Darren Criss

Actor, singer, and musician Darren Criss is an award-winning performer whose career straddles TV, stage, and film, as well as his own pop music. Criss gained widespread fame for his role as Blaine Anderson on producer Ryan Murphy's hit TV musical show Glee from 2010 to 2015. Around that time, he appeared on Broadway, performing in productions of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He earned Emmy and Golden Globe awards, for his portrayal of killer Andrew Cunanan in Murphy's 2018 TV series The Death of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. As a pop vocalist, he released two EPs that decade, 2010's Human and 2017's Homework, the latter of which hit number seven on Billboard's Independent Albums chart. He also releases music with his brother Chuck Criss under the name Computer Games. In 2021, Darren Criss released his third EP, Masquerade. He returned to Broadway with lead roles in David Mamet's American Buffalo (2022) and the musical Maybe Happy Ending (2024). Born in 1987, Criss grew up in San Francisco where he studied classical violin and began acting on-stage at age ten. He also played music with his brother, Chuck Criss, who later joined Freelance Whales. A member of the American Conservatory Theater's Young Conservatory program, Criss acted throughout his high school years, appearing in numerous school and professional productions. In 2004, he enrolled at the University of Michigan, where he studied acting and helped found a student-run theater troupe named Team StarKid. A Very Potter Musical, a musical comedy that spoofed the Harry Potter franchise and starred Criss in the titular role, became Team StarKid's most popular show, racking up more than 25 million views on YouTube and catapulting Criss (who'd also written most of the music) into the spotlight. After graduating in 2009, he starred in five episodes of ABC's Eastwick, made a guest appearance on Cold Case, and reprised his role as Harry in the YouTube sequel A Very Potter Sequel, which also featured music and lyrics by Criss. In 2010, Criss joined the cast of Glee. Originally hired as guest star, Criss quickly became a series regular after the Glee version of Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" -- featuring Criss on lead vocals, with backup harmonies from collegiate a cappella group the Beelzebubs -- became the show's first single to top the digital charts. Also while on the show, Criss' self-produced EP, Human, reached number 17 on the Billboard Heatseekers.Criss remained on Glee through the series finale in March 2015. In the meantime, he did guest spots on shows such as Archer, The Cleveland Show, and the Showtime comedy Web Therapy. He also moved into film, appearing in 2012's Girl Most Likely with Kristen Wiig, 2013's A Very Potter Senior Year (the final installment of the YouTube trilogy), and the 2014 animated TV movie Stan Lee's Mighty 7. He made his Broadway debut in January 2012 when he replaced Daniel Radcliffe as lead actor in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying for a three-week stint. After Glee ended its run in March 2015, Criss returned to Broadway for Hedwig and the Angry Inch, playing Hedwig for a span of four months. He reprised the role in 2016 for California stops along the national tour. Meanwhile, amidst frequent TV voice work, he could be seen in episodes of American Horror Story, Supergirl, and The Flash. In December 2017, Criss the singer/songwriter released his second EP, Homework, an introspective set written and recorded mostly at his home. It cracked the top 10 of Billboard's Independent Albums chart. That same year, he also collaborated with his brother Chuck Criss on Lost Boys Life, the debut EP from their band Computer Games. More TV work followed, including playing killer Andrew Cunanan in producer Ryan Murphy's 2018 series The Death of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story for which he won Emmy and Golden Globe awards. He also starred in another Murphy production, 2020's Netflix series Hollywood. In April 2021, Criss released two versions of the same song, "runnin around" and "f*kn around," which appeared in its uncensored form on August EP Masquerade. The 12-song holiday album A Very Darren Chrissmas followed before the end of 2021. It featured duets with Adam Lambert, Evan Rachel Wood, and Lainey Wilson.Criss returned to Broadway in 2022, starring alongside Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell in a revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo. That year, he also appeared as grandmaster Freddie Trumper in a Broadway concert performance of Chess. In 2024, he had a one-night cameo in Broadway's Gutenberg! The Musical!, and he played Seymour in an off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors (replacing Corbin Bleu). In November of that year, Criss starred as Oliver opposite Helen J Shen's Claire in the original Broadway cast of Maybe Happy Ending, a hit Korean musical about two outcast "Helperbots" that made its way from Seoul to Japan and China before arriving on Broadway. The New York cast album was released on Sh-K-Boom Records/Warner in February 2024.
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