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Darren Everett Criss is an American actor, singer, songwriter, musician, composer, producer and performer based in Los Angeles. He is best known for his role as Blaine Anderson in the Fox TV Series Glee. He is a founding member of American musical theatre company Team StarKid.

Early Life and Education[]

Darren was born in San Francisco, California, the youngest child of Cerina and Charles William Criss, an investment banker and a patron of the arts. He had an older brother, Charles "Chuck" Criss, who was a member of the band Freelance Whales. His mother, a native of Cebu, Philippines, is of Chinese, Filipino and Spanish descent while his father, a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was of English, German, and Irish descent. Darren was raised primarily in San Francisco, apart from 1988 to 1992, when the family resided in Honolulu, Hawaii, where his father started EastWest Bank, serving as chairman and CEO. Darren says that while living in San Francisco, he faked a British accent for four years since he had told a woman that he was from Britain and the woman, unbeknownst to him, lived close to his parent's house.

Darren attended Roman Catholic schools. He completed his elementary education at Stuart Hall for Boys, and later graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory in 2005. In 2009, Darren obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, majoring in Theater Performance and minoring in Musicology and Italian.

Darren's interest in music started in early childhood; at age five, he began taking violin lessons and was classically trained for the next fifteen years. Darren taught himself how to play other instruments, including guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, and drums. In high school, Darren immersed himself in music – he held the position of concertmaster in the school orchestra, he fronted his own band, and was voted "most likely to win a Grammy" by his peers. When he was fifteen, Darren began learning music composition and wrote his first song, which he later used as the title track of his first EP Human, released in 2009.

Darren also showed an interest for the performing arts. At age ten, he was accepted into the American Conservatory Theater (Young Conservatory program) where he studied theater performance throughout his formative years. At St Ignatius, he was a member of the performing arts program and acted in work, including, The Music Man, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Fiddler on the Roof. He was active as both an actor and director in the University of Michigan's student-run theater organization Basement Arts. In 2008, he spent a semester abroad studying Italian theater at the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy.

Work[]

Darren made his professional stage debut at the age of ten as Cesario in 42nd Street Moon's production of Fanny (1997), then played Mauro in the Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim musical Do I Hear a Waltz? (1998), and Beauregard Calhoun in Babes in Arms (1999). Throughout his adolescence, Darren appeared in a number of the American Conservatory Theater's plays, notably A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Voysey Inheritance.

At the University of Michigan, he performed in stage productions such as Pride and Prejudice, A Few Good Men, and The Cripple of Inishmaan. Darren began his solo music career while attending the University of Michigan. Playing in small venues, he developed his own musical repertoire which today consists of standards from the Great American Songbook, contemporary songs, Disney songs, and his own compositions. Darren started his television career with a five-episode arc playing the character of Josh Burton on Eastwick in 2009. The following year, he appeared in an episode of the series Cold Case.

Darren first rose to prominence portraying Blaine Anderson, on the Fox television series Glee. He made his first appearance in season two in the episode "Never Been Kissed", which aired on November 9, 2010.His first performance, "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry, was featured on the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 4. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending November 27, 2010, and number one on the Billboard Digital Songs chart. It was the best-selling song in the US that week, selling 214,000 copies, the largest figure for a Glee title. It was only the second US-certified gold single in the show's history.

Both Billboard's Jillian Mapes and Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone deemed "Teenage Dream" the best song of "Never Been Kissed", the episode in which it featured. The New York Daily News's Anthony Benigno gave the song an "A", and noted that it was "flawless" and improved on Perry's original. The performance was nominated for the Best Gay Moment of the Year and Favorite Music Video awards at the 2010 AfterElton.com Visibility Awards. A Billboard cover-feature on Darren noted that the performance "arguably ushered in the trend of more current pop hits being reworked by the [Glee] cast."

Following the fan response to his character, Darren was promoted from recurring guest star to the show's main cast. From May 21–July 3, 2011, Darren and the cast of Glee performed in Glee Live! In Concert!, touring the US, Canada, England, and Ireland. According to Billboard, it was the 16th most successful concert tour of 2011, grossing more than $40 million, with total attendance topping 485,000. All 40 dates sold out, including shows at Staples Center, Nassau Coliseum, and The O2 Arenas in London and Dublin. Darren composed "Rise" for the episode "The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester" and "This Time" for the series finale. Darren was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for writing "This Time".

On July 20, 2010, Darren released an independently produced EP called Human. Describing his album as "soul-folk" to Entertainment Weekly, it peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums chart. On December 10, 2010, Darren became the 400,000th member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). In April 2011, he signed with Sony Music Entertainment. He is in the process of recording a full-length studio album, with a release date yet to be determined. In January 2012, Darren made 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 three-week engagement at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. His stint there proved to be a success: apart from Daniel Radcliffe's final week, the musical had the three most lucrative weeks of its 11-month run with Darren in the lead role, grossing more than four million dollars. Darren made his feature film debut in the comedy Girl Most Likely. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was released nationwide on July 19, 2013. Previously titled Imogene, the film starred Kristen Wiig, Annette Bening, and Matt Dillon.

In January 2013, Darren performed for US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden at the inaugural balls of the 57th Presidential Inauguration. During a benefit concert for public school arts on April 14, 2013, Darren was made an honorary member of Yale University's a cappella singing group The Whiffenpoofs. Darren' first solo music tour visited 17 cities in the United States, Canada, and France from May 29–June 30, 2013, and included songs from Glee, StarKid, his Human EP, and new material from his upcoming solo album.

