19 TV Stars You Didn't Know Had a Musical Background (PHOTOS)
Peter Gallagher
Peter Gallagher is finally giving TV audiences a taste of his musical talent as Mitch Clarke on Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. But Broadway audiences have known for years, as he’s appeared in favorites like Grease and Guys and Dolls.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Sundays, 9/8c, NBC
Melissa Benoist
Before she was Supergirl, Melissa Benoist got her BFA in theatre, which eventually landed her a role on Glee. Benoist returned to the stage in 2018, playing Carole King in Beautiful.
Supergirl, Sundays, 9/8c, The CW
Josh Segarra & Colin Donnell
Speaking of DC, casting all around the Arrowverse has drawn heavily from Broadway: Segarra recently played Emilio Estefan in On Your Feet, and Donnell has been in the musicals Holiday Inn and Violet, among others.
Arrow, Streaming Now, Netflix
Michael McKean
Before Michael McKean’s Emmy-nominated role in Better Call Saul, he appeared on Broadway — in full drag, no less! — in Hairspray.
Better Call Saul, Mondays, 9/8c, AMC
T.R. Knight, Sara Ramirez & Chandra Wilson
There’s musical as well as medical talent on Grey’s Anatomy. Knight and Wilson have each appeared in several musicals in New York and L.A., while Ramirez won a Tony for her role in Spamalot.
Grey’s Anatomy, Thursdays, 9/8c, ABC
Casey Cott
Musical talent runs in the family of Riverdale‘s Casey Cott: Casey studied musical theater at Carnegie Mellon, while his brother Corey has starred in Broadway productions of Newsies and Bandstand.
Riverdale, Wednesdays, 8/7c, The CW
Diana Rigg, Jonathan Pryce and Iain Glen
Westeros is alive with the sound of music! Although none of them got to sing on the show, Game of Thrones actors Diana Rigg (Olenna Tyrell), Jonathan Pryce (The High Sparrow) and Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont) all have professional musical theater experience. Glen starred in the original West End production of Martin Guerre, while Diana Rigg recently scored a Tony nomination for her role in the 2018 Broadway revival of My Fair Lady, and Pryce won one for Miss Saigon in 1991.
Ross Lynch
Pop music fans know Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s Ross Lynch as lead vocalist of the band R5, but he’s also taken his talent to the stage, playing Mark in the Hollywood Bowl production of A Chorus Line.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Part 4, Coming Soon, Netflix
Joe Morton
Joe Morton is a TV mainstay, most recently winning an Emmy for his role as Olivia Pope’s dad on Scandal and playing Reverend Finer on God Friended Me. But Morton has also appeared in Broadway musicals like Hair and was nominated for a Tony for his role in the musical Raisin.
God Friended Me, Sundays, 8/7c, CBS
Gaten Matarazzo
Stranger Things‘ Matarazzo has a long resume for his age: aside from the Netflix hit and his upcoming Quibi show, he’s starred in Les Miserables and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert on Broadway and Into the Woods at the Hollywood Bowl.
Stranger Things, Season 4, Coming Soon, Netflix
Basically the Whole Cast of Orange is the New Black
With the dozens of characters on Orange is the New Black, it’s no surprise that many of them come from the world of theatre. Danielle Brooks (Taystee) and Beth Fowler (Sister Ingalls) are both Tony nominees, while Uzo Aduba appeared in Godspell before she was cast as Crazy Eyes. And even though she barely says a word on the show as mostly-mute Norma, Annie Golden has appeared in upwards of 20 Broadway and Off-Broadway productions.
Orange is the New Black, Streaming Now, Netflix
In this day and age, there’s a revolving door between Hollywood and Broadway.
Musical theater’s biggest names, from Ben Platt to Kristen Chenoweth, continue to grace the small screen, while TV actors and personalities make their way onto the stage.
See Also
'Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist' Star Alex Newell on Mo's Struggle to Express Himself
Click through the gallery above for 19 familiar faces from 11 TV shows — including the Arrowverse, Game of Thrones, and Grey's Anatomy — you might not realize got their start in the theater… and have killer pipes to prove it.
