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CHARACTER BIO

Dr. Sam Bennett, or “Doctor Feelgood” as he’s known to patients across the globe, is Oceanside Wellness Group’s internist. He is also the author of the bestselling nonfiction book, Body Language: The Mind-Body Connection. Dr. Bennett met his wife, Naomi, in medical school at Columbia University. The two eventually married, but since divorced, amicably. They remain committed to their daughter, Maya. Currently, Dr. Bennett lives on the beach in Malibu. He is a next-door neighbor and close friend of Dr. Montgomery.

ACTOR BIO

We first watched him pay the “rent” in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. Then we sat back in awe as he took to the big screen to give Stella her groove back.

An established star of film, television and theatre, Taye Diggs made his feature film debut starring opposite Angela Bassett in the box office hit, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, and since then has turned heads in every role he has chosen. He starred in the ABC drama Daybreak, which aired in November 2006. He also served as a producer on the project. In 2005 he was seen in the feature film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Rent. Diggs, who was part of the original Broadway cast, joined Idina Menzel, Rosario Dawson, Jesse Martin and Adam Pascal in the film.

That same year Diggs received rave reviews for his portrayal of Captain Davenport in the Second Stage Theatre production of A Soldier's Play. His performance earned a nomination for Distinguished Performance from the Drama League Awards. He also starred in his television series debut in Kevin Hill, on which he served additionally as producer, and received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series. He has created memorable characters in multiple guest appearances on hit television shows, including Ally McBeal, Will & Grace, Ed, The West Wing, New York Undercover and Law & Order.

His film projects include the movie Days of Wrath, co-starring Ricardo Chavira and Laurence Fishburne, as well as the Steven Spielberg-directed, Aaron Sorkin-scripted The Trial of the Chicago 7, starring Will Smith and Kevin Spacey.

In 2002 Diggs returned to his musical theater roots in the Academy Award-winning film Chicago, directed by Rob Marshall and starring Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The cast was honored with a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Ensemble Performance. He also starred in Brown Sugar, opposite Sanaa Lathan, Queen Latifah and Mos Def, as well as the futuristic thriller Equilibrium. The following year he starred in John McTiernan's military thriller Basic, opposite Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta.

In 2000 he appeared in The Way of the Gun, opposite Benicio Del Toro and James Caan, and in 1999 in The Wood, for director Rick Famuyiwa, as well as the romantic comedy The Best Man, co-starring Nia Long and Morris Chestnut. That performance garnered him an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture. Other film roles include Just a Kiss, co-starring Marisa Tomei and Kyra Sedgwick, The House on Haunted Hill, Go, directed by Doug Liman and also starring Katie Holmes and Timothy Olyphant, Drum, Cake and Malibu's Most Wanted.

Diggs' success on stage has also continued. He appeared on Broadway filling in as Fiyero in the Tony Award-nominated musical Wicked, and as Billy Flynn in the hit musical Chicago. Previously he starred in the Manhattan Theater Club's The Wild Party, which was the winner of the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Off-Broadway Musical. His musical talents were first recognized in Broadway's critically acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Rent, with his role as Benny the landlord. His first job out of college, in 1994, was a coveted role in the ensemble cast of the five-time Tony Award-winning play, Carousel.

Born in New Jersey, Diggs grew up in Rochester, New York, attending High School of the Arts. He received his BFA degree from Syracuse University, where he studied theater, and was discovered by an agent while performing in a showcase during his senior year in college.

Diggs resides in New York with his wife, actress Idina Menzel.