Taye Diggs A multi-talented actor, Taye Diggs has displayed his versatility on stage, the small screen, and on film for a solid decade now. Diggs graced the world with his presence on January 2, 1971, in Rochester, New York, where he was raised and where he attended The School of The Arts. He later achieved a musical theater BFA degree from Syracuse. As an actor, Diggs made his debut with a role in the musical Carousel, which won five Tony Awards. His stint on Carousel propelled him to greatness on the stage, both on and off Broadway, particularly when, in 1996, he landed the role of the Benny the bad landlord on Jonathan Larson’s hit musical Rent.
Following Rent, Diggs appeared in Andrew Lippa’s The Wild Party, and as Billy Flynn in Chicago. Moving from the stage to television, in 1996 and 1997 Diggs landed guest roles and recurring roles on various series, such as New York Undercover, Law & Order, 101 Dalmatians: The Series, and the famous soap The Guiding Light. Then in 1998, Diggs snatched a leading man role for his film debut in How Stella Got Her Groove Back, in which he starred alongside Angela Bassett as Stella, as well as Whoopi Goldberg and Regina King. After Stella, Diggs kept up his film momentum with roles in the films Go, starring Katie Holmes and Sarah Polley; The Wood, with Omar Epps; The Best Man, in which he starred opposite Nia Long; and House on Haunted Hill, with Geoffrey Rush and Famke Janssen, all in 1999.
In 2001, Diggs landed a recurring role as Jackson Duper on the hit TV series Ally McBeal, starring Calista Flockhart. After his ten-episode stint on Ally, Diggs moved on to snatch up recurring roles on The West Wing, Kevin Hill, and Will & Grace, before landing the main role on the new action-drama-thriller Day Break, a short-lived series due to bad ratings. He has another upcoming shot on TV as he’s set to play a potential starring role in a Grey’s Anatomy spin-off starring actress Kate Walsh as her Grey’s character Dr. Addison. Diggs has appeared in a number of films since 1999, including 2002’s Equilibrium, with Dominic Purcell and Christian Bale and Chicago, with Catherine Zeta Jones, Renee Zellweger, and Richard Gere; as well as Slow Burn and Rent in 2005. He has also enjoyed some success on the small-screen, but Diggs seems to do best—and be most at home—on stage. His most recent stage work was in Charles Fuller’s A Soldier’s Play in New York, alongside actor James McDaniel. Diggs is married to Broadway starlet Idina Menzel, and the couple has quite a handful of pets together. YUDDY |
