The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit,

college-preparatory school A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to state school, public, Independent school, private independent or p ...

geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1914 to provide an academic education to young people working on the New York stage, in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

, or "on the road". PCS was co-founded by Jean Greer and Jane Harris Hall when they learned that children who were working in entertainment were not able to attend traditional school. The school's premises were originally at The Rehearsal Club on West 45th Street in

midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan, serving as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building, the ...

, and later at 1860 Broadway, near West 61st Street, on Manhattan’s

Upper West Side The Upper West Side (UWS) is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded by Central Park on the east, the Hudson River on the west, West 59th Street to the south, and West 110th Street to the north. The Upper We ...

. Its curriculum and hours have changed over time.

Alumni

Dance

* Jerry Ames *

Jared Angle This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Dominik ...

* Tyler Angle * Alexandra Ansanelli * Merrill Ashley * Debra Austin * Peter Boal * Ruthanna Boris *

Ashley Bouder Ashley Bouder (; born December 10, 1983) is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet. She also founded and currently runs her own project, The Ashley Bouder Project. Early life Ashley Bouder was ...

* Leslie Browne *

Fernando Bujones Fernando Bujones (March 9, 1955 – November 10, 2005) was an American dancer. Born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents, Bujones is regarded as one of the finest male dancers of the 20th century and hailed as one of the greatest American male da ...

* Daniel Duell * Megan Fairchild * Robert Fairchild * Suzanne Farrell *

Eliot Feld Eliot Feld (born July 5, 1942) is an American modern ballet choreographer, performer, teacher, and director. Feld works in contemporary ballet. His company and schools, including the Feld Ballet and Ballet Tech, are involved in dance and dance ed ...

* Savion Glover * Susan Hendl * Adam Hendrickson * Darla Hoover *

Sterling Hyltin Sterling Hyltin is an American ballet dancer. She was a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet. Early life and training Hyltin was born in Amarillo, Texas. She wanted to be a figure skater, and would train before school started. However, H ...

* Allegra Kent * Gelsey Kirkland * Darci Kistler * Maria Kowroski *

Carla Körbes Carla Körbes is a Brazilian ballet dancer who performed as a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, then became the associate artistic director of L.A Dance Project. She is now an associate professor at Indiana University Jacobs ...

* Rebecca Krohn * Lourdes Lopez * Savannah Lowery * Nilas Martins * Steven Melendez * Colleen Neary * Kyra Nichols *

Tiler Peck Tiler Kalyn Peck (born January 12, 1989) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. As well as ballet, she has performed in musical theatre shows and has made cameo appearances in films including '' Don ...

* SarahAnne Perel * Susan Pilarre * Rachel Piskin *

Teresa Reichlen Teresa Reichlen (born ) is an American ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2001, was promoted to principal dancer in 2009, and retired in 2022. Early life Reichlen was born in Clifton, Virginia. She has three brothers. When she ...

* Nancy Reynolds * Carrie Lee Riggins * Jenifer Ringer * John Selya * Jennie Somogyi * Ethan Stiefel * Marianna Tcherkassky * Ashley Tuttle * Sheryl Ware * Heather Watts * Wendy Whelan * Deborah Wingert

Music

* Loni Ackerman * Anastacia * Jack Antonoff * Emanuel Ax * Jessie Baylin * Vanessa Carlton * Kyung Wha Chung * Dana Dawson * Peng-Peng Gong * Andreas Haefliger *

Marvin Hamlisch Marvin Frederick Hamlisch (June 2, 1944 – August 6, 2012) was an American composer and conductor. He is one of a handful of people to win Emmy Awards, Emmy, Grammy Awards, Grammy, Academy Awards, Oscar, and Tony Awards, Tony awards, a feat ...

* Lorin Hollander * Caroline Jones * Ida Kavafian * Cho-Liang Lin * Frankie Lymon *

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...

* Jack Metzger * Midori Gotō * Buddy Rich * Beverly Sills * Arlene Smith * Martha Strongin Katz * Conrad Tao * Pinchas Zukerman

Theater, film, and television

* Brooke Adams *

Trini Alvarado Trinidad "Trini" Alvarado (born January 10, 1967) is an American actress best known for her performances as Margaret "Meg" March in the Little Women (1994 film), 1994 film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel ''Little Women'' and Lucy Lynskey ...

