Darren Criss
Encyclopedia
Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater company StarKid Productions. He currently portrays Blaine Anderson
, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX
television series Glee
. Criss is also known for playing the lead role of Harry Potter
in Starkid's musical productions of A Very Potter Musical
and A Very Potter Sequel
. In January 2012, Criss will make his Broadway
debut, starring as J. Pierrepont Finch in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
.
, the son of Cerina (née Bru) and Charles William Criss, a banker and a former director of the San Francisco Opera
, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
, the Stern Grove Festival
, and San Francisco Performances
. Criss is Eurasian
– his mother, a native of Cebu
, Philippines
, is of Chinese
, Spanish
, and Filipino
descent, while his father, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, is of Irish
descent. He has an older brother named Charles "Chuck" Criss, a musician and member of the indie
rock band Freelance Whales
.
In 1988, the Criss family relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii
, where Criss's father started the East West Bank
, serving as Chairman and CEO. They lived there until their return to San Francisco in 1992. At the age of five, Criss began taking violin lessons and continued his classical training up through university. He eventually became a multi-instrumentalist
, mastering the guitar, piano, cello, mandolin, and drums.
Criss completed his elementary education at Stuart Hall for Boys
, and then later graduated from Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in 2005. During his time at Saint Ignatius, he was part of the student government, the school orchestra, and the performing arts program for which he was awarded the 'Theater Arts Leadership Award' and the 'Fine Arts Plaque Award' in 2005. He was also awarded the National Latin Exam Award in 2002 (Maxima Cum Laude) and 2003 (Magna Cum Laude). In 2009, Criss obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts
in Theater Performance
from the University of Michigan
.
's 1997 production of Fanny
, in the role of Cesario. The next year, Criss played Mauro in the same company's production of the Richard Rodgers
and Stephen Sondheim
musical Do I Hear a Waltz?
, followed by Babes in Arms
in 1999, in which he played Beauregard Calhoun.
During his formative years, Criss attended the Young Conservatory (YC) program of the American Conservatory Theater
(A.C.T.), based in San Francisco. He appeared in a number of A.C.T.'s plays, notably A Christmas Carol
, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Voysey Inheritance
. Criss continued to hone his craft at St. Ignatius College Preparatory
, taking on roles in classics such as The Music Man
, The Diary of Anne Frank
, and Fiddler on the Roof
.
In 2005, Criss was accepted into the University of Michigan
’s School of Music, Theater & Dance
(SMTD) and its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
(CLSA), and initially pursued degrees in Musicology
, Italian
, and Theater Performance
. He took part in various stage productions at U of M, including Pride and Prejudice
, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
, A Few Good Men, and The Cripple of Inishmaan
. Criss was also a participant in Basement Arts, the university's student-run theater organization, as both an actor and director. In the spring of 2008, he spent a semester abroad in Arezzo
, Italy
, studying Commedia dell'arte
, among other theater-related subjects, at the Accademia dell'Arte . Criss eventually decided to solely major in Theater Performance and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts
(BFA) in 2009.
Upon graduation, Criss, along with his university friends, founded StarKid Productions, a theater production company. His roles with StarKid include Harry Potter
in the YouTube
viral musicals A Very Potter Musical
and A Very Potter Sequel
. Both productions are musical-comedies based on the Harry Potter
series by J.K. Rowling. StarKid's plays have been viewed more than 100 million times on the company's YouTube
channel, since its launch on June 19, 2009.
Criss is the spokesperson for the Festival of New American Musicals. The organization's mission is to "to foster the creators, to train and showcase the performers and in the process also to help build the next generation of musical theater audience and support." It's honorary co-chairs are Stephen Sondheim
, Stephen Schwartz
, Jerry Herman
, Angela Lansbury
, and Jason Alexander
.
On August 1, 2011 it was announced that Criss would make his Broadway
debut, replacing Daniel Radcliffe
in the role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
for a limited three week engagement that will last from January 3–22, 2012.
television show Glee
. He portrays Blaine Anderson
, an openly gay high school student. Criss made his first appearance in season two
in the episode "Never Been Kissed
", which aired on November 9, 2010. Blaine attended Dalton Academy and was lead singer of its glee club, The Warblers. He was a recurring character for the rest of the season, appearing first as a mentor and friend to main character Kurt Hummel
, played by Chris Colfer
, and now as his boyfriend. In season three
, Blaine transferred to William McKinley High School and joined their glee club, New Directions.
Glee creator Ryan Murphy explained the purpose of Criss's role on the show, stating, "Darren has a major, major arc... [Blaine] sort of becomes Kurt's mentor and then maybe love – Kurt had to leave his own school because of bullying and goes to an all-boys academy and finds acceptance because that school has a zero-tolerance no-bullying policy. So Kurt really admires him and respects him. He plays someone who's one year older than Chris's character, so he's the old pro."
Discussing public response to his character, Criss stated that he particularly enjoyed comments from "people from parts of the world who are maybe not as exposed to certain ideologies", but had reconsidered their stance on relationships and human rights as a result of the Blaine and Kurt storyline. He called this response "phenomenal", and said: "I was a straight kid growing up in a very gay community and it's something that I've had to watch so many friends have to struggle with and have no place to go to identify in kind of a grander media culture. To be a small piece of that machine is incredibly wonderful."
Criss's early television career includes roles on the television series Eastwick
and Cold Case.
(2011).
Criss has also been cast in the upcoming comedy Imogene, which is slated to open in 2012. The film co-stars Kristen Wiig
, Annette Bening
, and Matt Dillon
.
(2007), produced by StarKid Productions.
Criss was one of the original presenters of That Media Show (2008), a San Francisco online production which discussed Hollywood, filmmaking, and visual effects.
Criss voices the character of Leopold Bonar from the Funny or Die
web series Life of Leopold.
and will be recording a full-length studio album, though no release date has been set. He previously released an independently-produced EP
called Human
on iTunes
on July 20, 2010. It debuted at No. 30 on Billboard's
Top Heatseekers
Albums and has reached the iTunes Top 20 Alternative charts.
Criss became the 400,000th member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) on December 10, 2010. He has performed his own music at notable venues such as Irving Plaza
, The Roxy, The Hollywood Palladium
, and The Troubadour.
Criss frequently collaborates and performs with fellow Michigan alum, New York-based singer/songwriter Charlene Kaye. He duetted with Kaye on her songs "Skin and Bones" and "Dress and Tie", and is featured in her music videos for "Skin and Bones", "Magnolia Wine", and "Dress and Tie".
For a list of musical performances by Criss, click here.
