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===Films===
===Films===
Criss will make his feature film debut in ''[[Glee: The 3D Concert Movie]]'' (2011).
Criss will make his feature film debut in ''[[Glee: The 3D Concert Movie]]'' (2011).<ref>{{cite web|title=Jake’s Takes With The Cast Of “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie”|url=http://www.backstageol.com/jakes-takes/jakes-takes-with-the-cast-of-glee-the-3d-concert-movie/|work=Jake’s Takes With The Cast Of “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie”|publisher=BackstageOL|accessdate=7 August 2011}}</ref>


Criss has also been cast in the upcoming comedy ''Imogene'', which is slated to open in 2013. The film co-stars [[Kristin Wiig]] and [[Annette Benning]].<ref name="Wiig">http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/02/in-the-industry-wilde-will-play-a-mom-criss-to-kiss-wiig/</ref>
Criss has also been cast in the upcoming comedy ''Imogene'', which is slated to open in 2013. The film co-stars [[Kristin Wiig]] and [[Annette Benning]].<ref name="Wiig">http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/02/in-the-industry-wilde-will-play-a-mom-criss-to-kiss-wiig/</ref>

Revision as of 08:53, 7 August 2011

Darren Criss
File:Darren Criss 2011 Shankbone 2.JPG
Criss at the 2011 Time 100 gala
Born
Darren Everett Criss

(1987-02-05) February 5, 1987 (age 37)
San Francisco, California
Occupation(s)Actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer

Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and a founding member and co-owner of the theater production company Team StarKid. He played Harry Potter in the musicals A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel, and currently portrays Blaine Anderson, an openly gay student, in the TV series Glee. Criss is set to make his Broadway debut in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying in January 2012.

Early life and education

Criss was born in San Francisco, California. His mother, a native of Cebu in the Philippines, is of Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino descent,[1] and his father has Irish ancestry.[2][3] He attended Stuart Hall for Boys and then later graduated from Saint Ignatius College Preparatory.[4] In 2009, Criss obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance degree from the University of Michigan.[5]

Criss is a classically trained violinist who began playing at the age of five. He later taught himself guitar, piano, cello, mandolin, harmonica and drums. He played drums in a band with his brother, Chuck, until Chuck moved to New York City to develop his music career (and subsequently joined the indie rock group Freelance Whales).[6][7]

Career

Theater

Criss made his professional stage debut at the age of ten, in 42nd Street Moon's 1997 production of Fanny in the role of Cesario.[8] 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?,[9] followed by Babes in Arms in 1999, in which he played Beauregard Calhoun.[10]

Criss is part owner of Team StarKid, a theater production company that was formed by students at the University of Michigan.[11] His roles with Team 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.[12]

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.[13][14]

Television

His early television career includes roles on the television series Eastwick and Cold Case.[15]

On November 9, 2010, Criss made his first appearance on Glee in the sixth second-season episode, "Never Been Kissed". He portrayed Blaine Anderson, a gay student at Dalton Academy and lead singer of its rival glee club, The Warblers.[16] Blaine was a recurring character for the rest of the season, appearing in most episodes, first as a mentor and friend to main character Kurt Hummel, played by Chris Colfer, though they eventually became a couple.[17] Glee creator Ryan Murphy initially stated, "Darren has a major, major arc... He 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' character, so he's the old pro."[18] Criss has been promoted to the main cast for the show's third season.[19]

Internet

Criss at Comic Con, July 2011

Criss started out as the host of That Media Show, a San Francisco production which discussed Hollywood, filmmaking and visual effects.[20]

Criss played the role of "Toby Phillips" in the web series Little White Lie (2007), produced by Team StarKid.

