Detailed Biography

Scott L. "Taye" Diggs is an American theatre, film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles in the Broadway musical Rent, the motion picture How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and the television series Private Practice. His nickname, Taye, comes from the playful pronunciation of Scotty as "Scottay".

Early life

Diggs was born in East Harlem but grew up in New Brunswick, New Jersey, the son of Marcia , 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 legendary musician John Gabriele. He is the oldest of five children; he has two brothers and two sisters. 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.

Career

In 1996, he got his big break, originating the role of the nasty landlord Benny in Jonathan Larson's Tony Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning Rent. 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 temporarily filled in for Norbert Leo Butz 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 . 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 on the character Renee Raddick and also the possible love interest on the Ling Woo character.

Diggs portrayed the title character on the short-lived UPN television series Kevin Hill. He reprised the role of Benny for the 2005 Rent film. Diggs is featured on the following cast recordings: Carousel 1994 revival cast; Rent 1996 original Broadway cast; The Wild Party original off-Broadway cast. He also sings on the Rent film soundtrack.

In 2003, Diggs was on Punk'd after being tricked by Ashton Kutcher, while getting a check-up at a Punk'd-operated doctor's office. In early 2006, Diggs guest-starred for several episodes as Will Truman's love interest, James, on the final season of Will & Grace. In May, ABC picked up his pilot, Day Break, in which he portrayed a detective trapped in the same day and forced to relive it to clear his name of murder; the show debuted in mid-November 2006, but was abruptly canceled due to poor ratings. Although his film and television career continue to move forward, he still returns to the stage frequently. Most recently he was seen alongside James McDaniel in Charles Fuller's A Soldier's Play at Second Stage Theatre in New York.

Diggs co-stars opposite Kate Walsh in Private Practice, the fall 2007 spin-off of Grey's Anatomy. Diggs had a guest role on The West Wing as a secret service agent in charge of the security detail for the president's daughter. He then guest-starred on Grey's Anatomy again in the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice Crossover Event.

Personal life

Diggs married his Rent and Wild Party Broadway co-star Idina Menzel on January 11, 2003 after 7 years of dating. The couple also starred in the Broadway musical Wicked together while Norbert Leo Butz was unavailable. They have a Yorkshire Terrier named Sammy Davis, Jr. and two cats named Ella and Coltrane, whom they call their 'jazz cats'. On December 6, 2004 it was reported by the New York Post that Menzel and Diggs were threatened with harm in a series of letters because of their interracial marriage. On September 2, 2009 the couple welcomed a baby boy named Walker Nathaniel Diggs.