Chord Overstreet
Encyclopedia
Chord Overstreet is an American actor, singer and musician, best known for his role as Sam Evans
on the television series Glee
.
, the son of make-up artist Julie Miller and country music
singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet
. He has an older brother, Nash, who plays in the band Hot Chelle Rae
, an older sister, Summer, and three younger sisters, Harmony, Skye and Charity. He is of German, Irish, English and Native American descent. He was named after the musical term of the same name
.. Overstreet was raised on a farm outside of Nashville. Encouraged by his parents to pursue music, he started playing the mandolin
at an early age, and moved on to the drums
, flute
, piano
, and guitar
. He is also a songwriter, but is unsigned. In his teenage years, he modeled for advertisements for Famous Footwear
and Gap
.
Private
, as Josh Hollis. He was also featured in an episode of iCarly
iSpeed Date (for a few minutes) and the unaired pilot of No Ordinary Family
. His first film role was that of Teenage Boy in the 2009 thriller The Hole
, and he will star in the 2011 film A Warrior's Heart as Dupree, alongside Ashley Greene
and Kellan Lutz
.
From September 21, 2010, to May 24, 2011, Overstreet played the character of Sam Evans
, a transfer student and athlete, on the second season of the television show Glee
. He landed the role after auditioning with Commodores
' "Easy" and Gavin DeGraw
's "I Don't Want to Be
". He later sang "Billionaire
" by Travie McCoy
featuring Bruno Mars
as a studio test, and eventually sang this in the season premiere
"Audition
", along with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn
" by Poison
. He played the role of Rocky in the The Rocky Horror Picture Show
-themed episode "The Rocky Horror Glee Show
".
On April 21, 2011, the video for Hot Chelle Rae
's "Tonight Tonight
" was released on YouTube
and featured a series of cameos of Overstreet alternately making out with a girl (whom he stole from the lead singer) on an office copier, DJing at a club, then playing guitar and mugging for the crowd with his brother, bandmember Nash.
On July 1, 2011, TVLine
's Michael Ausiello
broke the news that Overstreet's contract option to become a series regular on Glee
had not been picked up for season 3, but that he could possibly come back as an occasional guest star. In reaction to the announcement, fans launched a campaign to promote Overstreet's cover of "Billionaire" and various tags related to the actor, most notably "#dontcutthechord", began trending on Twitter
. The song made its way into the iTunes Top 5 "Glee" charts during the campaign.
At the 2011 Comic-Con event, Glee
co-creator Brad Falchuk
reported that they had offered Overstreet a ten-episode deal with a possibility to become a series regular at mid-season, but that Overstreet had declined the option. Overstreet later stated to Ausiello during an interview that he had decided to leave the show to focus on his music career, explaining, "They offered me the chance to come back for a few episodes, but there was nothing guaranteed so I decided to dive into the music thing."
It was reported on October 18, 2011, and confirmed by series co-creator Ryan Murphy six days later, that Overstreet would be returning as a recurring character starting with the season's eighth episode, which is scheduled to air on December 6, 2011.
, #24 in Canada
, #28 in the United States, and #34 in Australia
. His cover of "Lucky" was also released as a single. Overstreet is also featured in Hot Chelle Rae
's "Tonight Tonight
" music video, appearing with his brother, bandmember Nash Overstreet.
Sam Evans
Sam Evans is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that...
on the television series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
.
Early life
Overstreet was born in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, the son of make-up artist Julie Miller and country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet
Paul Overstreet
Paul Lester Overstreet is an American country music singer and songwriter. He recorded 10 studio albums between 1982 and 2005, and charted 16 singles on the Billboard country charts, including two #1 hits...
. He has an older brother, Nash, who plays in the band Hot Chelle Rae
Hot Chelle Rae
Hot Chelle Rae is a pop rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2005. The band consists of Ryan Follese , Nash Overstreet , Ian Keaggy , and Jamie Follese . Their debut album, Lovesick Electric, was released on October 27, 2009...
, an older sister, Summer, and three younger sisters, Harmony, Skye and Charity. He is of German, Irish, English and Native American descent. He was named after the musical term of the same name
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
.. Overstreet was raised on a farm outside of Nashville. Encouraged by his parents to pursue music, he started playing the mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
at an early age, and moved on to the drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
. He is also a songwriter, but is unsigned. In his teenage years, he modeled for advertisements for Famous Footwear
Famous Footwear
Famous Footwear is a nationwide chain of retail stores in the United States dealing in branded footwear, generally at prices discounted from manufacturer's suggested prices. Established in 1960 as a single store, "Famous" is regarded as both a forerunner and champion of the trend towards the...
and Gap
Gap (clothing retailer)
The Gap, Inc. is an American clothing and accessories retailer based in San Francisco, California, and founded in 1969 by Donald G. Fisher and Doris F. Fisher. The company has five primary brands: the namesake Gap banner, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta. As of September 2008,...