(2009), Me and My Dick
(2009), the web-series Little White Lie (2007), and composed all the songs and music for A Very Potter Sequel
(2010), its companion album A Very StarKid Album
(2010), and Starship
(2011). The Starship album was released on April 29, 2011. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Cast Album Chart and No. 134 on Billboard 200 Chart, and reached No. 2 on iTunes Soundtrack Chart and No. 4 on iTunes Albums Chart. Over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2011, Criss participated in StarKid's first national concert tour, "The Space Tour", in the New York and Boston shows.
soundtrack as lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, an all-male a cappella
singing group (all backing vocals and arrangements are done by Tufts University
's Beelzebubs
). His first song on Glee, "Teenage Dream
", hit No. 1 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart, selling 214,000 singles in its first week, outselling the original version in its first week of digital sales. It was the first time a Glee Cast track had reached the top spot, and is the show's fastest selling track to date. In July 2011, the song was certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies. Criss followed up with other songs he sang in later episodes: "Baby, It's Cold Outside
", "Bills, Bills, Bills
", "When I Get You Alone
", "Silly Love Songs
", "Hey, Soul Sister
", "Animal
", "Candles", "Misery
", "Somewhere Only We Know
", "Raise Your Glass
", and "Don't You Want Me
", most of which have reached the top ten on iTunes. The album Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
, released on April 19, 2011, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 Charts and reached No. 2 on the iTunes Albums chart.
On February 11, 2011, Criss and the Dalton Academy Warblers performed for Barbra Streisand
, in honor of her being named MusiCares Person of the Year
by the MusiCares Foundation
.
On May 7, 2011, Criss and the Warblers, along with the band the Eagles, paid tribute to Shelli and Irving Azoff
, in benefit of the City of Hope
cancer treatment center.
During the summer of 2011, Criss and the cast of Glee
toured the U.S.A., Canada, England, and Ireland, selling out shows and arenas including Staples Center
, Nassau Coliseum
, and The O2 Arenas
in London and Dublin.
community and its causes, raising awareness through various media outlets. On December 5, 2010, he performed at 'Trevor Live', an event held in support of The Trevor Project
, the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Criss is the recipient of Variety
s Power of Youth Philanthropy award for his contributions to The Trevor Project.
Criss is a spokesperson for the Rock the Vote
organization and its Democracy Day campaign. On March 23, 2011, he helped launch Democracy Class
, a "national high school civics program...that uses pop culture, video, a classroom discussion and a mock election to teach young people the skills to navigate the elections process and engage as active citizens".
Criss has performed at charity benefits for the AIDS Project Los Angeles
, the New Conservatory Theatre Center
, Toys for Tots
, City of Hope National Medical Center
, the Motion Picture & Television Fund
, Public School Arts, the MusiCares Foundation
, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
.
, Live with Regis and Kelly
, The Glee Project
, and The Today Show, among other television shows.
Criss has appeared on a number of magazine covers, including Billboard
, Out
, and Entertainment Weekly
. He has also been featured in People
, InStyle, Interview
, Vogue
, Teen Vogue
,, GQ,, and Rolling Stone
, among others.
Criss stars in the fall ad campaign (2011) for Uniqlo
, a Japanese clothing line.
Criss was named one of People Magazine
s Sexiest Men Alive in 2011.
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
, an openly gay high school student, on the FOX
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in 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...
. Criss is also known for playing the lead role of Harry Potter
Harry Potter (character)
Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard...
in Starkid's musical productions of A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...
and A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. The story is a parody based on several of the Harry Potter novels, particularly Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and...
. In January 2012, Criss will make his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut, starring as J. Pierrepont Finch in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name....
.
Early life and education
Criss was born in San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the son of Cerina (née Bru) and Charles William Criss, a banker and a former director of the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra is an orchestra based in San Francisco, which is dedicated to historically informed performance of Baroque, Classical and early Romantic music on original instruments. The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra was founded in 1981 by harpsichordist, teacher and early music...
, the Stern Grove Festival
Stern Grove Festival
Established in 1938, the Stern Grove Festival is an admission-free series of performing arts events held during the summer months at the Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, a eucalyptus-wooded natural amphitheater on a site at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, about two miles south of Golden Gate Park...
, and San Francisco Performances
San Francisco Performances
San Francisco Performances is an organization which showcases chamber music, vocal and instrumental recitals, jazz and contemporary dance in the San Francisco Bay area. It was founded by Ruth Felt in 1979...
. Criss is Eurasian
Eurasian (mixed ancestry)
The word Eurasian refers to people of mixed Asian and European ancestry. It was originally coined in 19th-century British India to refer to Anglo-Indians of mixed British and Indian descent....
– his mother, a native of Cebu
Cebu
Cebu is a province in the Philippines, consisting of Cebu Island and 167 surrounding islands. It is located to the east of Negros, to the west of Leyte and Bohol islands...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, is of Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
, Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
, and Filipino
Filipino people
The Filipino people or Filipinos are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the islands of the Philippines. There are about 92 million Filipinos in the Philippines, and about 11 million living outside the Philippines ....
descent, while his father, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, is of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
descent. He has an older brother named Charles "Chuck" Criss, a musician and member of the indie
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
rock band Freelance Whales
Freelance Whales
Freelance Whales is an American indie rock band from Queens, New York, formed in 2008. Consisting of frontman Judah Dadone , and bandmates Doris Cellar , Chuck Criss , Jacob Hyman...
.
In 1988, the Criss family relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, where Criss's father started the East West Bank
East West Bank
East West Bank is a Chinese American bank in the state of California in the United States. It has 119 branch locations in northern and southern California, Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Texas, Washington, two overseas branches in Hong Kong, one each in Shanghai and Shantou and representative...
, serving as Chairman and CEO. They lived there until their return to San Francisco in 1992. At the age of five, Criss began taking violin lessons and continued his classical training up through university. He eventually became a multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
, mastering the guitar, piano, cello, mandolin, and drums.
Criss completed his elementary education at Stuart Hall for Boys
Stuart Hall for Boys
Stuart Hall for Boys is a private Roman Catholic school located in San Francisco, California, and is part of the Schools of the Sacred Heart network...
, and then later graduated from Saint Ignatius College Preparatory in 2005. During his time at Saint Ignatius, he was part of the student government, the school orchestra, and the performing arts program for which he was awarded the 'Theater Arts Leadership Award' and the 'Fine Arts Plaque Award' in 2005. He was also awarded the National Latin Exam Award in 2002 (Maxima Cum Laude) and 2003 (Magna Cum Laude). In 2009, Criss obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
in Theater Performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
.
Theater
Criss made his professional stage debut at the age of ten in 42nd Street Moon42nd Street Moon
42nd Street Moon is a professional theatre company in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in the preservation and presentation of early and lesser-known works by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern,...
's 1997 production of Fanny
Fanny (musical)
Fanny is a musical with a book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. A tale of love, secrets, and passion set in and around the old French port of Marseille, it is based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of plays entitled Marius, Fanny and César.The musical premiered on...
, in the role of Cesario. The next year, Criss played Mauro in the same company's production of the Richard Rodgers
Richard Rodgers
Richard Charles Rodgers was an American composer of music for more than 900 songs and for 43 Broadway musicals. He also composed music for films and television. He is best known for his songwriting partnerships with the lyricists Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II...
and Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
musical Do I Hear a Waltz?
Do I Hear a Waltz?
