HOT GALLERY: Check Out These Retro Pics of Celebs Who Lit Up the Broadway Stage Before the Big Screen

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Anna Kendrick, Senior Year at Deering High School, Portland, ME (2003)

In high school in Maine, Kendrick’s star was already rising on Broadway. The young actress began commuting to New York for auditions when she was only ten. Her family moved to New York for the run of the show when she was cast in High Society, a musical which garnered the 12-year-old a Tony nomination in 1998.

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Anna Kendrick at the What to Expect When You’re Expecting premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, CA (2012)

The star made her screen debut in 2003 in the indie musical Camp featuring a cameo by celebrated composer Stephen Sondheim. She gained wide recognition after appearing with George Clooney in Up in the Air. Still flying high with projects like Twilight, 50/50 and What to Expect When You’re Expecting, she will return to music again with the sequel to her hit feature Pitch Perfect.

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Bebe Neuwirth, Senior Year at Princeton High School, Princeton, NJ (1976)

Lucky for Broadway fans, Bebe Neuwirth only looks like she's ready to head straight from Princeton High School to Princeton Law School. The triple threat performer began dance lessons at age five and performed with the Princeton Regional Ballet Company before making her Broadway debut as Sheila in A Chorus Line.

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Bebe Neuwirth at the Human Rights Campaign Greater New York Gala at The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, NY (2010)

Neuwirth went on to win two Tony Awards, one for Sweet Charity and one for Chicago. She moved on to television, proving her acting abilities in hit shows like Frasier and The Good Wife. And like any good NY actor, her credits include Law & Order. She's also appeared in numerous films, but continues to be a force on stage, most recently headlining The Addams Family with Nathan Lane.

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Glenn Close, Senior Year, Rosemary Hall, Greenwich, CT (1965)

This innocent teenager reflects nothing of the formidable actress fans know. Close debuted on Broadway in Love for Love in 1974. Following that was a Tony nomination for Barum, and three Tony wins for The Real Thing, Death and the Maide, and Sunset Boulevard.

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Glenn Close at the 39th Annual Chaplin Awards Gala in New York, NY (2012)

The powerful stage actress has enjoyed a career of portraying strong women through various mediums. With Norma Desmond and Patty Hewes on her resume, the smiling teenager morphed into an intimidating figure. Besides her Tony’s, Close has also collected three Oscar nominations (for Fatal Attraction, The Big Chill, and Albert Nobbs), and her portrayal of Patty Hewes in Damages has earned her two Emmy awards and a third nomination. Close will return to Broadway in October 2014 in A Delicate Balance.

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Jason Alexander (Jay Greenspan), Senior Year, Livingston High School, NJ (1977)

Only a year after this picture was taken, Jason Alexander would be making his Broadway debut—in a Sondheim musical. Merrily We Roll Along closed after only 16 performances, but Alexander went on to Jerome Robbins' Broadway. He nabbed a Tony Award for his work, which included a performance as Pseudolus from another Sondheim musical, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

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Jason Alexander at the Les Girls Enticing 11th Annual Cabaret Event in Hollywood, CA (2011)

Despite his numerous Broadway roles, Alexander will probably always be associated with his character George Costanza in Seinfeld, for which he received six Emmy nominations. Alexander continues to work on stage and on screen. He is currently attached to star in the film adaptation of Lucky Stiff and is involved in the LA theater scene as artistic director of the Reprise Theatre Company.

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John Lithgow, Junior Year at Princeton High School, Princeton, NJ (1962)

Looking handsome in his high school picture, John Lithgow went on to attend Harvard University where he saw a production that inspired him to pursue acting. He made his Broadway debut in The Changing Room in 1973 for which he won a Tony. He has since been nominated for Tony's for Don Juan, Requiem for a Heavyweight, M. Butterfly, and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and won a second Tony award in 2002 for Sweet Smell of Success.

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John Lithgow at the Rise of the Planet Apes premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, CA (2011)

Lithgow is known in television for his work on 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Dexter. His film career ranges from Terms of Endearment to Rise of the Planet Apes (the premiere of which he's seen attending above). He's returned to the stage in The Columnist which earned him a 2012 Tony nomination.

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Kevin Spacey (Fowler), Senior Year at Chatsworth High School, Los Angeles, CA (1977)

Kevin Spacey, seen here in a high school production of The Sound of Music with Mare Winningham, had his sights set on the theater and headed off to Juilliard School of Drama. From there he launched his stage career on Broadway, debuting in Ghosts. He won his first Tony for Lost in Yonkers in 1991 and was nominated again in 1999 for The Iceman Cometh.

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Kevin Spacy at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Washington D.C. (2012)

Well known for his work in American Beauty, Spacey has had a long film career and continues to work on high profile projects in various mediums expanding to the new media with David Fincher's House of Cards for Netflix.

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Kevin Kline, Junior Year at St. Louis Priory School, Creve Coeur, MO (1964)

From high school football player in the Midwest to Juilliard, Kevin Kline was in the first class of the drama school at Juilliard (with Broadway royalty Patti Lupone) and went on to be one of the founding members of The Acting Company (which has won its own Tony Award) making his Broadway debut for the company in Three Sisters. Kline won his first Tony for On the Twentieth Century and a second for The Pirates of Penzance.

