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Alyson Reed

Alyson Reed is the kind of performer whose work makes the distance between Broadway and the screen look remarkably short. A dancer, singer and actor, she brings the precision of musical theatre to roles across film and television, whether she is commanding a rehearsal room or dropping into a drama for a sharply defined guest appearance. Born in Fullerton, California, on January 11, 1958, and raised in Anaheim, Reed graduated from Anaheim High School in 1976. She joined the national touring production of Pippin at 20 and made her Broadway debut in Dancin’ in 1978. Her stage credits went on to include Oh Brother, Dance a Little Closer, Cabaret, A Grand Night for Singing and Marilyn: An American Fable. Her performance in Marilyn brought a 1984 Drama Desk Award nomination, while Cabaret earned her a 1988 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. Movie audiences saw Reed as Cassie in Richard Attenborough’s adaptation of A Chorus Line, a role well matched to her background as both a dancer and musical theatre performer. She also appeared with John Ritter in the comedy Skin Deep. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1990, Reed built an extensive television résumé that includes appearances in Matlock, L.A. Law, Murder, She Wrote, Frasier, The X-Files, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men, Modern Family, Bones, Boston Legal and Desperate Housewives. Her ability to move among comedy, drama and procedural television became a defining feature of her screen career. For younger viewers, Reed is best known as Ms. Darbus, the theatrically intense drama teacher in High School Musical. She returned for High School Musical 2 and High School Musical 3: Senior Year, giving the series one of its most distinctly stage-minded characters. Her voice work also includes Adria, the witch in the video game Diablo III. Across these varied roles, Reed’s career remains rooted in the range of a performer equally at home with dance, song, stagecraft and the camera.