Do I Hear a Waltz? is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was the basis for the 1955 film Summertime starring Katharine Hepburn.-Background:Laurents originally...
, followed by Babes in Arms
Babes in Arms
Babes in Arms is a 1937 musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a teen-age boy who puts on a show with his friends to avoid being sent to a work farm.- Production history:...
in 1999, in which he played Beauregard Calhoun.
During his formative years, Criss attended the Young Conservatory (YC) program of the American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater
American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and...
(A.C.T.), based in San Francisco. He appeared in a number of A.C.T.'s plays, notably A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Voysey Inheritance
The Voysey Inheritance
The Voysey Inheritance is a play written by the English dramatist Harley Granville-Barker. Originally written in 1905, it was revived at the National Theatre in 2006.It is currently in the public domain.- See also :*...
. Criss continued to hone his craft at St. Ignatius College Preparatory
St. Ignatius College Preparatory
St. Ignatius College Preparatory is a preparatory school in the Jesuit tradition serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 1855. Located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, in the Sunset District of San Francisco, St. Ignatius is one of the oldest secondary schools in the U.S. state...
, taking on roles in classics such as The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
, The Diary of Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank (play)
The Diary of Anne Frank is a stage adaptation of the book The Diary of a Young Girl. The play is a dramatization by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. It opened at the Cort Theatre, Broadway, on October 5, 1955, in a production by Kermit Bloomgarden, directed by Garson Kanin and designed by Boris...
, and Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
.
In 2005, Criss was accepted into the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
’s School of Music, Theater & Dance
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance
The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance is an undergraduate and graduate institution for the performing arts in the United States. It is part of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The School of Music, Theatre & Dance was founded in 1880 and is currently headed by...
(SMTD) and its College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
The University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts is the liberal arts and sciences unit of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Established in 1841 with seven students and two teachers, the college is currently the largest unit at U-M in terms of the number of students...
(CLSA), and initially pursued degrees in Musicology
Musicology
Musicology is the scholarly study of music. The word is used in narrow, broad and intermediate senses. In the narrow sense, musicology is confined to the music history of Western culture...
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, and Theater Performance
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
. He took part in various stage productions at U of M, including Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice
Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England...
, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot
The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a 2005 play by American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis first staged off-Broadway at The Public Theater on 2 March 2005 directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.-Plot summary:...
, A Few Good Men, and The Cripple of Inishmaan
The Cripple of Inishmaan
The Cripple of Inishmaan is a dark comedy by Martin McDonagh who links the story to the real life filming of the documentary Man of Aran....
. Criss was also a participant in Basement Arts, the university's student-run theater organization, as both an actor and director. In the spring of 2008, he spent a semester abroad in Arezzo
Arezzo
Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, studying Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
, among other theater-related subjects, at the Accademia dell'Arte . Criss eventually decided to solely major in Theater Performance and obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
(BFA) in 2009.
Upon graduation, Criss, along with his university friends, founded StarKid Productions, a theater production company. His roles with StarKid include Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
in the 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....
viral musicals A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical
A Very Potter Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...
and A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. The story is a parody based on several of the Harry Potter novels, particularly Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and...
. Both productions are musical-comedies based on the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
series by J.K. Rowling. StarKid's plays have been viewed more than 100 million times on the company's 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....
channel, since its launch on June 19, 2009.
Criss is the spokesperson for the Festival of New American Musicals. The organization's mission is to "to foster the creators, to train and showcase the performers and in the process also to help build the next generation of musical theater audience and support." It's honorary co-chairs are Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim
Stephen Joshua Sondheim is an American composer and lyricist for stage and film. He is the winner of an Academy Award, multiple Tony Awards including the Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre, multiple Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and the Laurence Olivier Award...
, Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
, Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...
, Angela Lansbury
Angela Lansbury
Angela Brigid Lansbury CBE is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual , with five wins...
, and Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
.
On August 1, 2011 it was announced that Criss would make his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
debut, replacing Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe is an English actor who rose to prominence playing the titular character in the Harry Potter film series....
in the role of J. Pierrepont Finch in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name....
for a limited three week engagement that will last from January 3–22, 2012.
Television
Criss is a series regular on the FOXFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in 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 portrays Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson
Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the...
, an openly gay high school student. Criss made his first appearance in season two
Glee (season 2)
The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States...
in the episode "Never Been Kissed
Never Been Kissed (Glee)
"Never Been Kissed" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the 28th episode overall. It was written by Brad Falchuk, directed by Bradley Buecker and premiered on Fox on November 9, 2010. In "Never Been Kissed", the glee club members are assigned a boys...
", which aired on November 9, 2010. Blaine attended Dalton Academy and was lead singer of its glee club, The Warblers. He was a recurring character for the rest of the season, appearing first as a mentor and friend to main character Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel
Kurt Hummel is a fictional character and one of the male leads in the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. Series creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan initially conceived of him as a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school...
, played by Chris Colfer
Chris Colfer
Christopher Paul "Chris" Colfer is an American actor and singer known for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television series Glee, for which he won a 2011 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and was also nominated twice for an Emmy...
, and now as his boyfriend. In season three
Glee (season 3)
A third season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on May 23, 2010 while the first season aired. It premiered on September 20, 2011, and is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Television, with executive producers Dante Di Loreto and...
, Blaine transferred to William McKinley High School and joined their glee club, New Directions.
Glee creator Ryan Murphy explained the purpose of Criss's role on the show, stating, "Darren has a major, major arc... [Blaine] sort of becomes Kurt's mentor and then maybe love – Kurt had to leave his own school because of bullying and goes to an all-boys academy and finds acceptance because that school has a zero-tolerance no-bullying policy. So Kurt really admires him and respects him. He plays someone who's one year older than Chris's character, so he's the old pro."
Discussing public response to his character, Criss stated that he particularly enjoyed comments from "people from parts of the world who are maybe not as exposed to certain ideologies", but had reconsidered their stance on relationships and human rights as a result of the Blaine and Kurt storyline. He called this response "phenomenal", and said: "I was a straight kid growing up in a very gay community and it's something that I've had to watch so many friends have to struggle with and have no place to go to identify in kind of a grander media culture. To be a small piece of that machine is incredibly wonderful."
Criss's early television career includes roles on the television series Eastwick
Eastwick (TV series)
Eastwick is a 2009 screwball comedy series based on John Updike's novel, The Witches of Eastwick. The series was developed by Maggie Friedman, and starred Paul Gross as the infamous Darryl Van Horne, alongside Jaime Ray Newman , Lindsay Price, and Rebecca Romijn as the eponymous...
and Cold Case.
Films
Criss made his feature film debut in Glee: The 3D Concert MovieGlee: 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:...
(2011).
Criss has also been cast in the upcoming comedy Imogene, which is slated to open in 2012. The film co-stars Kristen Wiig
Kristen Wiig
Kristen Carroll Wiig is an American film and television actress who currently appears as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. Wiig was a member of improvisational comedy troupe The Groundlings, and has appeared in several films and television series, including Bridesmaids, MacGruber, Flight of...
