The first original cast member of the Broadway phenomenon Rent to make the leap to Hollywood, this sexy triple threat seduced Angela Bassett — along with drooling droves of female audiences — with his steamy, mostly shirtless turn as an eye-catching islander in the 1998 chick flick How Stella Got Her Groove Back. With his jaw-dropping physique and dazzling smile, Diggs seemed capable of sparking lust in even the most frigid of viewers. But the versatile player proved he could also inspire fear (as a villain in the sci-fi actioner Equilibrium), laughs (as an upper-crust actor playing "ghetto" in the racial satire Malibu's Most Wanted) and toe-tapping (as the piano-playing bandleader in the movie musical Chicago). He also found the time to regularly return to his theatrical roots, appearing in a number of New York productions, including the musical version of The Wild Party at Manhattan Theater Club and the Tony Award-winning Wicked, both opposite his former Rent costar — and eventual wife — Idina Menzel. In 2001, Diggs showed the small screen couldn't dampen his charisma, with a recurring romantic role on Ally McBeal. Three years later, he headlined his first series, the critically lauded dramedy Kevin Hill, which unfortunately failed to register with viewers. In 2006, after a stint as the title character's gay boyfriend on the final season of Will & Grace, Diggs gave TV stardom another shot as a cop trapped in a time loop in the high-concept, 24-esque Day Break, but the show was yanked after a handful of episodes.
Taye Diggs Fast Facts:
- His first name is a shortened version of his childhood nickname "Scott-taye."
- Debuted on Broadway in the 1994 Tony-winning revival of Carousel; in 1996, he originated the role of Benny in Rent.
- In 1997, he made his TV debut on the soap Guiding Light.
- Along with childhood friend Andrew Palermo, he formed the company dre.dance.
- Taye Diggs Relationships:
- Gabriel Diggs - Brother
- Idina Menzel - Wife
- Jeffries Diggs - Father
- Marcia Berry - Mother
- College:
- Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY (BFA in Musical Theater, 1993)
