Notable Alumni of LaGuardia High School: Shaping the Arts and Beyond
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, a New York City institution, has been a training ground for gifted and talented students since its establishment in 1936. Originally founded as a special high school for music and art, it later merged with a similar performing arts school in 1961, solidifying its position as a premier arts education center. LaGuardia's alumni have made significant contributions across various fields, including film, television, theater, music, architecture, design, journalism, and more.
Performing Arts: Actors, Directors, and Broadway Stars
LaGuardia High School has produced numerous acclaimed actors and actresses who have made significant impacts in film, television, and theater through their performances.
Robert De Niro, who briefly attended LaGuardia High School in the 1950s before its formal merger, has made substantial impacts as a director and producer in film. He directed A Bronx Tale (1993), a coming-of-age crime drama adapted from his one-man off-Broadway show, and The Good Shepherd (2006), a historical espionage thriller starring Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie. As a producer, De Niro co-founded Tribeca Productions in 1989, overseeing projects like Cape Fear (1991) and the Tribeca Film Festival, which he established in 2002 to support independent filmmakers post-9/11.
Al Pacino is one of the biggest stars; he has two Tony Awards, an Academy Award, four Golden Globes and two Primetime Emmys. It should come as no shock that he received his earliest performance training at LaGuardia. Just about 10 years after finishing up high school, he was on Broadway in Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?, for which he earned his first Tony Award. He went on to make such legendary films as The Godfather, Scarface and Glengarry Glen Ross. He was most recently on Broadway in a revival of Glengarry Glen Ross though on stage he played the role of Shelly Levene, and he returns to Broadway in David Mamet's China Doll.
Jennifer Aniston attended LaGuardia in the 1980s.
Read also: Applying to LaGuardia Community College
Timothée Chalamet attended LaGuardia high school along with Ansel Elgort.
Sarah Paulson, class of 1993, achieved Emmy recognition for her multifaceted performances, including multiple nominations for her roles in the FX anthology series American Horror Story (2011-present), where she portrayed characters like Cordelia Foxx and Audrey Tindall.[5][17] She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie in 2016 for her portrayal of prosecutor Marcia Clark in *The People v. O. J.
James Burrows (class of 1958), a graduate of the High School of Music & Art, which later merged to form Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, is a prolific television director renowned for helming over 1,000 episodes of sitcoms. His notable directing credits include the pilots and multiple episodes of Cheers (1982-1993), Taxi (1978-1983), Friends (1994-2004), and Will & Grace (1998-2006), earning him widespread acclaim for shaping ensemble comedy dynamics. Burrows has won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series, including for episodes of The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-1977), Cheers, and Frasier (1993-2004), along with five Directors Guild of America Awards.
Priscilla Lopez is probably most famous for creating the role of Morales in A Chorus Line, and specifically for singing "Nothing," a song that pulls heavily from her own experiences at LaGuardia High School. As Lopez told Seth Rudetsky last year, she really did tell an acting teacher that she felt nothing during an acting exercise and her classmates really did turn on her, but in real life she didn't end up transferring to a different school. She found what she was good at and started earning praise from both her teachers and classmates. She went on to enjoy a healthy Broadway career, earning a Tony nomination for her performance in A Chorus Line and winning one for A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine. Most recently, she appeared in In the Heights and Pippin.
Martin Charnin started his Broadway career after LaGuardia as a performer; he made his Broadway debut as "Big Deal" in the original company of West Side Story, a role he would go on to play over 1,000 times on Broadway as well as on the road. He also worked as a lyricist and director on several Off-Broadway revues, roles that became the focus of his later career on Broadway. He made his Broadway debut as a lyricist in 1963 with Hot Spot, though he's probably best known for writing the lyrics and directing the original production of 1977's super-hit Annie.
Read also: Explore LaGuardia
Speaking of performers-turned-directors, Lonny Price also went to LaGuardia High School. After graduating, Price become somewhat of a wunderkind, making his Broadway debut just four years later. He followed that up by originating the role of Charley Kringas in Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Merrily We Roll Along. He eventually came to focus on a career as a director, making his Broadway directorial (and writing) debut in 1994 with Joan Rivers' Sally Marr…and Her Escorts. More recently, he has become well known for his successful concert productions of musicals, including the New York Philharmonic's Sweeney Todd, Candide, Passion, Camelot and Company. On Broadway, he wrote, directed and starred in A Class Act and, most recently, directed Audra McDonald in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill.