Criss currently voices the character of "Leopold Bonar" from the Funny or Die web series Life of Leopold.[21]

Music

Criss is credited as one of the primary songwriters and composers, along with A.J. Holmes and Carlos Valdes, for Team StarKid musical productions. He has contributed songs to A Very Potter Musical (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).[12] The Starship album was released on April 29, 2011. It reached No.1 on Billboard Top Cast Album Chart, No.2 on iTunes Soundtrack Chart, No.4 on iTunes Albums Chart, and No.134 on Billboard 200 Chart.[22]

Criss released a self-produced EP called Human on iTunes in the summer of 2010.[23] It debuted at No. 30 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers Albums[7] and has reached the iTunes Top 20 Alternative charts.[24] He is currently signed with Sony Music Entertainment.[25]

Criss frequently collaborates and performs with fellow Michigan alum, New York-based singer/songwriter Charlene Kaye. He sings on her songs "Skin and Bones"[26] and "Dress and Tie", and is featured in her music videos for "Skin and Bones"[27] "Dress and Tie" and "Magnolia Wine."[28]

Criss has contributed to the Glee soundtrack as lead singer of the "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.[29] It was the first time a Glee Cast track had reached the top spot, and is the show's fastest selling track to date.[30] In July 2011, the song was certified gold for selling over 500,000 copies.[31] 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" and "Raise Your Glass", most of which have reached the top ten on iTunes. The album Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers, released on April 19, 2011, reached No.2 on both the iTunes and Billboard 200 Charts.[32]

Films

Criss will make his feature film debut in Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011).[33]

Criss has also been cast in the upcoming comedy Imogene, which is slated to open in 2013. The film co-stars Kristin Wiig and Annette Benning.[34]

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
2005 I Adora You Josh Minor role, short film
2009 Walker Phillips Elliott Short film
2011 Glee: The 3D Concert Movie Blaine Anderson / Himself Film debut
Television series
Year Title Role Notes
2009 Eastwick Josh Burton 5 episodes, recurring role
2010 Cold Case Ruben Harris '69 "Free Love" (season 7, episode 20)
2010–
present 		Glee Blaine Anderson 13 episodes
Recurring role (Season 2), Series regular (Season 3)[14][19]
2011 Archer Mikey and Tommy "Placebo Effect" (season 2, episode 9), voice role
The Glee Project Himself 2 episodes
Theater
Year Title Role Notes
1997 Fanny Cesario[8]
1998 Do I Hear a Waltz? Mauro[9]
1999 Babes in Arms Beauregard Calhoun[10]
2009 A Very Potter Musical Harry Potter[24][35][36][37] Lead role
Also songwriter[24][35][36][37]
Me and My Dick Italian restaurant owner Cameo, voice only
Also songwriter[7][38][39] and guitarist[39]
2010 A Very Potter Sequel Harry Potter[24][40] Lead role
Also songwriter[24][37][40] and producer
2011 Starship N/A Songwriter[37]
2012 How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying J. Pierrepont Finch[13][14] Lead role
Web series
Year Title Role Notes
2007 Little White Lie Toby Phillips 8 episodes, main role
Also songwriter and musical producer
2011–
present 		Life of Leopold Leopold Bonar[21] Lead role, voice only
Video games
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Dead or Alive: Dimensions Jann Lee

Music Videos

Discography

Team StarKid

Main article: Team StarKid § Soundtrack albums

Solo

List of albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
Top Heatseekers
[7][25][41]
Human[7][23][24][25][41] 30
  • "Skin and Bones"[26] (2008) from Things I Will Need in the Past
  • "Dress and Tie" (2011)

Glee

Main article: Glee Cast discography

Awards

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Title of work Result
2011 Teen Choice Awards Breakout Star, Television Glee Pending