.
Acting career
Overstreet began to pursue his passion of performing after his high school graduation in 2007. After two unsuccessful years, Overstreet started his acting career on the web seriesWeb series
A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept...
Private
Private (Web series)
Private is an American Web series produced by Alloy Entertainment based on the novels of the same name by Kate Brian.The series was announced in May 2009, beginning with a contest allowing female readers the chance to audition for the role of Kiran Hayes...
, as Josh Hollis. He was also featured in an episode of iCarly
ICarly
iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan...
iSpeed Date (for a few minutes) and the unaired pilot of No Ordinary Family
No Ordinary Family
No Ordinary Family is an American television series on ABC. The 45-minute science fiction comedy-drama was produced by ABC Studios for the 2010–11 television season. The series ran from September 28, 2010 to April 5, 2011, on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET/PT...
. His first film role was that of Teenage Boy in the 2009 thriller The Hole
The Hole (2009 film)
The Hole 3D is a 2009 American fantasy-thriller film directed by Joe Dante and stars Teri Polo, Chris Massoglia and Haley Bennett.-Plot:...
, and he will star in the 2011 film A Warrior's Heart as Dupree, alongside Ashley Greene
Ashley Greene
Ashley Michele Greene is an American actress and model, best known for playing Alice Cullen in the film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels.- Personal life :...
and Kellan Lutz
Kellan Lutz
Kellan Christopher Lutz is an American fashion model, and film and television actor, who is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series.-Early life:...
.
From September 21, 2010, to May 24, 2011, Overstreet played the character of Sam Evans
Sam Evans
Sam Evans is a recurring fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actor Chord Overstreet, and appeared on Glee starting with the second season premiere episode entitled "Audition", first broadcast on September 21, 2010, and ending with that...
, a transfer student and athlete, on the second season of the television show Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
. He landed the role after auditioning with Commodores
Commodores
The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour...
' "Easy" and Gavin DeGraw
Gavin DeGraw
Gavin Shane DeGraw is an American musician and singer-songwriter. He is known for his songs "Chariot", "Follow Through", "I Don't Want to Be" , "In Love with a Girl", and "Not Over You".-Early life:DeGraw grew up in the Catskills in South Fallsburg,...
's "I Don't Want to Be
I Don't Want to Be
"I Don't Want to Be" is a song by Gavin DeGraw appearing on his 2003 debut album Chariot. It was released as a single in Australia in 2004, and in the UK in 2005....
". He later sang "Billionaire
Billionaire (song)
"Billionaire" is the debut single by American recording artist Travie McCoy, featuring guest vocals from Bruno Mars. It is the lead single from McCoy's debut studio album Lazarus. The song was produced by The Smeezingtons, which consists of Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine...
" by Travie McCoy
Travie McCoy
Travie Lazarus McCoy is an American singer and rapper. He is the lead vocalist of the alternative hip-hop band Gym Class Heroes. He released his debut solo album Lazarus on June 8, 2010....
featuring Bruno Mars
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez , better known by his stage name Bruno Mars, is an Filipino-American singer-songwriter and record producer. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii by a family of musicians, Mars began making music at a young age...
as a studio test, and eventually sang this in the season premiere
Season premiere
In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...
"Audition
Audition (Glee)
"Audition" is the second season premiere and 23rd episode overall of the American television series Glee. The episode was written by Ian Brennan, directed by Brad Falchuk, and premiered on the Fox network on September 21, 2010...
", along with "Every Rose Has Its Thorn
Every Rose Has Its Thorn
"Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is a power ballad by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in 1988 as the third single from Poison's second album Open Up And Say... Ahh!. It is the band's only number-one hit in the U.S., reaching the top spot on Christmas Eve in 1988 for three weeks . It was...
" by Poison
Poison (band)
Poison is an American glam metal band that achieved great success in the mid-1980s to mid-1990s. To date, Poison has sold over 30 million records worldwide and have sold 15 million records in the United States alone. The band has also charted ten singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100,...
. He played the role of Rocky in the The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the 1975 film adaptation of the British rock musical stageplay, The Rocky Horror Show, written by Richard O'Brien. The film is a parody of B-movie, science fiction and horror films of the late 1940s through early 1970s. Director Jim Sharman collaborated on the...
-themed episode "The Rocky Horror Glee Show
The Rocky Horror Glee Show
"The Rocky Horror Glee Show" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 27th episode overall. It was written by Ryan Murphy, from a story by Murphy and Tim Wollaston, directed by Adam Shankman, and premiered on Fox on October 26, 2010...
".
On April 21, 2011, the video for Hot Chelle Rae
Hot Chelle Rae
Hot Chelle Rae is a pop rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2005. The band consists of Ryan Follese , Nash Overstreet , Ian Keaggy , and Jamie Follese . Their debut album, Lovesick Electric, was released on October 27, 2009...