* Adam Arkin * Alex Paez * Essence Atkins * Kaye Ballard * Mischa Barton * Charita Bauer * Bonnie Bedelia * Milton Berle * Zina Bethune * Nadia Bjorlin * Tempestt Bledsoe *

Joan Blondell Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 – December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in film and television for 50 years. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, estab ...

Ann Blyth Ann Blyth (born Anne Marie Blythe; August 16, 1928) is an American retired actress and singer. She began her career in radio as a child before transitioning to Broadway, where she appeared in Lillian Hellman, Lillian Hellman’s ''Watch on the R ...

Laura Bell Bundy Laura Ashley Bell Bundy-Hinkle (born April 10, 1981) is an American actress and singer. Her career started as a child, when her mother entered her in beauty pageants, where she would sing as a talent. After recognizing her singing ability, her m ...

* Eddie Bracken * Jordana Brewster * Irene Cara * Phoebe Cates * Helen Chandler * Miles Chapin * Kathleen Cody * Holly Marie Combs *

Kieran Culkin Kieran Kyle Culkin (born September 30, 1982) is an American actor. Known for portraying distasteful yet sympathetic characters across stage and screen, List of awards and nominations received by Kieran Culkin, his accolades include an Academy A ...

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor and musician. Considered one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, Culkin has received a Golden Globe Award nomination and other accolades. In 200 ...

* Rory Culkin * Charlotte d'Amboise * Alexandra Daddario *

Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues ...

Brandon deWilde Andre Brandon deWilde (April 9, 1942 – July 6, 1972) was an American theatre, film, and television actor. Born into a theatrical family in Brooklyn, he debuted on Broadway theater, Broadway at the age of seven and became a national phenomenon b ...

* Barrett Doss *

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He rose to prominence by portraying Gus Fring in the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011), a role he reprised in ...

* Donald Faison *

Carrie Fisher Carrie Frances Fisher (October 21, 1956 – December 27, 2016) was an American actress and writer. She played Princess Leia in the Star Wars original trilogy, original ''Star Wars'' films (1977–1983) and reprised the role in'' Star Wars: The F ...

* Anne Francis * Rebecca Gayheart *

Helen Gallagher Helen Gallagher (July 19, 1926 – November 24, 2024) was an American actress, dancer, and singer. She received three Daytime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, a Donaldson Award, and a Drama Desk Award. Gallagher's work on the New York stages spa ...

* Sarah Michelle Gellar * Elliott Gould * Todd Graff * Karron Graves *

Lukas Haas Lukas Daniel Haas (born April 16, 1976) is an American actor and musician. His acting career has spanned four decades, during which he has appeared in more than 50 feature films and a number of television shows and stage productions. His notable ...

* Albert Hackett *

Anthony Michael Hall Anthony Michael Hall (born Michael Anthony Thomas Charles Hall; April 14, 1968) is an American actor, producer and comedian. After his film debut in ''Six Pack (film), Six Pack'' (1982) and a supporting role as Russell "Rusty" Griswold in ''Nat ...

Huntz Hall Henry Richard "Huntz" Hall (August 15, 1920 – January 30, 1999) was an American radio, stage, and movie performer who appeared in the popular "Dead End Kids" movies, including ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' (1938), and in the later "The Bowe ...

* Patti Hansen * Melissa Joan Hart *

Amy Irving Amy Irving (born September 10, 1953) is an American actress and singer, who has worked in film, stage, and television. Her accolades include an Obie Award, and nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award. Born in Palo Alto, Cali ...

Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress and singer. The List of highest-paid film actors, world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has been featured multiple times on the Forbes Celebrity 100, ''F ...

* Brad Caleb Kane * Carol Kane * Ruby Keeler * Jean Louisa Kelly * Patsy Kelly * Jane Krakowski * Ricki Lake * Diane Lane * Jennifer Lien * Peggy Lipton * Lorna Luft *

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

* Ida Lupino * Helen Mack * Jena Malone * Nancy Malone *

Daniel Mann Daniel Chugerman (August 8, 1912 – November 21, 1991), known professionally as Daniel Mann, was an American stage, film director, film and television director. Originally trained as an actor by Sanford Meisner, between 1952 and 1987 he direct ...

* Patty McCormack * Leighton Meester * Lisa Mordente * Rita Moreno * Phyllis Newman * Jerry O'Connell *

Donald O'Connor Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred, in succession, with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talki ...