Darren took on the role of Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch from April 29, 2015, to July 19, 2015, at the Belasco Theater. He headlined the national tour in San Francisco and Los Angeles, from October 2 to November 27, 2016. In 2017, Darren reunited with Glee creator Ryan Murphy to portray serial killer Andrew Cunanan in the second season of Murphy's anthology series American Crime Story. His performance received acclaim from critics, and earned Darren a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. He also earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television. Darren formed the indie pop band Computer Games with his brother, Chuck Darren the same year. Their first album, Lost Boys Life EP features four songs written by the duo. The lead single "Every Single Night" debuted at number two on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart. In December 2017, Darren released a five-track solo EP titled Homework. The EP debuted atop the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and at number seven on Billboard's Independent Albums chart.

On July 10, 2019, it was announced that Darren would be an actor, executive producer, and creator for Royalties, a new show on the streaming service Quibi. Darren worked with Matt and Nick Lang, who co-wrote the series as well as executive produced. The show was released on June 1, 2020. On September 6, 2019, it was announced that Darren would be an actor and executive producer for Hollywood, released on Netflix on May 1, 2020. In October 2021, Darren portrayed The Caretaker in Muppets Haunted Mansion.

In March 2021, singer Brandy released the single "Starting Now", which Darren co-wrote. The song was featured in Disney Princess Remixed — An Ultimate Princess Celebration, a music special that will also feature other princesses, premiering August 2021 on the Disney Channel and Disney+. On October 8, 2021, Darren released his first Christmas-themed album through Decca Records. In December 2022, Darren went on a Christmas-themed tour across the U.S. with songs from the album. From April 14 to July 10, 2022, he performed in the Broadway revival of David Mamet's American Buffalo alongside Sam Rockwell and Laurence Fishburne.

Darren has appeared on the magazine covers of Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Out, Playbill, TV Guide, Da Man, GT, Prestige, and Essential Homme. Darren is featured in the fall ad campaign (2011) for Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing line. Darren was named one of People's Sexiest Men Alive (2011), and was ranked No. 1 on AfterElton's "Hot 100" list (2011 & 2012), and No. 1 on GQ's "30 Under 30: The Most Stylish Young Men In Hollywood" list (2012).

Darren is a co-founder of Elsie Fest, a music festival which featured Broadway and pop music acts. The first annual show was held on September 27, 2015, in New York City. In March 2017, Darren debuted his indie pop band Computer Games along with his brother Chuck.

StarKid Productions[]

Darrenmet the members of StarKid while collaborating in UoM's university's student-run theatre organization. Their first play was based on The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings,. The show succeeded in developing a working relationship among the StarKids-to-be. At that point, there was no concept that they were in some sort of troupe — they were just friends with each other in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance. In 2007, Darren wrote the music and lyrics for the pre-StarKid web series Little White Lie. He also featured in the series as Toby Phillips.

In 2009, Darren co-wrote the musical and lyrics for A Very Potter Musical (then known as Harry Potter the Musical) with A.J. Holmes. He starred in the musical as Harry Potter. The production sold out all four of its performances at UMich. A recorded version of the show that was posted on YouTube for family members to watch went viral and StarKid Productions was founded by Darren, Brian Holden, Nick Lang and Matt Lang.

Darren went on to aid in the writing of music for two further installments in the Very Potter Musical Trilogy. He also reprised his role as Harry in both installments. He also wrote the music for both Me and My Dick and Starship. Darren also played guitar for Me and My Dick.

Darren has since gone on to join StarKid in a variety of concerts. He appeared at the New York date of The SPACE Tour, the LA and New York date of Apocalyptour, A Very StarKid Reunion and StarKid Homecoming.

Year Production Creative Role Acting Role
2007 Little White Lie Music and Lyrics Toby Phillips
2009 A Very Potter Musical Music and Lyrics Harry Potter
2009 Me and My Dick Music and Lyrics Italian Restaurant Owner
2010 A Very Potter Sequel Music and Lyrics Harry Potter
2011 Starship Music and Lyrics N/A
2013 A Very Potter Senior Year Additional Music Harry Potter

Awards[]

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2011 Variety Power of Youth Philanthropy The Trevor Project Won
Dorian Awards We're Wilde About You / Rising Star Award Glee Won
Teen Choice Awards Choice TV: Breakout Star Won
NewNowNext Awards Brink of Fame: Actor Won
BroadwayWorld – Chicago Awards Best New Work/New Adaptation Starship Won
2012 BroadwayWorld – Chicago Awards Best Special Theatrical Event A Very Potter Senior Year Won
Broadway.com Award Favorite Replacement How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying Won
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Glee Nominated
2013 Dorian Award TV Musical Performance of the Year Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series Nominated
Shorty Awards Best Producers of Short Content on Social Media Himself Nominated
People's Choice Awards Favorite Comedic TV Actor Glee Nominated
Favorite TV Bromance (with Chord Overstreet) Nominated
Favorite On-Screen Chemistry (with Chris Colfer) Nominated
2015 Broadway.com Award Favorite Replacement Hedwig and the Angry Inch Won
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics "This Time" – Glee Nominated
Hollywood Music in Media Awards Song – TV Show/Digital Series Won
Giffoni Film Festival Experience Award Overall work Won
2017 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Lead Performance Hedwig and the Angry Inch Nominated
2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards Best Performance in a Show The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Won
TCA Awards Individual Achievement in Drama Nominated
2019 Golden Globe Awards Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film Won
Critics' Choice Awards Best Actor in a Movie/Miniseries Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Won

Personal Life[]

Darren currently splits his time between Los Angeles and Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan. In January 2018, Darren announced he was engaged to Mia Swier, his girlfriend of seven and a half years. They married on February 16, 2019. In October 2021, they announced they were expecting their first child, a daughter. Bluesy Belle Criss was born on April 11, 2022.

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