Hollywood actors who have starred on Broadway

Some actors, like Tom Hanks, can do it all. The Hollywood legend made his Broadway debut in 2013 by starring in Lucky Guy, the last piece of work written by Nora Ephron. Hanks was nominated for a Tony Award for his work in the production, but he came up short of earning one of the sacred letters required for EGOT status. 

If you saw Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman or Les Miserables, you won’t be shocked to learn that his career started in the theater. Jackman has performed on stages across the world, including several on Broadway. The Wolverine himself has credits like The Boy From Oz, A Steady Rain, and The Music Man under his Broadway belt, as well as a Tony Award.

Tina Fey’s biggest claim to fame in the Broadway world is her work writing the book for the musical Mean Girls, but the SNL alum has acted on the Broadway stage, too. In 2021, Fey joined Broadway legend Lin-Manuel Miranda for his Freestyle Love Supreme show, an improv performance that stars such as Daveed Diggs has been featured in. 

Denzel Washington is another huge Hollywood actor who’s also got several Broadway credits. The award-winning actor has starred in productions of Julius Caesar and A Raisin in the Sun, and he’s one of the few people to have starred in the Broadway and Hollywood productions of a play-turned-film. In 2010, Washington starred in the revival of August Wilson’s play Fences, and in 2016, he starred in the film adaptation of the same name. 

Another Hollywood actor with a Tony Award is Andrew Garfield. The Spiderman star is no stranger to the theater, having starred in multiple Broadway productions, including Death of a Salesman and Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes, the latter of which he won his Tony for. 

Al Pacino will take Andrew Garfield’s Tony Award and raise him one. The Scarface star has appeared on Broadway well over a dozen times, and he’s been honored for his roles in productions like The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel and Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, both of which date back decades. Pacino is just as much a Broadway legend as in Hollywood. 

Lea Michele is another star who could be categorized as either Hollywood or Broadway. Though she’s now best known as the woman who took over Beanie Feldstein’s role in Funny Girl, her roots are in the theater, and she’s starred in productions of some of the most famous musicals in history, like Les Miserables, Ragtime, and Fiddler on the Roof. 

Jane Lynch and Lea Michele have a lot in common. They both starred in Glee, they’ve both starred in multiple Broadway productions, and they both starred in the revival of Funny Girl, though their time in Funny Girl didn’t overlap. Lynch’s first role on Broadway was as Miss Hannigan in a production of Annie. 

Daniel Radcliffe’s Broadway debut created quite a stir. The Harry Potter star took his leading role in the revival of Equus from the West End to Broadway, and though his performance was critically acclaimed, the biggest headlines were those concerning his full-frontal scene. In the end, his performance was louder than the nudity, as he’s returned to the Broadway stage multiple times since the production ended. 

Scarlett Johansson is an underrated talent. She’s one of the only people to have ever been nominated in acting categories twice in the same year at the Academy Awards, and she’s got a Tony Award. She won her award for her performance in A View from the Bridge, and she returned to the stage three years later to star in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. 

Neil Patrick Harris is as familiar with Broadway productions as he is with television shows. The How I Met Your Mother star has credits in multiple Broadway productions, including Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Cabaret. NPH has been involved in the Tony Awards in various ways, too, as a host of the show twice and as a winner of the Best Actor in a Musical category. 

In case you didn’t know, Keke Palmer can sing. The former child star is multitalented, and she used her voice in the 2013 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, though Palmer didn’t take the stage until 2014. Palmer was the last of the five actors to play Ella, following in the footsteps of Laura Osnes, who originated the role for the show’s particular run, and Carly Rae Jepsen, the third actor to play the part.

Jude Law’s time on Broadway has been acclaimed by critics, and he’s garnered multiple award nominations for his roles in Hamlet and Indiscretions. This should come as no surprise, as Law’s got ample experience in the theater across the globe. The Sherlock Holmes actor has worked multiple times in London’s West End. 

The 2013 production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella brought a roster of Hollywood stars to the Broadway stage, many of whom had never taken to the famed theater district before. Fran Drescher took over the role of Madame in the musical in 2014, acting as the fourth of six to play the part. Other famous names listed in the Playbill as Madame included Sherri Shepherd and NeNe Leakes.

When you’re a Hollywood star, you seem to have license to appear on Broadway when it fits into your schedule. Some return to the stage frequently, while others, like Josh Groban, appear about once a decade. In 2003, Groban starred in his first Broadway production, Chess, and he didn’t return until 2016 when he starred in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812. Groban took another break from Broadway after his departure from his second production, only to return in 2023 to play the titular character in the Sweeney Todd revival. 

Who hasn’t played Roxie Hart on Broadway? The revival has been running in New York City since 1996, and a string of famous women have taken the stage to play the famous Bob Fosse character. Pamela Anderson took her turn as Roxie Hart in Chicago for a couple of months in 2022, and names like Lisa Rinna, Mel B, Jennifer Nettles, Rita Wilson, Brooke Shields, Melanie Griffith, Ashlee Simpson, Christie Brinkley, and Michelle Williams. 

Bryan Cranston of Breaking Bad fame starred in both Network and All The Way on Broadway, winning a Tony Award for his performance in each of the shows, but his time on Broadway goes beyond his acting roles. Cranston also produced the musical Finding Neverland, which premiered in 2015 and ran until the following year. 

Yes, even Will Ferrell has been on Broadway. The comedian wrote and starred in You’re Welcome America, a play about President George W. Bush. Ferrell became notorious for his impression of the former president after performing it several times throughout his tenure on Saturday Night Live. The show ran in the famed theater district for just over two months in 2009. 

Though she’s best known for playing Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City and its many progenies, Sarah Jessica Parker has been on the Broadway stage since she was a child. In 1976, she starred in The Innocents, and three years later, she returned to play Annie in Annie. SJP has also starred in productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Once Upon a Mattress, and Plaza Suite. 

If you’ve been wondering what Ferris Bueller’s been acting in as of late, the answer is (mostly) Broadway shows. The Tony Award winner is perhaps most prolific on the stage, performing in shows like Night Must Fall and The Odd Couple. He’s even starred alongside his wife, Sarah Jessica Parker, in revivals of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Plaza Suite. 

Though Michelle Williams hasn’t been on Broadway much, her time has been significant. In 2016, she starred as Una in Blackbird, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. But before that, Williams starred in the 2014 revival of Cabaret, the famed musical for which Liza Minelli is best known (though she never performed in the production on Broadway). When Williams departed Cabaret , she was replaced by Emma Stone, and Sienna Miller closed the performance.