# Broadway singers in TV roles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2004, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355 "2004-08-18T04:58:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/1 "2004-08-18T04:58:55Z")
I just picked up a copy of “Guys and Dolls” from the recent revival and noticed that at least 4 of the stars have had major success in TV and movie roles, and most people who would recognize them probably have no idea of their other talents and history. Faith Prince (Paul’s wife Claudia on _Spin City_) Peter Gallagher (currenly the dad on _The OC_, lots of roles) Nathan Lane (lots of stuff) JK Simmons (J Jonah Jameson in the _Spiderman_ movies, Dr Skoda on _L&O:SVU_) Of course many folks now know that Jerry Orbach was a Broadway star for years before gaining more public recognition on _Law and Order_ and as Lumiere in _Beauty and the Beast_. Also John Cullum had a long Broadway career before gaining getting recognized as Holling Vincoeur on _Northern Exposure_. So, who else out there that we recognize has or has had another career as a singer on Broadway before hitting it big in more mainstream pop culture? I think we can discount folks who had an established career before trying their hand on the stage, such as John Stamos or Neal Patrick Harris in _Cabaret_. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/2 "2004-08-18T13:49:30Z")
Hugh Jackman continues to be a big hit on Broadway. Rene Auberjonois won a Tony for his work before joining the cast of Deep Space 9. Do an IMDB Bio search on “Broadway”. There’s a few entries, there. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/3 "2004-08-18T13:55:48Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Hugh Jackman continues to be a big hit on Broadway. He’s quite the song and dance man, such different personnas. > [@](#): > > Rene Auberjonois won a Tony for his work before joining the cast of Deep Space 9. He had a major role in _Benson_ before that. I used IMDB for a little research before my post. I tried to find more info on Christine Baranski before her role on _Cybill_ but couldn’t find much. I just thought of Irene Ryan, Granny on _The Beverly Hillbillies_ who had a major role in _Pippin_. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/4 "2004-08-18T14:53:36Z")
Joel Gray. Ann Reinking. Kristin Chenowith was given the lead in a sitcom because of her work on Broadway – it bombed and I guess she hasn’t really hit “mainstream pop culture” yet. Pop singer Melba Moore was in Hair on Broadway before she had her first hit record. Amazingly, so was Diane Keaton. ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/5 "2004-08-18T16:15:14Z")
Although far from perfect, you can look up Christine Baranski and other in the Internet Broadway Database [Christine Baranski](http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?id=30831) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2004, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/6 "2004-08-18T16:42:39Z")
It happened a lot in back before TV. Some Broadway musical stars who became big in movies afterwards include Gene Kelly (Pal Joey), Yul Brynner, Bob Hope (Roberta), Jack Benny, James Cagney, Ruby Keeler, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Ethel Merman, and Julie Andrews. Hal Linden was in an off-Broadway revival of “Anything Goes” long before “Barney Miller.” He also appeared in “Bells Are Ringing” on Broadway, though not in the original cast. Bette Midler got her start as one of the daughters of Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” (though not in the original cast). Christopher Lloyd was a performer in Broadway’s “Red, White, and Maddox” long before “Taxi.” I’m not sure if he sung. Linda Lavin was a Broadway star in various musicals before becoming better known in the sitcom “Alice.” The off-Broadway revue, **National Lampoon’s Lemmings** featured singing performances by John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and Christopher Guest. This ran a year or so before SNL. ---
**Author:** ![Eats\_Crayons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Eats\_Crayons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eats_Crayons)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/7 "2004-08-19T03:40:47Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Hal Linden was in an off-Broadway revival of “Anything Goes” long before “Barney Miller.” He also appeared in “Bells Are Ringing” on Broadway, though not in the original cast. I saw Linden in Man of La Manch. He was really good. **Lea Thompson** from _Back to the Future_ and _Caroline in the City_ is a triple threat. She started out in dance, IIRC. A few years ago she was Sally Bowles in _Cabaret_. Her Caroline co-star, **Malcolm Gets** , who played the neurotic Richard, is also an accomplished song-and-dance man of the stage. He’s also a composer, choreographer and puppeteer. **Bebe Neuwirth** (er… don’t remember if she’s been mentioned in this thread yet) has two Tony Wards for her performances in Broadway musicals (and of course her Emmy for being snarky Lilith Krane). **Scott Bakula** our Quantum Leaper and new/old Captain was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in the musical _Romance/Romance_. **Brent Spiner** did a lot of off-Broadway and Broadways stuff, mostly dramatic roles, but also in some musicals like _Little Shop of Horrors_. He too is a triple threat. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/8 "2004-08-19T04:12:21Z")
Elaine Stritch has appeared several times on _Law & Order_ but then so has pretty much every other actor in New York City. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/9 "2004-08-19T04:39:33Z")
[David Garrison](http://www.davidgarrison.com), best known from _Married with Children_, is another triple threat currently in the new Craig Lucas play in Seattle. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/10 "2004-08-19T05:37:47Z")
Victor Garber (Jack Bristow on _Alias_), was in Jesus in Godspell, Anthony in Sweeney Todd, and John Wilkes Booth in Assassins ---
**Author:** ![MidnightRadio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@MidnightRadio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MidnightRadio)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/11 "2004-08-19T07:21:20Z")
Megan Mullally, who plays Karen on “Will & Grace” is a singer and a dancer. She was in the Broadway revival of _Grease_ with Rosie O’Donnell back in the early '90s and sings a song on the cast recording. Wonderful voice. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/12 "2004-08-19T07:45:54Z")
Jason Alexander, from _Seinfeld_ is another Tony award winning triple threat who was well established on Broadway before hitting tv fame. Patti Lupone, who played the mother in _Life Goes On_, is one of the Broadway greats. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/13 "2004-08-19T12:02:20Z")
**Ben Vereen** won a Tony for _Pippin_ long before appearing in Ten Speed and Brownshoe, and making guest spots on such shows as _Webster, Fresh Prince, the Nanny and Steve Harvey._. The last one also featured Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/14 "2004-08-19T12:24:21Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > _The Nanny and Steve Harvey._. The last one also featured Gregory Hines and Savion Glover. I _loved_ that show! Some said that an updating of _Nanny and the Professor_ would never work – but Fran Drescher’s chemistry with Steve Harvey proved them all wrong. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/broadway-singers-in-tv-roles/260355/15 "2004-08-19T13:40:53Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Kristin Chenowith was given the lead in a sitcom because of her work on Broadway – it bombed and I guess she hasn’t really hit “mainstream pop culture” yet. To be fair, her sitcom was a summer replacement in 2001 (I think). Her role in WICKED, I think, shot her into “mainstream pop culture”, and she’s filming/has filmed several movies to be released next summer, including “Pink Panther” and “Bewitched”