January 21 marks National Swing Day, a holiday created by Actors' Equity Association to celebrate Broadway’s unsung heroes.

Known as some of the hardest working actors in show business, swings are ensemble understudies, filling in for ensemble tracks when a performer is out (learn the differences between an understudy, alternate, standby, and swing here). And, not only do they need to be ready to jump into an ensemble track at a moment's notice, in many cases, swings also function as understudies, knowing a principal role just in case the headliner is out. In other words, they must know multiple roles in a single show; it’s an extraordinary feat of memory and malleability.

In honor of National Swing Day, we take a look at some of the Broadway stars who made their debut on the Main Stem as a swing.

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10 Broadway Stars Who Made Their Debuts as Swings

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1. Jeremy Jordan: The two-time Tony nominated star of The Great Gatsby made his Broadway debut in 2009 as a swing in Rock of Ages. Jordan also met his future wife, Ashley Spencer, through the 1980s glam metal jukebox musical. 
2. Patti Murin: The Frozen star made her Broadway debut in 2007 as a swing in Xanadu. Murin even served as dance captain for the roller skating romantic musical comedy!
3. Norbert Leo Butz: The two-time Tony winner was a swing for RENT shortly after it opened, where he covered both Mark and Roger. When the original Roger (Adam Pascal) left the production, Butz took over the role and the rest is history.
4. Donna Murphy: The two-time Tony winner made her Broadway debut in 1979 as a swing in the Marvin Hamlisch, Carole Bayer Sager, Neil Simon musical They're Playing Our Song. Talk about starting on the right foot!
5. Kate Baldwin: The two-time Tony nominated star, currently treading the boards in Chicago, made her Broadway debut across the street as a swing in 2000's The Full Monty.
6. Joshua Henry: The three-time Tony nominated vocal powerhouse made his Broadway debut in 2008 as a swing in Lin-Manuel Miranda's In The Heights, kicking off an 11-Broadway-shows hot streak that has led to his current star turn in Ragtime.
7. Jonathan Groff: The Tony-winning star of Merrily We Roll Along and Just in Time made his Broadway debut as a swing in 2005's In My Life. He also served as dance captain!
8. Kimber Elayne Sprawl: The ever-reliable actor made her Broadway debut as a swing in 2015 in the jukebox musical Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, a role she held for nearly two years.
9. Brittney Johnson: Broadway's first Black Glinda got her start as a swing on Motown the Musical in 2013. In time, she took over the role of Diana Ross, leading to her extensive career as a pitch perfect replacement in Beautiful The Carole King Musical, Les Misérables, and of course, Wicked.
10. Nik Walker: Walker made his Broadway debut alongside Johnson in Motown the Musical, before eventually taking over the role of Marvin Gaye. These days, he's hard at work two avenues off of Broadway, starring as one of the six Phantoms in Masquerade, the immersive Phantom of the Opera revival.