References

  1. ^ "Darren Criss: Gleefully Pinoy". Philstar.com. January 14, 2011. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  2. ^ "Twitter / Darren Criss: @apresledeluge dude I'm ha". Twitter. July 1, 2010. Retrieved February 14, 2011.
  3. ^ "Irish Central".
  4. ^ poetic & chic – poetic & chic – A Conversation with Darren Criss of Glee. Poeticandchic.com (January 28, 2011). Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
  5. ^ McKee, Jenn (October 25, 2010). "Darren Criss, U-M grad and 'Very Potter Musical' star, will be a new face on "Glee"". AnnArbor.com.
  6. ^ "Darren Criss – Bio". Darrencriss.snappages.com. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
  7. ^ a b c d e Donahue, Ann (November 13, 2010). "'Glee' Newcomer Darren Criss Reflects on His 'Dream' Week". Billboard. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  8. ^ a b McMahon, Regan (January 4, 2011). "Day in Pictures, December 26, 2000". The San Francisco Chronicle.
  9. ^ a b "Do I Hear a Waltz?". 42ndstmoon.com. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Babes in Arms". 42ndstmoon.com. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
  11. ^ Cox, Gordon (May 28, 2011). "Criss launches 'Starship'". Variety.
  12. ^ a b Welcome!. Teamstarkid.com. Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
  13. ^ a b Hetrick, Adam (August 1, 2011). "Darren Criss to Succeed Daniel Radcliffe in Broadway's How to Succeed... for Limited Run". Playbill. Retrieved August 1, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ a b c "Glee Star Darren Criss Confirmed to Succeed Daniel Radcliffe on Broadway". Broadway.com. August 1, 2011. Retrieved August 1, 2011.
  15. ^ Darren Criss – IMDb
  16. ^ "Is Darren Criss Kurt's New BF on Glee?". Advocate.com. September 27, 2010.
  17. ^ Derschowitz, Jessica (September 27, 2010). "Darren Criss Joins "Glee" Cast". CBSnews.com. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  18. ^ Bentley, Jean (September 30, 2010). "News Roundup: Ryan Murphy Confirms Chord Overstreet Will Not Play Kurt's Boyfriend..." AOL TV News. Retrieved October 5, 2010.
  19. ^ a b Ausiello, Michael (July 1, 2011). "Glee Exclusive: Darren Criss and Harry Shum Jr. In, Chord Overstreet Out!". TV Line. Mail.com Media. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  20. ^ That Media Show No.1 Video. Mefeedia.com. Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
  21. ^ a b Life Of Leopold. Life Of Leopold. Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
  22. ^ Adele's '21' Marks Sixth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200. Billboard.com (September 14, 2009). Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
  23. ^ a b "Human by Darren Criss".
  24. ^ a b c d e f Milam, Whitney (July 24, 2010). Team StarKid tops Glee and Gaga on iTunes, talks new projects. HollywoodNews.
  25. ^ a b c 'Glee's Darren Criss Signs Record Deal with Sony. Hollywood.com (April 18, 2011). Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
  26. ^ a b "Skin and Bones – Charlene Kaye feat. Darren Criss on iTunes".
  27. ^ a b "Charlene Kaye – Skin and Bones music video".
  28. ^ a b "Charlene Kaye – Magnolia Wine music video".
  29. ^ Darren Criss Admits He's 'Insane' These Days, Sees 'Sincerity' in 'Crazy' 'Glee' Fan Base – A Day in the Life – AOL Music Blog. Blog.music.aol.com (May 2, 2011). Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
  30. ^ Lee, Joyce (November 19, 2010). ""Glee" Hits No.1 on Charts with "Teenage Dream" Cover". CBS News.
  31. ^ http://www.mynewsletterbuilder.com/email/newsletter/1410945093
  32. ^ 'Glee' Warblers Album Confirmed for April 19 Release. Billboard.com (September 14, 2009). Retrieved on June 20, 2011.
  33. ^ "Jake's Takes With The Cast Of "Glee: The 3D Concert Movie"". Jake’s Takes With The Cast Of “Glee: The 3D Concert Movie”. BackstageOL. Retrieved August 7, 2011.
  34. ^ http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/02/in-the-industry-wilde-will-play-a-mom-criss-to-kiss-wiig/
  35. ^ a b Guerra, Jennifer (July 15, 2009). "A Very Potter Musical!". Michigan Radio. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
  36. ^ a b "Team StarKid's Home Page for ""A Very Potter Musical""".
  37. ^ a b c d Davenport, Misha (February 2011). "Darren Criss from 'Glee,' Starkid launch Chicago home with 'Starship'". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
  38. ^ Caulfield, Keith. "'My Dick' Rises to Become First Charting Student Musical" Billboard.com, March 18, 2010. Retrieved on November 4, 2010.
  39. ^ a b "Team StarKid's Home Page for "Me and My Dick"".
  40. ^ a b "Team StarKid's Home Page for "A Very Potter Sequel"".
  41. ^ a b Smith, Grady (July 30, 2010). "'A Very Potter Musical' star Darren Criss talks about his new EP and the future for Team StarKid". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 26, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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