Broadway has always been a training ground for some of the world’s greatest performers. The discipline, stamina, and craft demanded by the stage often translate beautifully to the camera. Some actors find themselves moving seamlessly between the two worlds, carrying the essence of live performance into their screen roles. Here’s a look at a few who have successfully built careers in both Broadway and Hollywood.
Carrie Coon
Known for her searing stage work in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (for which she earned a Tony nomination), Carrie Coon quickly caught the attention of television and film audiences with The White Lotus, The Leftovers, Fargo, and The Gilded Age. Her ability to bring quiet intensity to both stage and screen has made her one of the most versatile actors of her generation.
Sam Rockwell
Before his Oscar-winning turn in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Rockwell sharpened his craft on stage in plays like Fool for Love and A Behanding in Spokane. He returned to Broadway in 2022 in American Buffalo alongside Laurence Fishburne and Darren Criss, proving his deep roots in live performance.
Cynthia Nixon
Long before Sex and the City made her a household name, Cynthia Nixon was a Broadway regular—making her debut at age 14 in The Philadelphia Story and famously performing in two Broadway shows simultaneously at age 18 (Hurlyburly and The Real Thing). She later won a Tony Award for Rabbit Hole and continues to balance stage roles with a thriving screen career, most recently on The Gilded Age and reprising Miranda in And Just Like That.
Natalie Portman
Portman made her stage debut in The Diary of Anne Frank on Broadway as a teenager, showcasing early on the depth that would define her film work. While she’s best known for Black Swan (for which she won an Oscar), Jackie, and Star Wars, her theater roots reflect the training and presence that ground her screen career.
Sarah Jessica Parker
Before she became Carrie Bradshaw, Parker was a Broadway baby, starring in Annie at age 14 and later in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Once Upon a Mattress. Though television cemented her pop-culture status, she frequently returns to the stage, most recently co-starring with Matthew Broderick in Plaza Suite—a reminder that her stage chops remain as sharp as ever.
Meryl Streep
Often hailed as the greatest living actress, Streep began her career in the theater, including Shakespeare in the Park and Broadway roles before her meteoric rise in film. She has periodically returned to the stage while dominating cinema with performances in Sophie’s Choice, Doubt, The Devil Wears Prada, and August: Osage County—all roles that draw heavily from her stage training.
Timothée Chalamet
Chalamet’s breakout came with Call Me By Your Name, but his roots trace back to Broadway, where he appeared in The Talls and Prodigal Son, the latter earning him rave reviews. He continues to balance Hollywood blockbusters like Dune and Wonka with his stage sensibilities, hinting at more theater work in his future.
Denzel Washington
Washington’s towering presence on screen (Training Day, The Book of Eli, Glory) has always been matched by his stage work. He’s taken on some of theater’s most iconic roles, including Julius Caesar, A Raisin in the Sun, and The Iceman Cometh, and most recently Othello in 2025. His Tony-winning turn in Fences exemplifies how he bridges the worlds of Broadway and Hollywood with equal force.
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For these performers, the theater is more than just a career stepping stone—it’s an artistic home. The immediacy of a live audience, the rigor of nightly performance, and the intimacy of the stage all inform their film and television work. As Broadway and Hollywood continue to overlap, these actors prove that great storytelling transcends medium.