Alyson Reed

A veteran actress, singer, and dancer, Alyson Reed is well known to teens as the fervent drama teacher from Disney's "High School Musical" movie franchise. Growing up in Anaheim, California, Reed acted in her own high school musicals at Anaheim High, and starred in an "Alice in Wonderland" production at the local Disneyland theme park. She debuted on Broadway in 1978 in the Bob Fosse musical "Dancin'" and went on to perform in productions of "Dance a Little Closer" and "Marilyn: An American Fable." She co-starred with Joel Grey in the 1987 revival of "Cabaret," for which she earned a Tony nomination. Reed made her film debut as Cassie in Richard Attenborough's adaptation of "A Chorus Line" with Michael Douglas.

After a guest role in an episode of "Matlock," Reed began a prolific television career, appearing on over 50 different shows between 1990 and 2006, when the first "High School Musical" TV movie was released. Although her screen time was reduced to just one scene in "High School Musical 2," her character of Ms. Darbus was back in force for the theatrical release of "High School Musical 3: Senior Year." During that time Reed continued to be a busy character actor on television. She also teaches at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in Hollywood.