, Annette Bening
Annette Bening
Annette Carol Bening is an American actress. Bening is a four-time Oscar nominee for her roles in The Grifters, American Beauty, Being Julia and The Kids Are All Right, winning Golden Globe Awards for the latter two films...
, and Matt Dillon
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon is an American actor and film director. He began acting in the late 1970s, gaining fame as a teenage idol during the 1980s.- Early life :...
.
Internet
Criss played the role of Toby Phillips in the web series Little White LieLittle White Lie (web series)
Little White Lie is an American web series created by members of what would eventually become Team StarKid. The series follows Sami and Duder Reese who steal a friend's music to turn their go-nowhere band, Reeses Pieces, into the next sensation, Little White Lie...
(2007), produced by StarKid Productions.
Criss was one of the original presenters of That Media Show (2008), a San Francisco online production which discussed Hollywood, filmmaking, and visual effects.
Criss voices the character of Leopold Bonar from the Funny or Die
Funny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
web series Life of Leopold.
Solo
Criss is currently signed with Sony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
and will be recording a full-length studio album, though no release date has been set. He previously released an independently-produced EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
called Human
Human (EP)
-Personnel:* Darren Criss - vocals, guitar* Chris Lorentz - producer, mixing, mastering* Forest Casey - CD & cover photography* Frank Franco III - CD & cover layout design-Chart performance:-Other appearances:...
on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on July 20, 2010. It debuted at No. 30 on Billboard's
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
Albums and has reached the iTunes Top 20 Alternative charts.
Criss became the 400,000th member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) on December 10, 2010. He has performed his own music at notable venues such as Irving Plaza
Irving Plaza
Irving Plaza is a 1,200-person ballroom-style music venue at 17 Irving Place and East 15th Street in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City...
, The Roxy, The Hollywood Palladium
Hollywood Palladium
The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and includes an 11,200 square foot dance floor with room for up to 4,000 people.-History:...
, and The Troubadour.
Criss frequently collaborates and performs with fellow Michigan alum, New York-based singer/songwriter Charlene Kaye. He duetted with Kaye on her songs "Skin and Bones" and "Dress and Tie", and is featured in her music videos for "Skin and Bones", "Magnolia Wine", and "Dress and Tie".
For a list of musical performances by Criss, click here.
StarKid Productions
Criss is credited as one of the primary songwriters and composers, along with A.J. Holmes and Carlos Valdes, for StarKid Productions. He has contributed songs to A Very Potter MusicalA Very Potter Musical (soundtrack)
The A Very Potter Musical soundtrack contains the songs from the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...
(2009), Me and My Dick
Me and My Dick (soundtrack)
Me and My Dick contains the songs from the musical Me and My Dick, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by A.J. Holmes, Carlos Valdes, and Darren Criss, and book by Eric Kahn Gale, Brian Holden, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang. It was recorded by the musical's cast and was released digitally on...
(2009), the web-series Little White Lie (2007), and composed all the songs and music for A Very Potter Sequel
A Very Potter Sequel (soundtrack)
The A Very Potter Sequel soundtrack contains songs from the musical A Very Potter Sequel, sequel to the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden, that were not released on...
(2010), its companion album A Very StarKid Album
A Very StarKid Album
A Very StarKid Album contains several songs from the musical A Very Potter Sequel, sequel to the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden...
(2010), and Starship
Starship (soundtrack)
The Starship soundtrack contains the songs from the musical of the same name produced by Team StarKid, with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Joe Walker. It was recorded by the musical's cast and was released digitally on April 30th, 2011 through...
(2011). The Starship album was released on April 29, 2011. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Cast Album Chart and No. 134 on Billboard 200 Chart, and reached No. 2 on iTunes Soundtrack Chart and No. 4 on iTunes Albums Chart. Over the Thanksgiving holiday in 2011, Criss participated in StarKid's first national concert tour, "The Space Tour", in the New York and Boston shows.
Glee
Criss has contributed to the GleeGlee (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...
soundtrack as lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, an all-male a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
singing group (all backing vocals and arrangements are done by Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
's Beelzebubs
Beelzebubs
The Beelzebubs, frequently referred to as "The Bubs", are an all-male a cappella group from Tufts University that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun through Song." They have toured in Europe, Asia, and North America, and they competed in...
). His first song on Glee, "Teenage Dream
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry song)
"Teenage Dream" is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. It was released as the second single from her third studio album of the same name on July 23, 2010 through digital distribution. Perry and Bonnie McKee wrote many songs with a youthful theme in mind, but they were rejected by...
", hit No. 1 on the Billboard Digital Songs chart, selling 214,000 singles in its first week, outselling the original version in its first week of digital sales. It was the first time a Glee Cast track had reached the top spot, and is the show's fastest selling track to date. In July 2011, the song was certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies. Criss followed up with other songs he sang in later episodes: "Baby, It's Cold Outside
Baby, It's Cold Outside
Baby, It's Cold Outside may refer to:*"Baby, It's Cold Outside", a 1948 song by Frank Loesser*"Cold Outside", a song by country music band Big House from their self-titled debut album*"Baby, It's Cold Outside", a 1991 short story by Isaac Asimov...
", "Bills, Bills, Bills
Bills, Bills, Bills
"Bills, Bills, Bills" is a 1999 hit single by Destiny's Child, released as the first single from their second album The Writing's on the Wall. It echoed the female empowerment sentiments of TLC's single "No Scrubs", and featured the same producer and songwriter...
", "When I Get You Alone
When I Get You Alone
"When I Get You Alone" is the first single by American singer Robin Thicke, released in 2002. It was originally to be featured on his debut album Cherry Blue Skies, before being placed on a revamped version of the album and his first released studio album A Beautiful World.-Writing and...
", "Silly Love Songs
Silly Love Songs
Silly Love Songs is a song written by Paul and Linda McCartney and performed by Wings. The song appeared on the 1976 album, Wings at the Speed of Sound. It was also released as a single in 1976. The US single was released on 1 April 1976 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The UK single was...
", "Hey, Soul Sister
Hey, Soul Sister
"Hey, Soul Sister" is a song by the American rock band Train, written by Patrick Monahan, Amund Bjørklund, and Espen Lind. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, Save Me, San Francisco. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and is their highest...
", "Animal
Animal (Neon Trees song)
"Animal" is the lead single from Neon Trees' debut album Habits. It debuted at #100 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has reached a current peak of #13 in its 22nd week on the chart. In Canada, the song debuted at number 95 on the Canadian Hot 100 and has climbed to No. 29...
", "Candles", "Misery
Misery (Maroon 5 song)
"Misery" is a song by American band Maroon 5. It was released on June 22, 2010 by A&M/Octone Records via the iTunes Store. The song was released in advance of the band's mid-2010 tour, and is the first single from their third studio album, Hands All Over, which was released on September 21,...
", "Somewhere Only We Know
Somewhere Only We Know
"Somewhere Only We Know" is a song performed and composed by English alternative rock band Keane, officially released as their third commercial single, and appearing as the opening track of their debut album, Hopes and Fears as the first single...
