production of Hello , Dolly ! Although Freeman gained prominence in film , he stay to return to Broadway , notably in 1988’sThe Gospel at Colonus . While some ofMorgan Freeman ’s best movieshave left a mark on pa culture , his enduring and often leave out background in theater laid the innovation for his iconic voice to enamour movie audiences .
4Jason Alexander
Broadway Debut: Merrily We Roll Along
Alexander turn his theatrical chops into papa culture chronicle as neurotic George Costanza on the smash sitcomSeinfeld .
After small film and television role , Jason Alexander get the lead story in the Stephen Sondheim musicalMerrily We Roll Along . His skills proceed attracting Broadway powerhouses like Jerome Robbins , who cast Alexander in his 1989 revue , garnering him a Tony . Months subsequently , Alexander turned his theatrical chops into pop culture history as neurotic George Costanza on the belt sitcomSeinfeld . Though evermore linked to that iconic character , Alexander never left theater behind while embodying one of funniness ’s most beloved antiheroesfor 9 seasons . For Alexander , New York phase offer the staring springboard to eventual Hollywood fame .
3Kristen Bell
Broadway Debut: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Bell garner aid for her breakout theater of operations performance .
Before conversant roles in film and television system likeVeronica Marsor as themain type inThe Good Place , Kristen Bell stepped first into the spotlight on Broadway stages . After college theater training , Bell star as Becky Thatcher in the musical The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . Displaying noticeable spell and vocals , Bell garnered attention for her breakout theater carrying into action . Seeking to grow opportunities , she relocated to Los Angeles in 2002 and swiftly won character in projects like the movieGracie ’s ChoiceandForgetting Sarah Marshall . But year before Hollywood winner , Bell introduced herself as a precocious talent throughout Broadway ’s stages .
2Adam Driver
Broadway Debut Mrs. Warren’s Profession
After transition from his service in the Marines , Adam Driver embarked on a vocation in performance , start with off - Broadway productions and culminating inhis Broadway debut inMrs . Warren ’s Professionin 2010 . demonstrate his conduct man power , he fleetly followed with the 2011 dramaMan and Boy , which earned him widespread recognition . Driver maintained his connection to theater even after achieving blockbuster celebrity . After an eight - twelvemonth hiatus focused on Hollywood projection , he made a triumphal riposte to Broadway in 2019 withBurn This .
1Gaten Matarazzo
Broadway Debut: Priscilla Queen of the Desert
Stranger Thingsfan favorite Gaten Matarazzo had already pile up year overtop New York stage prior to his Netflix fame . After former roles in regional productions , Matarazzo made a Broadway ledger entry at just 9 years older inPriscilla Queen of the Desert . Three age subsequently , he joined Broadway ’s long - runningLes Misérablesas the street urchin Gavroche , stirring acclaim for strong vocal that wowed alongside more veteran adults . WhenStranger Thingscatapulted him to spacious stardom , Matarazzo had developed the cool and talents to deal fame seamlessly . Before ever deal out with Demogorgons , his foundational root grew from the leg .
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