After some early stage credits (like Talking Pictures at the Signature Theatre), Sarah Paulson found success on television. She's appeared on "Jack & Jill," "Deadwood," "Nip/Tuck" and "American Horror Story." in addition to movies like "Down with Love," "What Women Want" and "Serenity." She made her Broadway debut in 2005, playing Laura Wingfield opposite Jessica Lange's Amanda in The Glass Menagerie. In 2010, she appeared opposite Linda Lavin in Donald Margulies' Collected Stories. Currently, she's slated to appear as prosecutor Marcia Clark in Ryan Murphy's "American Crime Story: The People v. O.J.
Ellen Barkin attended Hunter College, majoring in both drama and history. Though at one time she planned to teach ancient history, Barkin ended up becoming an actress, and quite a successful one at that. She's best known for her film work, having appeared in "The Big Easy," "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," "Sea of Love" and "Switch," to name a few. In 20011, she made her Broadway debut as Dr. Emma Brookner in The Normal Heart, a performance that earned her a Tony Award. Most recently, she portrayed "Dani Kirschenbloom" on TV's "Happyish," and has completed filming for two films currently in post-production, "Animal Kingdom" and "Hands of Stone."
Gina Torres attended LaGuardia high school in the mid-1980s, where she studied voice.
Music: From Classical to Jazz and Broadway
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School has produced several distinguished alumni in the field of classical music performance, spanning instrumentalists and vocalists who have achieved international acclaim through solo recitals, orchestral collaborations, and operatic roles.
Read also: Your Guide to LaGuardia Community College
Murray Perahia (Performing Arts, class of 1963) is an acclaimed American pianist and conductor, renowned for his refined interpretations of composers such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven. He won two Grammy Awards for his recordings of Frédéric Chopin's complete Études and Bach's English Suites Nos. 1, 3, and 6, and has released numerous albums on Sony Classical (formerly CBS Masterworks), including complete cycles of Beethoven's piano sonatas. Perahia made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1968 and has served as co-artistic director of the Academy of St.
Gloria Davy (M&A, class of 1951) was a pioneering spinto soprano and the first African American to perform the title role in Giuseppe Verdi's Aida at the Metropolitan Opera, making her debut in that production on February 12, 1958. She appeared regularly at the Met through 1961 and internationally at venues like La Scala and the Vienna State Opera, excelling in dramatic roles from Richard Strauss's Salome-which she performed in Braunschweig in 1961-to Verdi's Requiem.
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School has produced several influential figures in jazz, known for their innovative contributions to improvisation, ensemble playing, and genre-blending.
Billy Cobham (M&A '62), a pioneering jazz fusion drummer, gained prominence in the 1970s for his work with Miles Davis on albums like Big Fun (1970) and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, where his polyrhythmic style and large drum kit redefined percussion in jazz-rock ensembles. He led his own group on the seminal solo album Spectrum (1973), featuring collaborations with musicians like Lee Sklar and featuring tracks such as "Red Baron," which showcased his explosive technique and earned critical acclaim for bridging jazz and rock.
Eddie Gomez (M&A '62), an acclaimed double bassist, is renowned for his 11-year tenure with the Bill Evans Trio, contributing to over a dozen albums including Waltz for Debby (1961) and Conversations with Myself (1963), where his lyrical walking bass lines and melodic solos elevated the trio's interactive sound. As a leader, Gomez released Discovery (1985) on Contemporary Records, highlighting his versatility through compositions like "Night and Day," and he has collaborated with Chick Corea, Gerry Mulligan, and McCoy Tyner on projects such as Three Quartets (1981).
Marcus Miller (M&A '76), a Grammy-winning bassist, producer, and composer, revolutionized jazz-funk with his slap bass technique and genre fusion, notably on David Sanborn's Voyeur (1981) and Miles Davis's Tutu (1986), where he arranged and performed on tracks like "Don't Lose Your Mind," blending electric bass grooves with sophisticated harmonies. Leading his own projects, Miller's album The Sun Don't Lie (1993) on Dreyfus Jazz featured collaborations with Shalah Kipp and earned a Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Album, while M2 (2001) showcased his multi-instrumental prowess on saxophone and bass.
Don Byron (M&A '75), a versatile clarinetist and saxophonist, is celebrated for expanding jazz boundaries through klezmer and classical influences, as heard in his debut album Tukuleor (1992) on Blue Note Records, which integrated West African rhythms with clarinet improvisation, and collaborations with Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy.