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Kevin Kline at the Darling Companion at American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, CA (2012)

Following his success on Broadway, Kline has enjoyed a long career in film including The Big Chill and A Fish Called Wanda (which garnered him an Oscar). He most recently starred in Darling Companion with Diane Keaton and is returning to The Acting Company for a special performance with Dianne Wiest.

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Kristin Chenoweth, Senior Year at Broken Arrow High School, Broken Arrow, OK (1986)

This sweet Oklahoma native, Kristi Chenoweth, added an “n” to her name and set out on her way to a career as an opera singer. She took a detour to help a friend move to New York, and ended up at a musical audition for Animal Crackers at The Paper Mill Playhouse. Without an agent, manager, or Equity card, she booked the role and was on her way to the bright lights. She made her Broadway debut in Steel Pier, won a Tony for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown and followed it with a Tony nomination for Wicked.

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Kristin Chenoweth at the NewFront in New York City, NY (2012)

Since conquering Oz, Chenoweth’s worked in features (Four Christmases, You Again and the upcoming Hit & Run), in television (The West Wing, Pushing Daisies, and GCB) with stage appearances and concerts scattered in between. She's also written a book (A Little Bit Wicked), and recently released a country album, Some Lessons Learned.

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Lea Michele (Sarfati) Tenafly, NJ, Baby Photo

The adorable Lea Michele Sarfati knows how to charm the camera even as a baby. The charismatic actress made her Broadway debut at age eight as Cosette in Les Miserables. She moved immediately to Ragtime and then in high school she worked through the development of Spring Awakening and later came back to Les Miserables in concert at the Hollywood Bowl, this time playing the role of Eponine.

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Lea Michele at a screening of Glee at the Leonard Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood, CA (2012)

She continued her association with Les Miserables when she performed "On My Own" for an episode of her hit TV show Glee. Lea Michele was seen in New Year's Eve and is the voice of Dorothy in the animated film Dorothy of Oz.

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Matthew Broderick, Senior Year, Walden School, New York, NY (1980)

The son of two actors, the pensive high school student Matthew Broderick began his professional acting career off Broadway shortly after graduation and by 1983 he had a Tony Award for his work in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs. He followed it up with another win in 1995 for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and another nomination for The Producers (he later starred in the film version).

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Matthew Broderick at the 78th Annual Drama League Awards Ceremony and Luncheon at the Marriott Marquis in New York, NY (2012)

Broderick’s film career took off as well, with Ferris Bueller’s Day Off bringing him recognition. Most recently he was seen on the big screen in Tower Heist. In the television adaptation of The Music Man, Broderick put his song and dance skills to use again, and he recently worked on the Broadway production of Nice Work if You Can Get It. He'll return to Broadway in 2014.

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Nathan Lane (Joseph Lane), Senior Year at St. Peter’s Prep, Jersey City, NJ (1974)

Looks like Nathan Lane’s ready to leave high school to join a swing band. The singing and dancing comedian earned his first Tony nomination for Guys and Dolls in 1992. He followed it up with a Tony win in 1996 for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and The Producers in 2001.

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Nathan Lane at the USA Network and The Moths Characters Unite Storytelling Event at the Pacific Design Center in Hollywood, CA (2012)

Following his successful Broadway run of The Producers, he starred in the feature adaptation with fellow thespian Matthew Broderick. Lane also made a name for himself in the feature world starring opposite Robin Williams in The Birdcage and as the voice of Timon in The Lion King. And more recently Lane was seen onstage opposite Bebe Neuwirth in The Addams Family. He'll join Matthew Broderick on the stage in 2014.

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Sarah Jessica Parker, 7th Grade at Professional Childrens School, New York, NY (1978)

The curly-haired grinning Sarah Jessica Parker started from humble beginnings. She made her Broadway debut as child in a revival of William Archibald’s The Innocents and was later cast as a replacement in Annie. As an adult she has performed in the revivals of Once Upon A Mattress and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.

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Sarah Jessica Parker at Paris Fashion Week at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris, France (2012)

Despite her Broadway beginnings, the actress is most well known as Carrie Bradshaw from the hit HBO series Sex in the City. And when the NYC fashionista isn’t busy making movies, she’s out launching her own perfume and clothing lines.

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Stockard Channing (Susan Stockard), Senior Year at Madeira School, Greenway, VA (1961)

Growing up in high society, Susan Stockard went to Radcliffe College after high school, but soon began acting off-Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in Two Gentlemen of Verona—The Musical in 1971. She went on to win a Tony for Joe Egg in 1985 and received nominations for The House of Blue Leaves, Six Degrees of Separation, Four Baboons Adoring the Sun, The Lion in Winter and Pal Joey.

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Stockard Channing at the world premiere of Nurse Jackie, New York, NY (2009)

Channing performed in both the stage and screen versions of Six Degrees of Separation. She is widely known for her portrayal of Abbey Bartlett in The West Wing and on the big screen as Rizzo in the classic Grease. Channing received her 7th Tony nomination in 2011 for Jon Robin Baitz’s Other Desert Cities.