16 celebrities who attended the prestigious NYC high schoolhouse that inspired 'Fame'

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Jennifer Aniston, Timothée Chalamet, and Nicki Minaj are some of the famous stars who've attended LaGuardia High School.
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  • LaGuardia High School of Music & Performing Arts is a highly selective high school in NYC that gives students an arts-based education in concentrations like drama or music.
  • Numerous celebrities accept attended the prestigious school, including Jennifer Aniston, Timothée Chalamet, and Nicki Minaj.
  • The high school was notably the inspiration for the 1980 picture "Fame," which focused on the fictional struggles of students at the competitive schoolhouse, and got a reboot in 2009.
  • Other famous alumni include Al Pacino and Sarah Paulson.
  • Visit INSIDER's homepage for more stories.

Numerous celebrities have attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Performing Arts, a competitive, arts-focused high schoolhouse in New York City that notably served as the inspiration for the 1980 film "Fame."

Stars like Jennifer Aniston, Nicki Minaj, and Ansel Elgort were students at the prestigious schoolhouse, which requires students to laissez passer an audition to get in, and combines academic learning with instruction in either drama, trip the light fantastic toe, or music.

Sarah Paulson and Timothée Chalamet are also some of the high school's famous alumni.

Here are 16 celebrities who attended LaGuardia high schoolhouse.

Jennifer Aniston graduated from LaGuardia high school in 1987.

The actress became famous for her role in the NBC sitcom "Friends," which ran from 1994 to 2004.
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"Friends" actress Jennifer Aniston attended the performing arts high schoolhouse and graduated in 1987.

Aniston studied drama while attention LaGuardia, and was once called a "disgrace to theater" by a drama teacher at LaGuardia, United states of america Weekly said in a 2011 article.

Every bit a high-schooler, Aniston spent time with Chaz Bono, the son of Cher and Sonny Bono who was also a student at the school.

Aniston later went on to star in the NBC sitcom "Friends," which made her a household name.

Read more: Every single Jennifer Aniston movie, ranked

Rapper and actress Awkwafina studied music at LaGuardia.

Awkwafina starred in 2018'southward "Ocean'south Eight" and "Crazy Rich Asians."
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Rapper Awkwafina (existent name: Nora Lum) attended LaGuardia loftier school in the early on 2000s, where she studied classical and jazz music, and played the trumpet.

Lum shared with the Daily Creature that she also explored an interest in hip-hop while attending, experimenting with beat-making programs and writing songs.

Recently, Awkwafina had supporting roles in 2018's "Crazy Rich Asians" and "Ocean'southward Eight."

Chaz Bono attended LaGuardia loftier schoolhouse with Jennifer Aniston in the late 1980s.

Chaz Bono is the son of Cher and Sonny Bono.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

Chaz Bono attended LaGuardia in the 1980s, along with Jennifer Aniston. The two were friends in loftier schoolhouse, and Aniston shared that she would often go over to Bono'southward house later on school.

Bono graduated from LaGuardia in 1987, and would go on to become a successful author and LGBTQ advocate.

Adrien Brody too attended the performing arts high school.

Adrien Brody frequently collaborates with director Wes Anderson.
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Actor Adrien Brody attended LaGuardia loftier school, and graduated in 1991.

After school, Brody got his big break with the 2002 film "The Pianist," for which he won the Academy Honour for best role player.

Brody also frequently collaborates wth director Wes Anderson, and appeared in Anderson's 2014 film "The Grand Budapest Hotel."

Timothée Chalamet graduated from LaGuardia in 2013.

Timothée Chalamet almost didn't arrive to the prestigious high school.
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"Call Me by Your Name" and "Ladybird" actor Timothée Chalamet attended LaGuardia high schoolhouse along with "Baby Driver" star Ansel Elgort. Chalamet graduated in 2013, with Elgort graduating a year before.

While in high school, Chalamet played Oscar Lindquist in the school'due south rendition of "Sweet Charity."

In an interview with Vogue, Chalamet and Elgort'southward quondam drama teacher, Harry Shifman, revealed that the "Ladybird" thespian almost didn't get in to the prestigious school —even though Shifman gave Chalamet "the highest score" he'd ever given a student on his audition.

Subsequently high school, Chalamet appeared in films like "Interstellar" before making information technology large with roles in "Ladybird," "Phone call Me past Your Proper name," and "Beautiful Boy."

Read more than: Timothée Chalamet'southward first acting role was on 'Police & Lodge' — and Ellen DeGeneres dug upward the video

"Sat Night Live" Weekend Update coanchor Michael Che was a educatee at LaGuardia high school.

Michael Che appeared on "John Oliver'south New York Stand-Up Prove" earlier joining the cast of "Sabbatum Night Live" in 2013.
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Comedian and "SNL" writer Michael Che attended LaGuardia high school and graduated in 2001. While in high school, Che studied painting, and later sold t-shirts he designed on a Soho street corner.

After high schoolhouse, Che performed stand up-upward around the city before actualization on John Oliver's stand up-upward special in 2012. In 2013, Che joined "Sabbatum Dark Live" as a writer, eventually becoming head writer and cohost of Weekend Update with Colin Jost.

Robert de Niro briefly attended LaGuardia (when it was split up into High School of Music & Art and Schoolhouse of Performing Arts) in the 1950s.

Robert de Niro won an Oscar for his part in "The Godfather Part Two."
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Robert de Niro briefly attended LaGuardia in the 1950s, back when it was two schools: High Schoolhouse of Music & Arts, and Schoolhouse of Performing Arts, which would later merge into the modern day LaGuardia High School. De Niro later dropped out to pursue interim full fourth dimension.

Afterward high school, de Niro went on to announced in films similar "Taxi Driver" and "The Godfather Part Ii," for which he won an Academy Award.