", "Raise Your Glass
Raise Your Glass
"Raise Your Glass" is a song by American recording artist and songwriter Pink, released as the lead single of her first compilation album, Greatest Hits... So Far!!!...
", and "Don't You Want Me
Don't You Want Me
"Don't You Want Me" is a single by British synthpop group Human League, released from their album: Dare on 27 November 1981.It is the band's best known and most commercially successful recording to date, and was the Christmas number one in the UK, in 1981, where it sold over 1,400,000 copies,...
", most of which have reached the top ten on iTunes. The album Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers
Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers is the seventh soundtrack album by the cast of Glee, a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States. Released through Columbia Records on April 19, 2011, it contains thirteen covers: eleven accompanying performances from the...
, released on April 19, 2011, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 Charts and reached No. 2 on the iTunes Albums chart.
On February 11, 2011, Criss and the Dalton Academy Warblers performed for Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, in honor of her being named MusiCares Person of the Year
MusiCares Person of the Year
The MusiCares Person of the Year is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the same organization that distributes the Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the music industry and dedication to philanthropy...
by the MusiCares Foundation
MusiCares
The MusiCares Foundation, Inc., was established in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn, in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, its primary purpose is to focus the resources and attention of the music industry on human...
.
On May 7, 2011, Criss and the Warblers, along with the band the Eagles, paid tribute to Shelli and Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff
Irving Azoff is an American personal manager, representing recording artists in the music industry such as Christina Aguilera, Journey, Jewel, the Eagles, X Japan, Bush, REO Speedwagon, Seal, David Archuleta, Alter Bridge, Van Halen, 30 Seconds to Mars, Neil Diamond, New Kids on the Block, Steely...
, in benefit of the City of Hope
City of Hope National Medical Center
City of Hope National Medical Center, is a private, not-for-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate medical school located in Duarte, California, United States...
cancer treatment center.
During the summer of 2011, Criss and the cast of 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...
toured the U.S.A., Canada, England, and Ireland, selling out shows and arenas including Staples Center
Staples Center
Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles...
, Nassau Coliseum
Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...
, and The O2 Arenas
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
in London and Dublin.
Advocacy and Charity work
Criss is a supporter of the LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community and its causes, raising awareness through various media outlets. On December 5, 2010, he performed at 'Trevor Live', an event held in support of The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project
The Trevor Project is an American non-profit organization founded in 1998 and the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Through a toll-free telephone number, it operates The Trevor Lifeline, a...
, the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. Criss is the recipient of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
s Power of Youth Philanthropy award for his contributions to The Trevor Project.
Criss is a spokesperson for the Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote
Rock the Vote is a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young people....
organization and its Democracy Day campaign. On March 23, 2011, he helped launch Democracy Class
Rock the Vote: Democracy Class
Rock the Vote: Democracy Class is a program put on by Rock the Vote in the United States. It designed to educate high school students about voting, elections and governance. The nonpartisan lesson plan uses music, pop culture, video, classroom discussion and a mock election to teach young people...
, a "national high school civics program...that uses pop culture, video, a classroom discussion and a mock election to teach young people the skills to navigate the elections process and engage as active citizens".
Criss has performed at charity benefits for the AIDS Project Los Angeles
AIDS Project Los Angeles
AIDS Project Los Angeles is a 5013 non-profit organization, "dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by AIDS disease, reducing the incidence of HIV infection, and advocating for fair and effective HIV-related public policy."...
, the New Conservatory Theatre Center
New Conservatory Theatre Center
The New Conservatory Theatre Center is a not-for-profit theatre company located in San Francisco, California. NCTC showcases an eight-show Pride Season, an In-Concert/Cabaret Series, Family Theatre performances, YouthAware Touring Educational Theatre, and an Emerging Artists program. NCTC also...
, Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots
Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which donates toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas. The program was founded in 1947 by reservist Major William L...
, City of Hope National Medical Center
City of Hope National Medical Center
City of Hope National Medical Center, is a private, not-for-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate medical school located in Duarte, California, United States...
, the Motion Picture & Television Fund
Motion Picture & Television Fund
The Motion Picture & Television Fund is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries with limited or no resources...
, Public School Arts, the MusiCares Foundation
MusiCares
The MusiCares Foundation, Inc., was established in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn, in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, its primary purpose is to focus the resources and attention of the music industry on human...
, and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs...
.
Media appearances
Criss has been a guest on The Ellen DeGeneres ShowThe Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
, Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, The Glee Project
The Glee Project
The Glee Project is an American reality television series from Oxygen. It serves as an audition for the FOX TV series Glee. Although originally planned to begin broadcasting in late May 2011, The Glee Project premiered on June 12, 2011...
, and The Today Show, among other television shows.
Criss has appeared on a number of magazine covers, including Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
, Out
Out (magazine)
Out is a popular gay and lesbian fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any gay monthly publication in the United States. It carries itself in a similar editorial manner to Details, Esquire, and GQ. Out was published by PlanetOut Inc...
, and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. He has also been featured in People
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
, InStyle, Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
, Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...
, Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue
Teen Vogue magazine began as a version of Vogue magazine for teenage girls. This US magazine focuses on fashion and celebrities and offers information about the latest entertainment and feature stories on current issues and events.- Description :...
,, GQ,, and Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, among others.
Criss stars in the fall ad campaign (2011) for Uniqlo
UNIQLO
is a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer.The company was originally a division of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd.. On November 1, 2005, it was restructured as a separate wholly owned subsidiary called Uniqlo Co., Ltd. , which is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock...
, a Japanese clothing line.
Criss was named one of People Magazine
People (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
s Sexiest Men Alive in 2011.