Arturo O'Farrill (LaG '80), a pianist and bandleader specializing in Afro-Latin jazz, founded the Grammy-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra in 2007, releasing albums like Song for Chico (2008) on Zoho Music, which won the Grammy for Best Latin Jazz Album and featured collaborations with his father, Chico O'Farrill. His work The Offense of the Drum (2022) addressed social justice themes through explosive ensemble playing, earning another Grammy nomination, and in 2025, he received two Grammy nominations for Best Latin Jazz Album for projects highlighting Cuban rhythms.
Lakecia Benjamin (LaG '00), an alto saxophonist and bandleader representing contemporary jazz innovation, particularly as a prominent female voice, released Phoenix (2020) on Whirlwind Recordings, featuring tributes to icons like Wayne Shorter and collaborations with Kris Davis, which earned critical acclaim for its bold improvisation and thematic depth on rebirth. Her album Noble Rise (2025) blends R&B, funk, and jazz, nominated for a 2026 Grammy for Best Jazz Album, and she has performed with icons like Wayne Shorter and at festivals like the Newport Jazz Festival in 2025.
Ezra Laderman (M&A 1941) was a prolific American composer known for over 100 works, including symphonies, chamber music, and operas such as Marilyn (premiered in 1993 by San Francisco Opera) and The Sacrifice (1979).
Cy Coleman (M&A 1947) was a renowned composer of Broadway musicals, earning three Tony Awards for the original scores of Sweet Charity (1966), On the Twentieth Century (1978), and City of Angels (1990), along with the Pulitzer Prize for City of Angels, as well as scores for films and television.
Mitch Leigh (M&A 1946) composed the score for the Broadway hit Man of La Mancha (1965), which won a Tony Award for Best Musical and featured the iconic song "The Impossible Dream," selling over 3 million records.
Marilyn Bergman (M&A 1945) was an Oscar-winning lyricist who co-wrote songs for films like The Way We Were (1973) and Yentl (1983), earning two Academy Awards and multiple Emmys for television themes.
Leon Botstein (M&A 1963) is a prominent conductor and music director of the American Symphony Orchestra since 1992, leading performances of rarely heard works by composers like Mahler and Ives, and serving as president of Bard College.
David Zinman (M&A 1953) is an internationally acclaimed conductor who served as music director of the Baltimore Symphony (1983-1998), Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich (1995-2014), and Philadelphia Orchestra's summer series, earning a Grammy for Beethoven symphonies.
Curtis Stewart (LaG 2004) is a contemporary composer and violinist whose works blend classical, jazz, and electronic elements, including Night Study (2019) commissioned by the Sphinx Organization and Coleridge-Taylor (2024), nominated for a 2026 Grammy.
As one of the industry's most prolific and successful orchestrators, musical directors and composers, Jonathan Tunick is one of only 12 people to have an EGOT, having won Tony Awards, Oscars, Emmy Awards and Grammy Awards. He's most active on Broadway, and associated heavily with the work of Stephen Sondheim. He began orchestrating Sondheim's scores in 1970 with the original production of Company, going on to orchestrate Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, Passion and The Frogs. Hardly a season goes by without his work appearing on the Great White Way, and this one is no exception; his work is also heard from the orchestra pit of Dames At Sea.
After high school at LaGuardia, Julia Murney became so popular and well-known for her Broadway charity appearances, that many were surprised to learn she had not yet appeared on Broadway. She created the role of Queenie in the 2000 Off-Broadway premiere of Andrew Lippa's The Wild Party, as well as the role of Felicia in A Class Act, though she did not continue with the latter production when it transferred to Broadway. She made her Broadway debut in 2005 in Lennon, later donning the green makeup to become Elphaba in Wicked. More recently, Murney has appeared Off-Broadway at the York in Closer Than Ever and at St. Louis's MUNY in Shrek, where she played Princess Fiona. She also performs with orchestras frequently. Her concert "The Wizard and I: The Musical Journey of Stephen Schwartz," was recently presented in Omaha, NE.
Visual Arts: Architecture, Design, and Fine Art
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School has produced several distinguished alumni who have applied their artistic foundations from the school's rigorous visual arts programs to innovative work in architecture and design, blending creativity with functional and aesthetic problem-solving. These graduates often credit the institution's emphasis on drawing, spatial thinking, and interdisciplinary collaboration for shaping their approaches to built environments and product design.
Elizabeth Diller (class of 1971), co-founder of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, is a leading architect whose firm has redefined public spaces through technology-integrated designs, including the High Line in New York City (opened 2009), which transformed an abandoned rail line into a linear park visited by millions annually, and the Broad Museum in Los Angeles (2015), emphasizing immersive art experiences. Her work has earned the MacArthur Fellowship in 1999 for pioneering performative architecture and the 2019 Jane Drew Prize for women in architecture.