Ansel Elgort attended LaGuardia high school with Timothée Chalamet, and graduated in 2012.

Ansel Elgort appeared in an off-Broadway play before making information technology big in Hollywood.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

"Babe Driver" star Ansel Elgort studied drama at LaGuardia at the same time every bit "Call Me by Your Name" actor Timothée Chalamet.

While at LaGuardia, Elgort played Link Larkin in a schoolhouse production of "Hairspray," and Sky Masterson in "Guys and Dolls."

After high school, Elgort appeared in an off-Broadway play earlier achieving mainstream success with films like "Divergent" and "The Fault in Our Stars."

Sarah Michelle Gellar briefly attended LaGuardia before transferring to the Professional Children'due south School in 1992.

Sarah Michelle Gellar had a role on soap opera "All My Children" before she was cast as Buffy on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
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"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" actress Sarah Michelle Gellar briefly attended LaGuardia in the early 90s earlier dropping out due to scheduling conflicts.

Gellar, who had a recurring role on the soap opera "All My Children," nearly failed out of LaGuardia for missing too many classes, even though she was a straight-A educatee.

The actress somewhen transferred to the Professional Children'due south Schoolhouse in 1992, which was amend suited to her schedule. After graduating, Gellar went on to star in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and films similar "I Know What You Did Last Summer."

"Entourage" actor Adrian Grenier studied at LaGuardia in the mid-90s.

Adrian Grenier had a starring role on "Entourage."
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Brooklyn-based player Adrian Grenier attended LaGuardia in the mid-90s, and graduated in 1994.

Grenier said in an interview that his experience at LaGuardia was similar "high school with tights."

After schoolhouse, Grenier began acting, somewhen landing the starring function of Vincent Chase on HBO's "Entourage," which ran from 2004 to 2011.

Rapper Nicki Minaj attended the aristocracy performing arts high school, and graduated in 2000.

Nicki Minaj released her fourth studio album "Queen" last year.
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"Anaconda" rapper Nicki Minaj attended LaGuardia loftier schoolhouse in the late 90s, where she appears to have studied acting.

Minaj graduated in 2000, and said in a 2013 interview with Teen Vogue that she felt immediately at home at LaGuardia.

"It was the first time I felt like I really fit in. Everyone at that place was artistic," she said to the magazine. "For one time, I didn't feel similar in that location was something weird about me."

After loftier school, Minaj tried to find work equally an actress, even appearing in a 2001 Off-Broadway play called "In Case You Forget." The rapper as well worked at a Red Lobster during the same time.

Somewhen, Minaj achieved success equally a musician. In 2018, she released her fourth studio album, called "Queen."

Read more: 4 things we learned about Red Lobster from Nicki Minaj, who used to work there and got fired

Al Pacino was a student at School of Performing Arts in the mid-1950s.

Al Pacino became famous for his role in the "Godfather" films.
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"Godfather" histrion Al Pacino attended Loftier School for the Performing Arts (which afterward merged with High School of Music & Fine art to grade LaGuardia loftier school) circa 1958, just dropped out at age xvi to help support his mother.

Pacino said in an interview with the New Yorker that he was a "dunderhead" when it came to academics in loftier school, and found the Stanislavsky method slow.

After dropping out, Pacino worked a variety of odd jobs earlier his career took off, thanks to roles in films similar 1972'due south "The Godfather" and "Dog Solar day Afternoon" in 1975.

Sarah Paulson attended LaGuardia and graduated in 1993.

Sarah Paulson fabricated her commencement television appearance on an episode of "Law & Gild."
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"American Horror Story" extra Sarah Paulson studied drama at the performing arts high schoolhouse in the early 90s, and started working presently thereafter.

In an interview with Broadway World, Paulson, who's also an accomplished theater actress, said that she was cast in a play immediately afterward graduating loftier school.

After working on Broadway for several years, Paulson somewhen fabricated the jump to Hollywood, starring in shows like "American Horror Story" and "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

"Ant-Human" actor Corey Stoll studied drama at LaGuardia.

Corey Stoll received a Golden Globe nomination in 2013 for his role on "House of Cards."
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Actor Corey Stoll was a pupil at LaGuardia in the mid-90s, and graduated from the drama department in 1995.

Stoll shared with the Los Angeles Times that after he graduated, numerous agents wanted to work with him.

"I recollect thinking I wanted to go an education, come dorsum and then I'll pick up where I left off," Stoll said in the interview. Unfortunately, once he returned from Oberlin college, agents were no longer interested — so Stoll decided to get to graduate school at NYU Tisch for drama.

After graduate school, Stoll appeared in films like "Midnight in Paris," where he notably played writer Ernest Hemingway, and later had a recurring function on"Business firm of Cards."

Wesley Snipes attended the School of Performing Arts in the mid-1970s.

Wesley Snipes appeared in films like "Blade" and "New Jack Metropolis."
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Wesley Snipes studied at School of Performing Arts in the mid-1970s, but dropped out when his family unit moved back to Orlando in 1977.

Later school, Snipes appeared in films like "King of New York" and the "Bract" films.

Even though Gina Torres is now an accomplished Hollywood actress, she originally studied voice while attending LaGuardia.

Gina Torres is known for her role as Jessica Pearson on "Suits."
Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic

Extra Gina Torres attended LaGuardia high school in the mid-1980s, where she studied phonation. An accomplished mezzo-soprano singer, Torres was reportedly drawn to acting subsequently she saw a performance of "A Day in the Expiry of Joe Egg" on Broadway with her class.

After graduating in 1986, Torres had pocket-size roles in shows like "Law & Lodge" and "1 Life to Live," eventually making information technology big with "Suits" and "Firefly" in the early 2000s.

Recently, Torres appeared on HBO's "Westworld."

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