Acting credits
| Theater | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | Fanny Fanny (musical) Fanny is a musical with a book by S. N. Behrman and Joshua Logan and music and lyrics by Harold Rome. A tale of love, secrets, and passion set in and around the old French port of Marseille, it is based on Marcel Pagnol's trilogy of plays entitled Marius, Fanny and César.The musical premiered on... |
Cesario | 42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon is a professional theatre company in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in the preservation and presentation of early and lesser-known works by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern,... Theater Company |
| 1998 | Do I Hear a Waltz? Do I Hear a Waltz? Do I Hear a Waltz? is a musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Richard Rodgers, and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. It was adapted from Laurents' 1952 play The Time of the Cuckoo, which was the basis for the 1955 film Summertime starring Katharine Hepburn.-Background:Laurents originally... |
Mauro | 42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon is a professional theatre company in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in the preservation and presentation of early and lesser-known works by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern,... Theater Company |
| 1999 | Babes in Arms Babes in Arms Babes in Arms is a 1937 musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Lorenz Hart and book by Rodgers and Hart. It concerns a teen-age boy who puts on a show with his friends to avoid being sent to a work farm.- Production history:... |
Beauregard Calhoun | 42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon 42nd Street Moon is a professional theatre company in San Francisco, California. The company specializes in the preservation and presentation of early and lesser-known works by Rodgers & Hammerstein, Rodgers & Hart, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Kurt Weill, George and Ira Gershwin, Jerome Kern,... Theater Company |
| 2001 | Servant of Two Masters Servant of Two Masters Servant of Two Masters is a comedy by the Venetian playwright Carlo Goldoni written in 1743. Goldoni originally wrote the play at the request of actor Antonio Sacco, one of the great Truffaldinos in history... |
Silvio | Saint Ignatius College Preparatory |
| 2003 | Rumors Rumors Rumors is a farcical play by Neil Simon.At its start, several affluent couples gather in the posh suburban residence of a couple for a dinner party celebrating their hosts' tenth anniversary. When they arrive, they discover there are no servants, the hostess is missing, and the host - the deputy... |
Ken Gorman | Saint Ignatius College Preparatory |
| 2003 | Chess Chess (musical) Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;... |
The American | Saint Ignatius College Preparatory |
| 2004 | The Music Man The Music Man The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with... |
Member of the Barbershop Quartet | Saint Ignatius College Preparatory |
| 2005 | The Diary of Anne Frank The Diary of Anne Frank (play) The Diary of Anne Frank is a stage adaptation of the book The Diary of a Young Girl. The play is a dramatization by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett. It opened at the Cort Theatre, Broadway, on October 5, 1955, in a production by Kermit Bloomgarden, directed by Garson Kanin and designed by Boris... |
Peter | Saint Ignatius College Preparatory |
| 2005 | Fiddler on the Roof Fiddler on the Roof Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem... |
Tevye Tevye Tevye the Dairyman is the protagonist of several of Sholem Aleichem's stories, originally written in Yiddish and first published in 1894. The character became best known from the fictional memoir Tevye and his Daughters , about a pious Jewish milkman in Tsarist Russia, and the troubles he has with... |
Saint Ignatius College Preparatory |
| N/A | A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of... |
Pip | American Conservatory Theater American Conservatory Theater American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and... |
| N/A | A Midsummer Night’s Dream | N/A | American Conservatory Theater American Conservatory Theater American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and... |
| N/A | The Voysey Inheritance The Voysey Inheritance The Voysey Inheritance is a play written by the English dramatist Harley Granville-Barker. Originally written in 1905, it was revived at the National Theatre in 2006.It is currently in the public domain.- See also :*... |
N/A | American Conservatory Theater American Conservatory Theater American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and... |
| 2005 | Shed a Little Light: The Music of James Taylor James Taylor James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.... |
Singer and Musician | American Conservatory Theater American Conservatory Theater American Conservatory Theater is a large non-profit theater company in San Francisco, California, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. A.C.T. was founded in 1965 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Playhouse and Carnegie Tech by theatre and... |
| 2006 | Paper Canoes | Salmon | Zeitgeist Artworks |
| N/A | A Few Good Men | Dawson | University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2006 | Things You Shouldn't Say Past Midnight | Ben | University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2006 | Playing For Time Playing For Time (film) Playing For Time is a 1980 CBS television film, written by Arthur Miller and Fania Fénelon, based on Fénelon's autobiography, The Musicians of Auschwitz... |
Cellist | University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2006 | Posthumous | Posthumous | Co-writer Basement Arts, University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2007 | The Cripple of Inishmaan The Cripple of Inishmaan The Cripple of Inishmaan is a dark comedy by Martin McDonagh who links the story to the real life filming of the documentary Man of Aran.... |
Babbybobby Bennett | Basement Arts, University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2008 | Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character Elizabeth Bennet as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of early 19th-century England... |
George Wickham | University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2008 | The Last Days of Judas Iscariot The Last Days of Judas Iscariot The Last Days of Judas Iscariot is a 2005 play by American playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis first staged off-Broadway at The Public Theater on 2 March 2005 directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman.-Plot summary:... |
Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He is best known for his betrayal of Jesus to the hands of the chief priests for 30 pieces of silver.-Etymology:... |
Basement Arts, University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2009 | Summertime | Francois | Basement Arts, University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2009 | A Very Potter Musical A Very Potter Musical A Very Potter Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden... |
Harry Potter Harry Potter (character) Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard... |
Lead role Co-songwriter StarKid Productions, University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2009 | Me and My Dick Me and My Dick Me and My Dick is a musical with music and lyrics by A.J. Holmes, Carlos Valdes, and Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Eric Kahn Gale.... |
Italian restaurant owner | Cameo (voice only) Co-songwriter and guitarist StarKid Productions, University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2010 | A Very Potter Sequel A Very Potter Sequel A Very Potter Sequel is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden. The story is a parody based on several of the Harry Potter novels, particularly Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and... |
Harry Potter Harry Potter (character) Harry James Potter is the title character and main protagonist of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The majority of the books' plot covers seven years in the life of the orphan Potter who, on his eleventh birthday, learns he is a wizard... |
Lead role Songwriter and producer StarKid Productions, University of Michigan University of Michigan The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan... |
| 2011 | Starship Starship (musical) Starship is a musical with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and a book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Joe Walker.Starship is about an alien planet inhabited by giant insects, called Bug-World... |
N/A | Songwriter StarKid Productions, Hoover-Leppen Theater, Chicago |
| 2012 | How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name.... |
J. Pierrepont Finch | Lead role Broadway Broadway theatre Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City... |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2009 | Eastwick Eastwick (TV series) Eastwick is a 2009 screwball comedy series based on John Updike's novel, The Witches of Eastwick. The series was developed by Maggie Friedman, and starred Paul Gross as the infamous Darryl Van Horne, alongside Jaime Ray Newman , Lindsay Price, and Rebecca Romijn as the eponymous... |
Josh Burton | Recurring role, 5 episodes |
| 2010 | Cold Case | Ruben Harris | Episode: "Free Love Cold Case (season 7) Season seven of Cold Case, an American television series, began airing on September 27, 2009 and concluded on May 2, 2010. Season seven regular cast members include Kathryn Morris, Danny Pino, John Finn, Thom Barry, Jeremy Ratchford and Tracie Thoms. This is the series's last season; it was... " |
| 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... |