Jennifer O'Neill Jennifer O'Neill (born February 20, 1948) is a Brazilian-born American author, model, and former actress. Born in Brazil, and moving to the United States as an infant, she first came to prominence as a teenaged model (person), model, and for he ...

Sarah Jessica Parker Sarah Jessica Parker (born March 25, 1965) is an American actress and television producer. In a career spanning over five decades, she has performed across several productions of both Sarah Jessica Parker filmography, screen and stage. List o ...

* Martha Plimpton * Laura Prepon * Margaret Qualley * Martha Raye *

Tara Reid Tara Donna Reid (; born November 8, 1975) is an American actress and model. Her film roles established her status as a sex symbol in the late 1990s through the early 2000s. In film, Reid is best known for her lead ensemble role as Vicky Lathum ...

* Rosemary Rice *

Christina Ricci Christina Ricci ( ; born February 12, 1980) is an American actress known for playing unusual characters with a dark edge. Ricci works mostly in Independent film, independent productions, but has also appeared in numerous box-office hits. She is ...

Eden Riegel Eden Sonja Jane Riegel (born January 1, 1981) is an American actress. She portrayed Bianca Montgomery in the daytime drama ''All My Children'', and propelled the character into a gay icon, as well as a popular figure within the medium. Nominat ...

* Tanya Rivero * Christy Carlson Romano * Rose Marie * Sara Rue * Michael Rupert *

Rebecca Schaeffer Rebecca Lucile Schaeffer (November 6, 1967 – July 18, 1989) was an American actress and model. She began her career as a teen model before moving on to acting. In 1986, she landed the role of Patricia "Patti" Russell in the CBS comedy '' My Si ...

* Aaron Schwartz * Shim Eun-kyung * Jonathan Silverman * Penny Singleton * Christian Slater * John Spencer * Julia Stiles *

Susan Strasberg Susan Elizabeth Strasberg (May 22, 1938 – January 21, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actress. Thought to be the next Audrey Hepburn, Hepburn-type Ingénue, ingenue, she was nominated for a Tony Award at age 18, playing the ti ...

* Eddie Kaye Thomas *

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

* Rachel Ticotin *

Ashley Tisdale Ashley Michelle Tisdale (born July 2, 1985) is an American actress and singer. During her childhood, she was featured in over 100 advertisements and had minor roles on-screen and in theatre. She achieved mainstream success as Maddie Fitzpatric ...

* Janine Turner *

Leslie Uggams Leslie Marian Uggams (; born May 25, 1943) is an American actress and singer. After beginning her career as a child in the early 1950s, she garnered acclaim for her role in the Broadway theatre, Broadway musical ''Hallelujah, Baby!'', winning a T ...

* Heidi Vanderbilt * Dick Van Patten * Joyce Van Patten *

Christopher Walken Christopher Walken (born Ronald Walken; March 31, 1943) is an American actor. Christopher Walken on stage and screen, His work on stage and screen has earned him List of awards and nominations received by Christopher Walken, accolades includin ...

* Nancy Walker * Malcolm-Jamal Warner * Lesley Ann Warren * Tuesday Weld *

Nat Wolff Nathaniel Marvin "Nat" Wolff (born December 17, 1994) is an American actor, musician, and singer-songwriter. He initially gained recognition for composing the music for ''The Naked Brothers Band (TV series), The Naked Brothers Band'' (2007–2 ...

* Lee Thompson Young

Sports

* Kristie Ahn *

Carol Heiss Carol Elizabeth Heiss Jenkins (born January 20, 1940) is an American former figure skater and actress. Competing in ladies' singles, she became the Figure skating at the 1960 Winter Olympics – Women's singles, 1960 Olympic champion, the Figure ...

* Reed Kessler * Sonya Klopfer * Yvonne Sherman * Ashima Shiraishi * Josh Waitzkin

Literature

* Michael McGarrity * Linn Ullmann

Fashion

* Rachel Antonoff * Claudia Mason * Vera Wang

References

External links

Official site
{{Coord, 40, 46, 14, N, 73, 59, 10, W, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title 1914 establishments in New York City Columbus Circle Educational institutions established in 1914 Preparatory schools in New York City Private high schools in Manhattan Private middle schools in Manhattan Private preparatory schools in the United States Schools of the performing arts in the United States