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Kristen Bell - The actress abandoned her studies at NYU to star as Becky Thatcher in the short-lived Broadway musical 'The Adventures of Tom Sawyer' in 2001.

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Meryl Streep - The legendary actress began her entertainment career in the Broadway musical 'Happy End.'

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Ariana Grande - When Grande was 15, before she found fame as an actress or pop singer, she performed in the Broadway musical '13.'

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Sarah Jessica Parker - Before she was known as Carrie Bradshaw, the 'Sex and the City' actress debuted on Broadway in 1976 at the tender age of 11. She later starred as the titular 'Annie' in 1979!

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Anna Kendrick - The actress didn't just discover she could sing while auditioning for 'Pitch Perfect' —she'd been starring in musicals since she was 12! Her debut Broadway role in 'High Society' earned her a Theater World Award and a Tony nomination.

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Nick Jonas - Before he became one-third of the famous Jonas Brothers, a seven-year-old Nick had gotten started on Broadway. He acted in productions such as 'Les Misérables,' 'Beauty and the Beast,' and 'A Christmas Carol.'

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Viola Davis - The Julliard alum is a well-known Academy and Emmy Award winner, but she’s also a two-time Tony award winner. The ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ actress broke onto the scene in the Broadway play ‘Seven Guitars.’

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Diane Keaton - Keaton actually kicked off her success story as an understudy to Sheila in the original Broadway production of 'Hair.'

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Kristin Chenoweth -

While she's well-known for starring in 'Wicked,' Chenoweth started much earlier on Broadway, debuting in the 1997 play 'Steel Pier,' for which she won a Theater World award.

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Hugh Jackman - Jackman's first theater experience came in his native Australia, starting around 1994, but by 1998 he'd landed the starring role in 'Oklahoma!' in London's West End. Since then he's even won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his role in 'The Boy from Oz.'

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Lea Michele - Long before playing her Broadway-obsessed character on 'Glee,' the star was actually on Broadway, from the age of eight, in productions like 'Les Misérables,' 'Ragtime,' and 'Fiddler on the Roof.'

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Gaten Matarazzo - While it's hard to un-see him as the adorable comic relief in 'Stranger Things,' the actor began his career in 2011, when he was nine, on the Broadway stage as Benjamin in 'Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,' and as Gavroche in 'Les Misérables.'

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Sarah Hyland - The actress got her first taste of Broadway in 'Annie,' and she later appeared in a 1999 Disney movie remake of the production. Her biggest role, however, was a young Jacqueline Bouvier in 'Grey Gardens' back in 2006, three years before 'Modern Family.'

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John Travolta - Before he became known as Danny Zuko in 'Grease,' Travolta was actually cast in the onstage production of the musical! His success on Broadway helped him land the starring role.

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Alan Arkin - Academy Award-winner Alan Arkin appeared in the Broadway production of 'Enter Laughing' in 1963, three years before his big-screen debut in 'The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming.'

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Natalie Portman - Though she started her career in film earlier than most, Portman started on stage even earlier. In 1992, when she was 10, she landed an understudy role in the off-Broadway musical 'Ruthless!' and, five years later, she played the lead role in a Broadway adaptation of 'The Diary of Anne Frank.'

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Jeffrey Wright - Before roles in 'Westworld' and the James Bond and 'Hunger Games' series, Wright was more famous for the characters he created in the original 1993 Broadway production of 'Angels in America' (which he later played in the TV adaption).

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Nathan Lane - The actor began his career as a thespian in Off-Broadway productions, before appearing in his first big show in 1982.

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Jonathan Groff -

The actor left for NYC immediately after finishing high school, to star in his Broadway debut 'In My Life.' Soon after, real-life best friends Groff and Lea Michele would star opposite each other in the Broadway debut of 'Spring Awakening,' and later they would be 'Glee' costars.

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Christine Baranski - Well-known for her roles in 'Mamma Mia!' and 'The Good Wife,' Baranski made her acting debut on Broadway in 1980's 'Hide and Seek.' She went on to win two Tony Awards.

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Matthew Morrison - Much like most of the cast of 'Glee,' the actor's career began on Broadway, when he appeared in 'Footloose' and later 'The Rocky Horror Show' and 'Hairspray.'

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Victor Garber - The Canadian actor debuted on stage as Jesus in Toronto's 1972 production of 'Godspell,' and later appeared on Broadway in the original productions of 'Deathtrap,' 'Sweeney Todd' and 'Noises Off.'

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Taye Diggs - Diggs met his ex-wife, Idina Menzel, when they appeared in the first production of 'Rent' together.

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Idina Menzel - Long before 'Frozen' took over the world, Menzel's big break came as Maureen in the original Broadway debut of 'Rent,' which ran from 1995 and 1997.

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Jason Alexander - Best known for his role as George Costanza in 'Seinfeld,' the actor had already made a name for himself on Broadway by the premiere of the first episode. He made his Broadway debut in 1981's 'Merrily We Roll Along' and won a Tony in 1989 for the 'Jerome Robbins' Broadway.'

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Morgan Freeman - Before he became one of the most recognizable voices in the world, Freeman made his Broadway debut in 1968's all-black version of ‘Hello, Dolly!’

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Julie Andrews -

The famed actress hit the big time in 1954 after her Broadway debut in 'The Boy Friend.' She continued in musical theater, starring in 'My Fair Lady' and 'Camelot,' and in 1964 she would become Mary Poppins.

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Jesse Tyler Ferguson - While Ferguson's character clashes with his drama-loving partner Cam on 'Modern Family,' it's actually he who is the real-life musical theater star. He took his first Broadway turn in 'On the Town' back in 1998.

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John C. McGinley - After finishing his studies at NYU, the famed 'Scrubs' actor did a variety of different work, including Off-Broadway and on-Broadway productions, before breaking into film. In 2013, he returned to the stage in the Broadway revival of 'Glengarry Glen Ross.'

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Jenna Ushkowitz - Similar to her 'Glee' costar Lea Michele, Ushkowitz started out on Broadway, kick-starting her career with the production of 'The King and I.'

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Andrew Rannells - Lena Dunham's roommate Elijah on the show 'Girls' has his first claim to fame on Broadway, in productions of 'Hairspray,' 'Jersey Boys,' and, most notably, in the extremely popular 'Book of Mormon.'

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Florence Henderson - Before she was Carol Brady on 'The Brady Bunch,' Henderson debuted on Broadway in the musical 'Wish You Were Here' in 1952, and later starred in 888 performances on Broadway in the long-running 1954 musical 'Fanny.'

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Andrew Garfield -

Though it wasn't exactly Broadway, Garfield began his career on the UK stage, winning awards for his performance in 'Kes' back in 2004, six years before his breakout film role in 'The Social Network.'

See also: Actors you didn't know started out as models. 

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