Find out how cast members of Rent became stars!

When the musical Rent debuted in the mid-nineties it took the world by storm. It won Tony awards, a Pulitzer Prize, and launched its original cast to stardom.

Take a look at how some of the original cast members of Rent made their way from the Broadway marquee to super stardom.

Adam Pascal: Adam Pascal played the role of wanna-be rocker Roger Davis in the original cast of Rent. He was born to Jewish paRents in the Bronx, but his family moved to Syosset, New York when he was younger. He was always attracted to music, and formed a number of rock bands, such as Mute.

As time passed, Adam became more interested in musical theater. A friend of his from high school mentioned the exhaustive New York casting going on for a new musical called Rent. Though he didn't have much experience, Adam auditioned for the musical on a whim, and was cast as Roger. He made the role famous, and earned a Tony nomination for his performance. By the time he left the cast in 1997, he was an established Broadway star, and went on to star in the Elton John musical Aida. He also used his stardom to release several rock and roll albums, and appeared in School of Rock with Jack Black. He reprised his role in Rent for the feature film adaptation, and is curRently filming several other movies.

Adam Pascal used his natural love of music and his rock and roll edge to bypass years of auditioning and star in a hit Broadway musical.

Jesse L. Martin: Jesse L. Martin played the role of computer geek and philosopher Tom Collins in the original cast of Rent. He was born to a trucker and a college counselor in Rocky Mount, Virginia, a rural mountain community. His paRents divorced when he was young, and his mother relocated to Buffalo, New York. Jesse was miserable after being relentlessly mocked for his thick Southern accent, and would hardly speak to anyone. A school counselor recommended trying out for the school drama department to boost his confidence. He was cast as a pastor and played the role as a fiery Southern Baptist. The role was a smash hit, and Jesse enrolled in a theater high school.

After attending Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, Jesse spent a few years doing regional theater before returning to New York City. Once there, he tried to support himself with soap opera roles, commercials, and small plays. He couldn't do this for long, and he soon had to work part-time as a waiter to make a living. One time his performance on a soap opera aired at a pizza parlor while he was working there! He continued to struggle until he met the then-unknown playwright Jonathan Larson who was working wait-staff at a diner with Jesse. Larson wrote Rent, and cast Jesse in the role of Tom Collins. Jesse's career took off from there, and he went on to perform on Broadway until he was cast as Detective Ed Green on Law & Order in 1999.

Jesse L. Martin used his connections at his day job to get cast in a major production.

Daphne Rubin-Vega:Daphne Rubin-Vega played the role of the free-spirited Mimi in the original cast of Rent. Daphne was born in Panama, but moved with her family to Greenwich Village in New York City at a young age without knowing a word of English. She was tenacious, though, and forcefully made her entrance into show business as a teenager. She confronted a music producer at David Bowie's recording session for the movie Labyrinth, and begged to be on the soundtrack. She was given a small vocal back-up role for her effort. She greatly exaggerated this credit, and was able to use it to get a spot on girl-band Pajama Party.

Daphne's time with Pajama Party taught her the ins and outs of the New York entertainment scene, and polished her skills as a performer and musician. She also joined an all-Latina comedy group called El Barrio, USA. The group became popular, and they performed regularly at Caroline's comedy club. During one of these performances a scout noticed her, and arranged an audition for the fledgling off-Broadway workshop for Rent. Daphne was immediately cast as Mimi, a character she helped develop with her already over-the-top personality. Daphne even used her personal wardrobe to make Mimi's costume!

Daphne Rubin-Vega used her natural skills as a performer and strong urge to be a star to create an image and break out in many diffeRent areas of show business.

American Idol Finalists: Reality TV stars have made their mark on the cast of Rent. American Idol contestants who make it into the finals, even if they don't come close to winning, often find careers on Broadway due to their national reality TV star status.

Tamyra Gray was a top contestant in the first season of American Idol, and was a favorite of the judges. Even though she lost the contest, she was given the role of Mimi on the Broadway production of Rent, where she became a marquee star.

Frenchie Davis was a contestant on season two of Idol, but was disqualified when topless photos of her surfaced that she had taken many years pervious. Even though she left Idol under embarrassing circumstances, she was still given a role in the ensemble cast of the Broadway production of Rent!

Whether you're from Panama, suburban New York, the Deep South, waiting tables at a pizzeria, or even lose a reality TV contest, there could be a place in a hit musical waiting for you!

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