Blaine Anderson Blaine Anderson Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the... |
Dorian Award - We're Wilde About You Rising Star Award Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Breakout Star 2011 Teen Choice Awards The 2011 Teen Choice Awards hosted by Kaley Cuoco aired live on August 7, 2011 at 8/7c on Fox. This was the first time that the ceremonies were aired live since the 2007 show... Recurring role (Season 2 Glee (season 2) The second season of the musical comedy-drama television series Glee originally aired between September 21, 2010 and May 24, 2011 on Fox in the United States... ) 14 episodes Series regular (Season 3 Glee (season 3) A third season of the Fox musical comedy-drama television series Glee was commissioned on May 23, 2010 while the first season aired. It premiered on September 20, 2011, and is being produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Ryan Murphy Television, with executive producers Dante Di Loreto and... ) |
| 2011 | Archer Archer (TV series) Archer is an American animated television series created by Adam Reed for the FX network. A preview of the series aired on September 17, 2009. The first season premiered on January 14, 2010. The show carries a TV-MA-LSV rating.... |
Mikey and Tommy | Episode: "Placebo Effect" (voice role) |
| 2011 | The Glee Project The Glee Project The Glee Project is an American reality television series from Oxygen. It serves as an audition for the FOX TV series Glee. Although originally planned to begin broadcasting in late May 2011, The Glee Project premiered on June 12, 2011... |
Himself | Episodes: "Individuality", "Pairability", and "Glee-ality" |
| 2012 | The Cleveland Show The Cleveland Show The Cleveland Show is an American animated television series that premiered on September 27, 2009, as a part of the "Animation Domination" lineup on Fox in the United States... |
TBA | Episode: TBA (voice role) |
| Film | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2005 | I Adora You | Josh | Short film, minor role |
| 2009 | Walker Phillips | Elliott | Short film |
| 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:... |
Blaine Anderson Blaine Anderson Blaine Anderson is a fictional character from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee. Played by Darren Criss, Blaine was introduced in the sixth episode of the second season as the openly gay lead singer of the Dalton Academy Warblers, a rival show choir to New Directions, the... |
Film debut |
| 2012 | Imogene | Lee | |
| Internet | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Little White Lie Little White Lie (web series) Little White Lie is an American web series created by members of what would eventually become Team StarKid. The series follows Sami and Duder Reese who steal a friend's music to turn their go-nowhere band, Reeses Pieces, into the next sensation, Little White Lie... |
Toby Phillips | Main role, 8 episodes Co-songwriter and musical producer |
| 2008 | That Media Show | Presenter | |
| 2011– present |
Life of Leopold | Leopold Bonar | Lead role, voice only |
| Video games | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2011 | Dead or Alive: Dimensions Dead Or Alive: Dimensions Dead or Alive: Dimensions is a fighting game for the Nintendo 3DS. It was announced as an official title on 15 June 2010 at E3 under the working title Dead or Alive 3D. It is the 15th game in the Dead or Alive series. It will also be the first Dead or Alive game to be released on a Nintendo system... |
Jann Lee | |
Musical Performances
| Notable Musical Performances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Event | Location | Notes |
| 2010 | Trevor Live | Los Angeles, California | Benefit for The Trevor Project The Trevor Project The Trevor Project is an American non-profit organization founded in 1998 and the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Through a toll-free telephone number, it operates The Trevor Lifeline, a... . Criss sang with the Dalton Academy Warblers and Katy Perry Katy Perry Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a... . |
| 2011 | MusiCares Person of the Year MusiCares Person of the Year The MusiCares Person of the Year is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the same organization that distributes the Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the music industry and dedication to philanthropy... |
Los Angeles, California | Criss and the Dalton Academy Warblers performed for Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,... , in honor of her being named MusiCares Person of the Year MusiCares Person of the Year The MusiCares Person of the Year is an award presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the same organization that distributes the Grammy Awards, to commend musicians for their artistic achievement in the music industry and dedication to philanthropy... by the MusiCares Foundation MusiCares The MusiCares Foundation, Inc., was established in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn, in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, its primary purpose is to focus the resources and attention of the music industry on human... . |
| 2011 | The Yale Whiffenpoofs The Whiffenpoofs The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909. Best known for "The Whiffenpoof Song", based on a tune written by Tod Galloway and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode & George S Pomeroy , the group comprises college... in Concert |
Santa Monica, California | Benefit for Public School Arts. |
| 2011 | City of Hope City of Hope National Medical Center City of Hope National Medical Center, is a private, not-for-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate medical school located in Duarte, California, United States... Concert |
Los Angeles, California | Benefit for City of Hope City of Hope National Medical Center City of Hope National Medical Center, is a private, not-for-profit clinical research center, hospital and graduate medical school located in Duarte, California, United States... cancer treatment center. Criss and the Dalton Academy Warblers, along with the Eagles, paid tribute to Shelli and Irving Azoff Irving Azoff Irving Azoff is an American personal manager, representing recording artists in the music industry such as Christina Aguilera, Journey, Jewel, the Eagles, X Japan, Bush, REO Speedwagon, Seal, David Archuleta, Alter Bridge, Van Halen, 30 Seconds to Mars, Neil Diamond, New Kids on the Block, Steely... . |
| 2011 | Glee Live! In Concert! Glee Live! In Concert! Glee Live! In Concert! is a concert tour performed in character by members of the cast of the popular television series, Glee. The tour, created by series creator Ryan Murphy was designed due to the overwhelming response to the series. The show reached North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland... |
U.S.A., Canada, England, Ireland | Sold out shows and arenas including Staples Center Staples Center Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. Opening on October 17, 1999, it is one of the major sporting facilities in the Greater Los Angeles... , Nassau Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island... , and The O2 Arenas The O2 arena (London) The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest... in London and Dublin. |
| 2011 | ASCAP Pop Music Awards | Los Angeles, California | Criss paid tribute to Rod Stewart Rod Stewart Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry.... by singing a ballad version of Stewart's classic song "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" is a 1978 hit song for Rod Stewart. It was written by Stewart and Carmine Appice, and produced by Tom Dowd."Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" spent one week at the top of the British charts in December 1978 and four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, starting 10 February 1979... ", while accompanying himself on piano. |
| 2011 | Yale Glee Club Yale Glee Club The Yale Glee Club is a mixed chorus of men and women, consisting of students of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded in 1861, it is the third oldest collegiate chorus in the United States after the Harvard Glee Club, founded in 1858, and the University of Michigan Men's Glee Club,... Concert |
San Francisco, California | Benefit for the New Conservatory Theatre Center New Conservatory Theatre Center The New Conservatory Theatre Center is a not-for-profit theatre company located in San Francisco, California. NCTC showcases an eight-show Pride Season, an In-Concert/Cabaret Series, Family Theatre performances, YouthAware Touring Educational Theatre, and an Emerging Artists program. NCTC also... 's YouthAware Educational Theatre program and the No Bully organization. |
| 2011 | Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... / Hollywood Reporter The Hollywood Reporter Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience... Film & TV Music Conference |
Los Angeles, California | Criss honored composer Alan Menken Alan Menken Alan Menken is an American musical theatre and film composer and pianist.Menken is best known for his numerous scores for films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. His scores for The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have each won him two Academy Awards... with a medley of his own Disney The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into... songs, singing alongside Broadway star Lea Salonga Lea Salonga Lea Salonga-Chien is a mezzo-soprano singer and actress from the Philippines well known for originating the lead role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, for which she won the Olivier, Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics and Theatre World awards.She was the first Asian to play the roles of Éponine and... . |