Charles Gwathmey (class of 1956, deceased 2009), a principal at Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects, was a key figure in modernist residential and institutional design, known for geometric precision in projects such as the David Kempner House in New York (1970) and the addition to the Fogg Art Museum at Harvard (1991), which balanced historical context with contemporary forms. His firm's portfolio included over 1,000 buildings, earning multiple American Institute of Architects awards, and he endowed the Robert Gwathmey Chair in Art and Architecture at Cooper Union.
Robert Siegel (class of 1957), co-founder of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates (later Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman Architects), contributed to high-profile commissions like the 9 West 54th Street residential tower in Manhattan (ongoing as of 2023) and the Yale University Art Gallery expansion (1990s planning), focusing on urban integration and material innovation. The firm, under his influence, completed projects emphasizing contextual modernism, such as the MIT Hillel House (1995), and received the AIA Firm Award in 1985.
Andrew Geller (class of 1941, deceased 2011), an influential mid-century modernist, specialized in playful, affordable coastal architecture, designing over 100 whimsical beach houses on Long Island, including the iconic "Toaster House" in Bridgehampton (1959) with its folded-plate roof evoking everyday objects. His work for Raymond Loewy Associates extended to industrial design, like streamlined kitchen appliances, and he later painted architectural watercolors exhibited at the Whitney Museum.
Michael Pittas (class of 1959), an urban design expert and former Director of the Design Arts Program at the National Endowment for the Arts (1978-1983) and Dean of Otis Art Institute (1984-1985), advanced public architecture through initiating national architect selection competitions and served as a professor at Harvard's Graduate School of Design, promoting interdisciplinary urban solutions.
In fashion and industrial design, alumni have leveraged LaGuardia's studio techniques for wearable and product innovation.
Franklin Rowe (class of circa 1970s), a veteran designer blending 1940s glamour with modern silhouettes, created couture gowns featured in Vogue and worn by stars like Taye Diggs, launching lines like Fifi for plus-size women (2003) and earning Hennessy Cognac's Designer of the Year award.
Isaac Mizrahi (class of 1979), a multifaceted designer and performer, founded his eponymous brand in 1987, known for colorful, accessible womenswear sold at Target (2002-2008 partnership reaching millions) and costume designs for films like Unzipped (1995).
Shelli Segal (class of 1972, deceased 2020), founder of Laundry by Shelli Segal (launched 1987), pioneered contemporary sportswear with glamorous, versatile pieces like draped gowns, growing the brand into a global staple retailed at Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom.
Audrey Flack (class of 1948; died June 28, 2024) was a pioneering photorealist painter and sculptor renowned for her hyper-detailed still-life compositions that blend feminist themes with vanitas motifs, such as her iconic painting Queen (1975-1976), which features a regal skull adorned with jewelry to critique vanity and gender roles. Her work played a significant role in the Women's Art Movement of the 1970s, where she was the only woman among the original photorealists, using airbrushing techniques to achieve luminous precision in pieces like Marilyn (Vanitas) (1977), a tribute to Monroe that incorporates personal artifacts and pop culture icons. Flack's paintings have been exhibited at major institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Solomon R.
Journalism, Broadcasting, and Media
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and its predecessor schools, the High School of Music & Art and the High School of Performing Arts, have produced several influential figures in journalism, broadcasting, and media production, many of whom drew on their arts training to enhance their communicative skills in reporting and on-air presentation.
Susan Stamberg (High School of Music & Art, class of 1955) was a pioneering radio journalist and one of NPR's founding mothers, serving as a special correspondent from 2002 until her retirement in September 2025. She hosted NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday and All Things Considered segments, emphasizing arts and culture coverage, and received multiple Peabody Awards for her innovative broadcasting, including descriptions of visual arts adapted for radio listeners. Her early training in music and art at the school informed her approach to storytelling, allowing her to weave performative elements into news segments.
Margot Adler (High School of Music & Art, class of 1964) was an NPR correspondent based in New York City.
Michael Che attended LaGuardia high school and graduated in 2001. After high school, Che performed stand-up around the city before appearing on John Oliver's stand-up special in 2012.
Other Notable Alumni
Carole Bayer Sager, class of 1961, is a renowned singer-songwriter whose career began during her high school years at the High School of Music & Art, the predecessor to LaGuardia High School. She released her self-titled debut album in 1977, featuring self-penned tracks that blended pop and soul influences, with the lead single "You're Moving Out Today," co-written with Bette Midler and Bruce S.
Chaz Bono attended LaGuardia in the 1980s.
tags: #laguardia #high #school #notable #alumni
