Scott Leo "Taye" Diggs (born January , ) is an American actor and
singer. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals Rent and
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the TV series Private Practice and All
American, the films How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Brown Sugar, The
Best Man and its sequel, The Best Man Holiday. Between and he
starred as Inspector Terry English in Murder in the First.Diggs was
born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Rochester, New York. His
mother, Marcia (née Berry), was a teacher and actress, and his
father, Andre Young, is a visual artist. When he was a child, his
mother married Jeffries Diggs, whose surname Taye took. His nickname,
Taye, comes from the playful pronunciation of Scotty as "Scottay". He
is the oldest of five children. He has two brothers, Gabriel and
Michael, and two sisters, Christian and Shalom. He attended Allendale
Columbia School in Rochester and later transferred to School of the
Arts. He received a BFA in musical theater from Syracuse
University.Diggs performed many times at the popular Lakes Region
Summer Theatre in Meredith, New Hampshire. He also spent a summer at
the New London Barn Playhouse in New London, New Hampshire. His
Broadway debut was in the ensemble cast of the Tony Award-winning
revival of the musical Carousel. In , he also performed as a dancer in
Sebastian's Caribbean Carnival at Tokyo Disneyland.In , Diggs
originated the role of the landlord Benny in Jonathan Larson's Tony
Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent, which also starred his future
wife, Idina Menzel. After Rent, he appeared as Mr. Black opposite
Idina Menzel's character of Kate in Andrew Lippa's off-Broadway
production of The Wild Party at Manhattan Theatre Club. Diggs also
played The Bandleader in the film version of the long-running
Broadway revival of Chicago and filled in as Billy Flynn on Broadway.
He also temporarily filled in for Norbert Leo Butz (an original Rent
standby) as the love interest Fiyero of Menzel's Elphaba character in
Wicked.
singer. He is known for his roles in the Broadway musicals Rent and
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the TV series Private Practice and All
American, the films How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Brown Sugar, The
Best Man and its sequel, The Best Man Holiday. Between and he
starred as Inspector Terry English in Murder in the First.Diggs was
born in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in Rochester, New York. His
mother, Marcia (née Berry), was a teacher and actress, and his
father, Andre Young, is a visual artist. When he was a child, his
mother married Jeffries Diggs, whose surname Taye took. His nickname,
Taye, comes from the playful pronunciation of Scotty as "Scottay". He
is the oldest of five children. He has two brothers, Gabriel and
Michael, and two sisters, Christian and Shalom. He attended Allendale
Columbia School in Rochester and later transferred to School of the
Arts. He received a BFA in musical theater from Syracuse
University.Diggs performed many times at the popular Lakes Region
Summer Theatre in Meredith, New Hampshire. He also spent a summer at
the New London Barn Playhouse in New London, New Hampshire. His
Broadway debut was in the ensemble cast of the Tony Award-winning
revival of the musical Carousel. In , he also performed as a dancer in
Sebastian's Caribbean Carnival at Tokyo Disneyland.In , Diggs
originated the role of the landlord Benny in Jonathan Larson's Tony
Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent, which also starred his future
wife, Idina Menzel. After Rent, he appeared as Mr. Black opposite
Idina Menzel's character of Kate in Andrew Lippa's off-Broadway
production of The Wild Party at Manhattan Theatre Club. Diggs also
played The Bandleader in the film version of the long-running
Broadway revival of Chicago and filled in as Billy Flynn on Broadway.
He also temporarily filled in for Norbert Leo Butz (an original Rent
standby) as the love interest Fiyero of Menzel's Elphaba character in
Wicked.
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