15 Famous Actors Who Got Their Start on Broadway, Maybe, I Don’t Know, We’re Banned from Wikipedia

by The Broadway Beat writers, in alphabetical order: Mike Abrams, Jake Alexander, Isabella Basile, Kinsey Jasnoch, Matt Keeley, Sarah Lasko, Shaina Maitino, Conor Moroney, Rocky Paterra, Edward Precht, Zach Raffio, HaleyJane Rose, Ben Schrager, Brady Thomas, Reilly Wilmit

Broadway just wrapped up arguably its starriest season to-date, but did you know that some major actors actually began their careers on a New York Stage? Well, we’re assuming that’s the case anyway. We actually got banned from Wikipedia earlier this year for some NORMAL STUFF, so can’t cross reference any of these.

Still, we probably got at least some right, so here’s a list of 15 actors who might have gotten their starts on Broadway.

Kate Winslet

The Academy Award winner is one of the UK’s finest performers, but did you know she actually made her professional acting debut on Broadway? That sounds like it could maybe be true, yeah? She was Mare of Easttown which we can’t watch because we’re also somehow banned from HBO GO. - ZR

One of the Stranger Things Kids

I know it's, like, one of them, but they won't let me see. Gotta be the bald one, right? Is there a bald one? - EP

Peppa Pig

Her accent is heavily borrowed from her turn as Mrs. Lovett. - HJR

Shirley Temple

Before her film career spread laughter and hope across the country during the Great Depression, Shirley was actually one of Broadway’s original Matildas in 2013. - RP

Timothée Chalamet

Before he was riding sand worms, he was riding down the Great White Way. Timothy Chambers (legal name) starred as a pickpocket in the 1963 original production of Oliver! In press for his role of Bob Dylan, he recalled his Broadway training: “I didn’t take singing lessons then, either.” - JA

It’s actually quite unfair that they banned us by the way. Like, god forbid we make a mistake after our 19th warning? All because we were just doing NORMAL STUFF?

Danny DeVito

This titan of screen and stage solidified his stardom after appearing in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, first in the Oscar-winning film, then the stage adaptation, and currently in the Philadelphia Psychiatric Institute where he believes himself to be Frank Reynolds. - MK

David Hyde Pierce DHP was found on the doorsteps of the Todd Haimes Theatre as a baby - already reciting "Modern Major General" from memory. - SM

Gritty

Before his Philadelphia Flyers fame, Gritty began his career at Avenue Q, performing the role of Trekkie Monster at Wednesday matinees. - IB

LeBron James

In an attempt to win the "Greatest of All Time" debate, Lebron joined the cast of MJ: The Musical before joining the NBA. - MA

The Dog from Anatomy of a Fall

Before skyrocketing to fame for his unforgettable performance in Oscar-winner Anatomy of a Fall, Messi the border collie made his Broadway debut as Nana in the 1998 revival production of Peter Pan, followed by a compelling turn as Snoopy in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. But it was his critically-acclaimed performance of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables that earns him a spot on this list.- SL

Lindsay Lohan

Lohan began her career playing both twins in Nancy Meyers' stage version of The Parent Trap, though it was later decided that they needed the magic of film editing to get the point across. - KJ

Carrie Coon

We couldn't find her credits, but don't lie - you knew deep down that any cast member of The Gilded Age would fit the bill. - BT

Adele Dazeem

Before making her one televised performance at the Oscars, she apparently sang a song on Broadway between 44th and 45th street. - CM

Did you know that if you hit 'Dismiss' on the little sidebar where they ask you for a donation, Wikipedia is straight-up able to ban you? That can't be legal. They can't just do that.

Big Bird:

Thaddeus “Big Bird” Francis started his career treading the boards of the Great White Way in a critically acclaimed turn as Stanley in A Street Car Named Desire. Now known for his controversial pivot to prime time television, Big Bird’s legacy was marred by a series of drug-induced onset meltdowns before his untimely death in the Challenger Explosion. - RW

Mr. Broadway, the Man Who Broadway is Named After:

I ate at a kosher deli called Mr. Broadway once and they told me this is all 100% true, soooooo… maybe? Would be helpful to have Wikipedia right about now. He produced The Black Crook. - BS

Well, there you have it. 15 of the biggest stars on the planet, who actually got their start on Broadway, maybe. We tried logging in from a new IP address but they figured us out. All because we were doing completely, utterly, and indisputably NORMAL STUFF, and by that, we of course mean editing the King Kong page to note that the puppet is a real living guy and is also our friend.

Photo credits:

Shirley Temple by Charles Lamont - Glad Rags to Riches, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8763534

Kate Winslet by Somewhere In Toronto - Kate Winslet, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=75865616

LeBron James by Erik Drost - https://www.flickr.com/photos/edrost88/53368751760/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=154856309

Timothée Chalamet by Somewhere In Toronto - https://www.flickr.com/photos/terras/30755014688/, CC BY-SA 2.0,

https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73078797

Idina Menzel by Ted Eytan - https://www.flickr.com/photos/taedc/52989314466/, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=146007555

Lindsay Lohan by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=163841764

Ll By Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=163841764