's "Tonight Tonight
Tonight Tonight (Hot Chelle Rae song)
"Tonight Tonight" is a song by American pop rock band Hot Chelle Rae. It was released as the lead single from their upcoming second album Whatever on March 15, 2011...
" was released on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and featured a series of cameos of Overstreet alternately making out with a girl (whom he stole from the lead singer) on an office copier, DJing at a club, then playing guitar and mugging for the crowd with his brother, bandmember Nash.
On July 1, 2011, TVLine
TVLine
TVLine is a website devoted to information, news and spoilers of television programs.-History:In late 2010, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving EW after nearly two years in their employ to establish a TV-centered website with MMC, the media company founded by...
's Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello
Michael Ausiello is an American television industry journalist and actor. He was a Senior Writer at TV Guide and its companion website, TVGuide.com. On May 28, 2008, Ausiello left TV Guide for Entertainment Weekly and posted his first blog for Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2008...
broke the news that Overstreet's contract option to become a series regular on Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
had not been picked up for season 3, but that he could possibly come back as an occasional guest star. In reaction to the announcement, fans launched a campaign to promote Overstreet's cover of "Billionaire" and various tags related to the actor, most notably "#dontcutthechord", began trending on Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
. The song made its way into the iTunes Top 5 "Glee" charts during the campaign.
At the 2011 Comic-Con event, Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
co-creator Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk
Brad Falchuk is a television writer, director and producer. He is best known for his work on the television series Nip/Tuck, Glee, and American Horror Story.-Early life:...
reported that they had offered Overstreet a ten-episode deal with a possibility to become a series regular at mid-season, but that Overstreet had declined the option. Overstreet later stated to Ausiello during an interview that he had decided to leave the show to focus on his music career, explaining, "They offered me the chance to come back for a few episodes, but there was nothing guaranteed so I decided to dive into the music thing."
It was reported on October 18, 2011, and confirmed by series co-creator Ryan Murphy six days later, that Overstreet would be returning as a recurring character starting with the season's eighth episode, which is scheduled to air on December 6, 2011.
Filmography
| Year | Series | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Private Private (Web series) Private is an American Web series produced by Alloy Entertainment based on the novels of the same name by Kate Brian.The series was announced in May 2009, beginning with a contest allowing female readers the chance to audition for the role of Kiran Hayes... |
Web series Web series A web series is a series of episodes released on the Internet or also by mobile or cellular phone, and part of the newly emerging medium called web television. A single instance of a web series program is called an episode .While the popularity of web series is continuing to rise, the concept... |
|
| 2009 | iCarly ICarly iCarly is an American sitcom that focuses on a girl named Carly Shay who creates her own web show called iCarly with her best friends Sam and Freddie. The series was created by Dan Schneider, who also serves as executive producer. It stars Miranda Cosgrove as Carly, Jennette McCurdy as Sam, Nathan... |
Eric | Episode: "iSpeed Date" |
| 2010–present | Glee Glee (TV series) Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues... |
Recurring role (21 episodes) | |
| 2010 | No Ordinary Family No Ordinary Family No Ordinary Family is an American television series on ABC. The 45-minute science fiction comedy-drama was produced by ABC Studios for the 2010–11 television season. The series ran from September 28, 2010 to April 5, 2011, on Tuesdays at 8 pm ET/PT... |
Episode: "Pilot" | |
| 2011 | The Middle The Middle (TV series) The Middle is an American situation comedy television series that premiered on ABC on September 30, 2009. The show features Frances "Frankie" Heck , a working-class, Midwestern woman married to Mike Heck who resides in the small fictional town of Orson, Indiana. They are the parents of three... |
Mr. Wilkerson | Episode: "Hecking Order" |
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Adam | ||
| 2011 | A Warrior's Heart | Dupree | |
| 2011 | Glee: The 3D Concert Movie Glee: The 3D Concert Movie Glee: The 3D Concert Movie is a 2011 American 3-D concert film directed by Kevin Tancharoen. It is based on the Fox television series Glee and features the cast performing during the Glee Live! In Concert! tour.-Synopsis:... |
Discography
Overstreet's cover of "Billionaire" was released as a single and charted at #15 in IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, #24 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, #28 in the United States, and #34 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. His cover of "Lucky" was also released as a single. Overstreet is also featured in Hot Chelle Rae
Hot Chelle Rae
Hot Chelle Rae is a pop rock band formed in Nashville, Tennessee, in 2005. The band consists of Ryan Follese , Nash Overstreet , Ian Keaggy , and Jamie Follese . Their debut album, Lovesick Electric, was released on October 27, 2009...
's "Tonight Tonight
Tonight Tonight (Hot Chelle Rae song)
"Tonight Tonight" is a song by American pop rock band Hot Chelle Rae. It was released as the lead single from their upcoming second album Whatever on March 15, 2011...
" music video, appearing with his brother, bandmember Nash Overstreet.