Taye Diggs

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Scott Leo “Taye” Diggs (born January 2, 1971) is an American theatre, film and television actor. His nickname, Taye, comes from the playful pronunciation of Scotty as “Scottay”.

Taye Diggs narrated the ESPN Films documentary The Fab Five about University of Michigan basketball players Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson.

Taye Diggs was born in Newark, New Jersey but grew up in Rochester, New York, the son of Marcia (née Berry), a teacher and actress, and Jeffries Diggs. He was raised in Rochester, New York, where he attended Allendale Columbia School and later transferred to School of the Arts. He starred in the first production of “It All Adds Up”, an original musical by the piano teacher and musician John Gabriele. He is the oldest of five children; he has two brothers Gabriel and Michael and two sisters Shalom and Christian. Taye Diggs received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in musical theater from Syracuse University. He performed many times at the popular Lakes Region Summer Theatre in Meredith, New Hampshire. Diggs’s Broadway debut was in the ensemble cast of the 1994 Tony Award-winning revival of the musical Carousel. In 1995, he also performed as a dancer in Sebastian’s Caribbean Carnival at Tokyo Disneyland.

In 1996, he originated the role of the nasty 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 alongside Idina Menzel’s character of Kate in Andrew Lippa’s off-Broadway production of The Wild Party. Diggs also played The Bandleader in the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago and its 2002 film version and temporarily filled in for Norbert Leo Butz (an original Rent standby) as the love interest Fiyero of Idina Menzel’s Elphaba character in Wicked.

Diggs then moved from stage to television, with a role on the soap opera Guiding Light. In 1998, he made his film debut in How Stella Got Her Groove Back. This movie brought Diggs much acclaim and exposure. The following year he played a tantric sex god in Doug Liman’s Go, and an AWOL groom in the coming-of-age drama The Wood. Malcolm D. Lee’s The Best Man features Diggs as the eponymous character, an author and best friend of the groom (portrayed by Morris Chestnut). He also starred in the remake of William Castle’s The House on Haunted Hill. Taye Diggs was featured in an episode of America’s Next Top Model, to help the contestants through an acting challenge. Another notable role of his was when he guest starred on the comedy-drama Ally Mcbeal as a lawyer named Jackson Duper who was the love interest of the character Renee Raddick and also the possible love interest on the Ling Woo character.

Taye Diggs married Rent co-star actress Idina Menzel on January 11, 2003. Their son, Walker Nathaniel Diggs, was born on September 2, 2009.

Taye also co-owns and co-directs a dance company, dre.dance with fellow Broadway veteran, Andrew Palermo.

Filmography

Awards

2003 Screen Actors Guild Award – Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
2005 Image Awards  – Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
2009 Image Awards  – Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series