Taye Diggs

Even though Taye had been acting since his broadway days in 'Rent', "How Stella Got Her Groove Back", was the movie that put Taye on the map. His portrayal of a 20-year-old Jamaican who romances a woman twice his age, enchanted fans like me who'd never even heard of the man before that role.

Many people were surprised to find out that Taye wasn't even raised in the Caribbean. The 5'8" cutie, was born in New Jersey in 1971. He was raised by his mother (father is deceased), and is the oldest of five children. He grew up in Rochester, New York and attended Syracuse University, where he studied musical theater. He considered training to be a classical opera singer but eventually found that he liked to act much better.

An agent spotted him in a showcase his senior year at Syracuse, and shortly after graduation, Diggs joined the cast of the Tony Award-winning revival of "Carousel." He then went overseas to work for eight months as part of a Caribbean revue at Tokyo Disneyland. When he came back to the US, Taye had the opportunity to play a role that would change his life.

"I did a couple of auditions when I got back before I landed on for a little play called 'Rent,'" he joked. "I had no idea it would become the hit it did, but it was a heck of an experience. We [the case of 'Rent'] became a family of sorts. I hold that time of my life very close to my heart.

Taye played Benny, the landlord, in the original Broadway cast of "Rent." The Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning production provided a boost to not only Diggs' career, but to his lovelife as well. He began dating one of his castmates, Idina Menzel, who was in the original Broadway cast of Rent with him.

Their characters may have been at complete odds, but their real-life personalities fell right into place. Not only did they date, but they moved in together after the production. When the play's producer passed away, the two did a duo called "You Call My Name". Taye and Idina sang the song at the Today4U Benefit back in March of '97. The benefit was honoring the late Jonathan Larson by having the RENT cast and other celebrities sing Jonathan's original songs.

Next stop for Taye came when he landed his first feature film role co-starring with Angela Basset. He said he felt thankful that he got the role. But what a lot of people don't know is that Taye Diggs is not just an actor, but also a teacher and choreographer

He has taught at dance at The Millennium Dance Complex and The Edge Dance Studio in LA, Syracuse Univeristy Dance Program, Ohio Mission Academy, Busch Gardens Choreography Workshop and Rochester School of the Arts.

Other movie credits include "House on Haunted Hill," "The Best Man," "The Wood," "Go" and "Brown Sugar."