Darren Everett Criss was born on February 5,1987 and is an American actor, singer, and songwriter.
52 Facts About Darren Criss
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Darren Criss rose to fame starring on the television series Glee and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree killer Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
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Darren Criss has appeared on Broadway and in film and has released several musical albums.
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Darren Criss has starred on Broadway as a replacement in both How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch.
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In 2015, Darren Criss co-founded Elsie Fest which is touted as "New York City's first outdoor music festival celebrating tunes from the stage and screen".
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In March 2017, Darren Criss debuted his indie pop band Computer Games along with his brother Chuck Darren Criss.
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Darren Criss was born in San Francisco, California, the youngest child of Cerina and Charles William Darren Criss, an investment banker and a patron of the arts.
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Darren Criss had an older brother, Charles "Chuck" Criss, who was a member of the band Freelance Whales.
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Darren Criss 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.
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Darren Criss completed his elementary education at Stuart Hall for Boys, and later graduated from St Ignatius College Preparatory in 2005.
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In 2009, Darren Criss obtained his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, majoring in Theater Performance and minoring in Musicology and Italian.
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Darren Criss taught himself how to play other instruments, including guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, and drums.
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When he was fifteen, Darren Criss 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.
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Darren Criss was active as both an actor and director in the University of Michigan's student-run theater organization Basement Arts Archived August 2,2011, at the Wayback Machine.
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Darren Criss began his solo music career while attending the University of Michigan.
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Darren Criss started his television career with a five-episode arc playing the character of Josh Burton on Eastwick in 2009.
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Darren Criss is credited as one of the primary songwriters and composers for StarKid Productions.
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Darren Criss has contributed songs to A Very Potter Musical, Me and My Dick, Little White Lie, and A Very Potter Senior Year.
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Subsequently, Darren Criss solely composed all the songs and music for A Very Potter Sequel, its companion album A Very StarKid Album, and Starship, which landed at number one on the Billboard Top Cast Albums chart, and at number 134 on the Billboard 200 chart.
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Darren Criss portrayed Blaine Anderson, on the Fox television series Glee.
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Darren Criss made his first appearance in season two in the episode "Never Been Kissed", which aired on November 9,2010.
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At the beginning of the third season, Blaine transfers to McKinley High and joins New Directions; concurrently, Darren Criss was promoted from recurring guest star to the show's main cast.
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Darren Criss was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for writing "This Time".
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On July 20,2010, Darren Criss released an independently produced EP called Human.
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On December 10,2010, Darren Criss became the 400,000th member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
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Darren Criss is in the process of recording a full-length studio album, with a release date yet to be determined.
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In November 2011, Darren Criss participated in StarKid's first national concert tour, The SPACE Tour, for the New York and Boston shows, and, in the summer of 2012, he joined them again for their second national tour, Apocalyptour, for the Los Angeles and New York shows.
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In January 2012, Criss 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.
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Darren Criss made his feature film debut in the comedy Girl Most Likely.
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In January 2013, Darren Criss performed for US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden at the inaugural balls of the 57th Presidential Inauguration.
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Darren Criss took on the role of Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch from April 29,2015, to July 19,2015, at the Belasco Theater.
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Darren Criss headlined the national tour in San Francisco and Los Angeles, from October 2 to November 27,2016.
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In 2017, Darren Criss reunited with Glee creator Ryan Murphy to portray serial killer Andrew Cunanan in the second season of Murphy's anthology series American Crime Story.
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Darren Criss's performance received acclaim from critics, and earned Criss a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.
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Darren Criss earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television.
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Darren Criss formed the indie pop band Computer Games with his brother, Chuck Darren Criss the same year.
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In December 2017, Darren Criss released a five-track solo EP titled Homework.
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On July 10,2019, it was announced that Darren Criss would be an actor, executive producer, and creator for Royalties, a new show on the streaming service Quibi.
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Darren Criss is working with previous collaborators Matt and Nick Lang of Team StarKid, who are to co-write the series as well as executive produce.
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On September 6,2019, it was announced that Darren Criss would be an actor and executive producer for Hollywood, released on Netflix on May 1,2020.
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In October 2021, Darren Criss portrayed The Caretaker in Muppets Haunted Mansion.
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On October 8,2021, Darren Criss released his first Christmas-themed album through Decca Records.
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In December 2022, Darren Criss went on a Christmas-themed tour across the US with songs from the album.
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Darren Criss has appeared on the magazine covers of Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, Out, Playbill, TV Guide, Da Man, GT, Prestige, and Essential Homme.
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Darren Criss is featured in the fall ad campaign for Uniqlo, a Japanese clothing line.
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Darren Criss is an investor and partner of The Motley, a California-based men's grooming e-tailer.
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Darren Criss is a co-founder of Elsie Fest, a music festival which features Broadway and pop music acts.
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Darren Criss is an advocate for LGBT rights, and is an active supporter of The Trevor Project, the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth.
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Darren Criss is the recipient of Variety Power of Youth Philanthropy award for his contributions to The Trevor Project.
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Darren Criss has been a spokesperson for various organizations, including Rock the Vote and the Foundation for New American Musicals.
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Darren Criss recorded the Bob Dylan song "New Morning", featuring his brother, Chuck Darren Criss, for Amnesty International.
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In January 2018, Darren Criss announced he was engaged to Mia Swier, his girlfriend of seven and a half years.