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New York City attracts many artistic types. While there are many universities that teens gravitate towards from cities all over the country, there's one high school that's known for its robust art-focused program. LaGuardia High School of Music & Performing Arts is the city's most emblematic school, offering a starting point for actors and musicians of all ages. The school's reputation is such that it inspired the 1980s hit movie "Fame," following various students at a school of performing arts and following them through their freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years.
LaGuardia High School requires students to audition to get in, and provides them with instruction in either drama, dance, or music once they've been accepted. Here is a list of 10 celebrities who've attended the prestigious high school at some point in their lives.
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© GettyLourdes Leon
Madonna's eldest daughter, Lourdes Leon, is a graduate of LaGuardia High School. Earlier this week, she shared a photo of herself standing in front of her alma mater. She studied alongside some of the leading actors of her generation, including Ansel Elgort and Timothée Chalamet. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lourdes revealed that Chalamet was her first boyfriend. “I respect him a lot, we were a little item. My first boyfriend," she said.
Leon has reflected on her time in high school in some blog posts, looking back at it with some fondness. "I know that I was lucky enough to go to a truly exceptional High School that produces high-quality shows and actually teaches you the craft of what you’re studying," she wrote.
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© WireImageTimothée Chalamet
After becoming one of the leading actors of his generation, Timothée Chalamet is one of LaGuardia's most famous graduates. Through high school, Chalamet starred in different productions and shared different rap and music videos with his friends, some of which have adorably gone viral. In April of this year, Chalamet returned to his high school as a guest speaker, surprising students and former teachers. "When you have a guest speaker for your Career Management class… and Timothee Chalamet walks in the room…. You know it’s going to be a great day!" wrote the school in a post.
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© Backgrid/The Grosby GroupSuri Cruise
As the daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise and one of the most popular young New Yorkers, it makes sense that Suri Cruise attended LaGuardia High School. The Carnegie Mellon student graduated last year, and while we don't know yet what creative pursuits she'll follow in her life, she's been involved with the arts for years, starring in school theater productions and even performing a song for one of his mother's movies.
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© Getty ImagesJennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston graduated in 1987 from LaGuardia High School, having her big break seven years later, with "Friends." Aniston has discussed her years in the school, where she studied drama, and spent time with Chaz Bono, Cher, and Sonny Bono's son.
Aniston has opened up about meeting Cher and how nice she always was to her son's friends. “Well, I went to high school with Chaz and amongst our group of, our gaggle, we would always go to her house because it was nice. It was Cher," she said in an episode of "Live with Kelly and Ryan."
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© WireImageAdrien Brody
Adrien Brody, who's won two Academy Awards throughout his career and plenty of other prestigious nominations, graduated from LaGuardia in 1991. In recent years, apart from acting, Brody has also been sharing some of his artwork, showing his commitment to multiple art forms and mediums.
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© NBCRobert de Niro
Robert de Niro studied in LaGuardia High School briefly, in the '50s, back when the school was split into two: a High School of Music & Arts, and a School of Performing Arts. De Niro didn't graduate, choosing to drop out to pursue acting full time. The gamble clearly paid off, with de Niro becoming one of the most revered actors in Hollywood history.
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© John T. BarrAl Pacino
Al Pacino and De Niro are the two most prominent actors of their generation. Both spent time in LaGuardia, with Pacino studying there around the year 1958. Despite the time he spent there, Pacino had to drop out when he was 16 to care for his mother.
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© Gilbert FloresSarah Michelle Gellar
Sarah Michelle Gellar is one of the most famous faces from the '90s. During that era, she briefly attended LaGuardia before dropping out due to scheduling conflicts. She started acting as a teen and was featured on the soap opera "All of My Children," with her almost failing out of school due to her tight shooting schedule and missed classes.
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Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj is also a LaGuardia graduate. Interestingly enough, she studied drama and wanted to be an actress at the start of her career, before she decided to dedicate herself to making music full time. Nowadays, she's one of the most successful female rappers of all time.
Minaj has spoken fondly about her years in LaGuardia, sharing how special it was to go to a school where everyone was creative and wanted to pursue a career in the arts.
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© Getty Images for Tony Awards ProSarah Paulson
Sarah Paulson is one of the most prestigious actresses of her generation, working across mediums, including theater, film, and television. She studied drama at LaGuardia in the '90s and got her first job in a theater play shortly after her graduation. Her career took off in terms of notoriety when she met Ryan Murphy and starred in "American Horror Story," developing a long work relationship that continues to this day.