| 2011 | Sing Out, Raise Hope, Benefit Concert | New York City, New York | Criss will perform with the a capella singing groups of Harvard University Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country... 's Krokodiloes Krokodiloes The Harvard Krokodiloes are Harvard University's oldest a cappella singing group, founded in 1946. Four members of the Hasty Pudding Club at 12 Holyoke Street, popular for its all-male, burlesque musical theatre productions, began singing popular hits of their time in four-part harmony... , Princeton University Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution.... 's Nassoons, and Yale University Yale University Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States... 's The Whiffenpoofs The Whiffenpoofs The Yale Whiffenpoofs are the oldest collegiate a cappella group in the United States, established in 1909. Best known for "The Whiffenpoof Song", based on a tune written by Tod Galloway and adapted with lyrics by Meade Minnigerode & George S Pomeroy , the group comprises college... , at a benefit concert for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs... and The Trevor Project The Trevor Project The Trevor Project is an American non-profit organization founded in 1998 and the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Through a toll-free telephone number, it operates The Trevor Lifeline, a... . |
| 2011 | The Space Tour Concert | New York & Boston | StarKid Productions' first national concert tour. Majority of songs performed were written and composed by Criss. |
Discography
| Solo album | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes |
| Billboard Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
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| Human Human (EP) -Personnel:* Darren Criss - vocals, guitar* Chris Lorentz - producer, mixing, mastering* Forest Casey - CD & cover photography* Frank Franco III - CD & cover layout design-Chart performance:-Other appearances:... |
|
30 | Album also reached the iTunes ITunes iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.... Top 20 Alternative Charts |
| StarKid Productions albums | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Notes | |||||
| Billboard Top Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... Albums |
Billboard Top Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... Cast Album Cast recording A cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast... s |
Billboard Top Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... Compilation Album Compilation album A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter... s |
iTunes Top ITunes iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.... Albums |
iTunes Top ITunes iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.... Soundtrack Albums |
iTunes Top ITunes iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.... Pop Albums Pop music Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop... |
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| Little White Lie |
Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
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| A Very Potter Musical A Very Potter Musical (soundtrack) The A Very Potter Musical soundtrack contains the songs from the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss and A.J. Holmes , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden... |
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N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Made only available for free on Bandcamp Bandcamp Bandcamp is an online music store, as well as a platform for artist promotion, that caters mainly for independent artists. Artists on Bandcamp have a customizable microsite with the albums they upload. All tracks can be played for free on the website and some artists offer free music downloads... , therefore not eligible for Billboard/iTunes chart listings. |
| Me and My Dick (A New Musical) Me and My Dick (soundtrack) Me and My Dick contains the songs from the musical Me and My Dick, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by A.J. Holmes, Carlos Valdes, and Darren Criss, and book by Eric Kahn Gale, Brian Holden, Matt Lang, and Nick Lang. It was recorded by the musical's cast and was released digitally on... |
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— | 11 | — | — | — | — | Album is the first-ever student-produced college musical's cast recording debut on a Billboard chart Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... . |
| A Very StarKid Album A Very StarKid Album A Very StarKid Album contains several songs from the musical A Very Potter Sequel, sequel to the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden... |
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— | — | 19 | 27 | — | 14 | |
| A Very Potter Sequel A Very Potter Sequel (soundtrack) The A Very Potter Sequel soundtrack contains songs from the musical A Very Potter Sequel, sequel to the Harry Potter parody musical A Very Potter Musical, produced by Team StarKid with music and lyrics by Darren Criss , and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Brian Holden, that were not released on... |
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N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | Made only available for free on Bandcamp Bandcamp Bandcamp is an online music store, as well as a platform for artist promotion, that caters mainly for independent artists. Artists on Bandcamp have a customizable microsite with the albums they upload. All tracks can be played for free on the website and some artists offer free music downloads... , therefore not eligible for Billboard/iTunes chart listings. |
| Starship Starship (soundtrack) The Starship soundtrack contains the songs from the musical of the same name produced by Team StarKid, with music and lyrics by Darren Criss, and book by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Joe Walker. It was recorded by the musical's cast and was released digitally on April 30th, 2011 through... |
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| Glee albums | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
IRL Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
MEX |
NL MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
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| Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album Glee: The Music, The Christmas Album is the fourth soundtrack album by the cast of the American musical television series Glee. The album was released on November 9, 2010 and accompanies the season two Christmas episode "A Very Glee Christmas", aired December 7, 2010. Dante Di Loreto and Brad... |
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13 | 1 | — | 13 | — | 43 | 27 | — | 37 | 3 | |
| Glee: The Music, Volume 4 |
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3 | 6 | — | 12 | 8 | 24 | 9 | — | 4 | 5 | |
| Glee: The Music, Volume 5 |
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1 | 3 | — | 5 | 23 | 27 | 3 | — | 4 | 3 | |
| Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers is the seventh soundtrack album by the cast of Glee, a musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States. Released through Columbia Records on April 19, 2011, it contains thirteen covers: eleven accompanying performances from the... |
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6 | 5 | — | 8 | 41 | — | 11 | — | 7 | 2 | |
| Glee: The Music, Volume 6 |
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3 | 4 | — | 4 | 49 | 83 | 3 | — | 6 | 4 | |
| Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
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12 | 10 | — | 21 | 38 | 98 | 15 | — | 35 | 16 | |
| Glee: The Music, Dance Party Glee Cast discography The discography of the Glee Cast, performers from the American musical comedy-drama television series Glee, consists of eight soundtrack albums, three compilation albums, four extended plays , and two hundred and five singles... |
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| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||||||||
| Music Videos | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Artists | Notes |
| 2009 | "Skin and Bones" | Charlene Kaye | Duet with Kaye |
| 2009 | "Magnolia Wine" | Charlene Kaye | |
| 2009 | "Roll with Me Roll with Me "Roll with Me" is the title of a song recorded by the American country music duo Montgomery Gentry. It is the second single from their 2008 album Back When I Knew It All... " |
Montgomery Gentry | |
| 2011 | "Dress and Tie" | Charlene Kaye | Duet with Kaye |
| 2011 | "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) "Last Friday Night " is a song by American recording artist Katy Perry. The song was produced by Lukasz Gottwald and Max Martin, who also co-wrote the song with Perry and Bonnie McKee for Perry's third studio album, Teenage Dream. Perry stated that she was inspired to write the track after a night... " |
Katy Perry | |
Awards
| Awards and nominations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Award | Category | Title of work | Result |
| 2011 | Dorian Awards | We're Wilde About You Rising Star Award | Glee | |
| Teen Choice Awards 2011 Teen Choice Awards The 2011 Teen Choice Awards hosted by Kaley Cuoco aired live on August 7, 2011 at 8/7c on Fox. This was the first time that the ceremonies were aired live since the 2007 show... |
Choice TV: Breakout Star | |||
| NewNowNext Awards NewNowNext Awards The first NewNowNext-Awards were held in 2008 by the gay and lesbian-themed network Logo.- 2008 :The nominees were announced by Cazwell and Amanda Lepore. Hosts were Candis Cayne and Colman Domingo... |
Brink of Fame: Actor | |||
| Variety Magazine Variety (magazine) Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the... |
Power of Youth Philanthropy | The Trevor Project The Trevor Project The Trevor Project is an American non-profit organization founded in 1998 and the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Through a toll-free telephone number, it operates The Trevor Lifeline, a... |