Darren Criss

Darren Everett Criss Bio

Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter whose career spans stage, screen, and music. He rose to fame with the Fox musical series Glee (2010–2015) and earned an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Andrew Cunanan in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story (2018). A founding member of StarKid Productions, Criss gained early attention in theatre productions such as A Very Potter Musical and later performed on Broadway in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He also formed the indie pop band Computer Games and co-founded Elsie Fest. Criss continues to create, perform, and produce across television, film, and music.

Early Life and Background

Criss was born in San Francisco, California, the youngest child of Cerina and Charles William Criss. His father, an investment banker and patron of the arts, was of English, German, and Irish descent. His mother, a native of Cebu, Philippines, is of Chinese, Filipino, and Spanish descent. Criss had an older brother, Charles “Chuck” Criss, who was a member of the band Freelance Whales.

The family resided in San Francisco apart from 1988 to 1992, when they lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, where his father started EastWest Bank, serving as chairman and CEO. Criss attended Catholic schools, completing his elementary education at Stuart Hall for Boys before graduating from St. Ignatius College Preparatory in 2005. He later earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan in 2009, majoring in theatre performance and minoring in musicology and Italian.

Criss showed an early interest in music, beginning violin lessons at age five and receiving classical training for fifteen years. He taught himself to play guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, and drums. During high school, he served as concertmaster in the school orchestra and fronted his own band. He was also active in performing arts at St. Ignatius, appearing in productions such as The Music Man, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Fiddler on the Roof. At age ten, he was accepted into the American Conservatory Theater’s Young Conservatory program, where he studied theater throughout his formative years.

Path to Entertainment

Criss made his professional stage debut at age ten as Cesario in 42nd Street Moon’s production of Fanny in 1997. Throughout his adolescence, he appeared in numerous American Conservatory Theater plays, including A Christmas Carol, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Voysey Inheritance. At the University of Michigan, he performed in productions such as Pride and Prejudice, A Few Good Men, and The Cripple of Inishmaan, while also serving as both actor and director in Basement Arts, the student-run theater organization.

In 2008, he spent a semester abroad studying Italian theater at the Accademia dell’Arte in Arezzo, Italy. Upon graduating in 2009, Criss co-founded StarKid Productions with friends and classmates from the University of Michigan. His most prominent role with the company was as Harry Potter in the musical comedies A Very Potter Musical, A Very Potter Sequel, and A Very Potter Senior Year. He also served as a primary songwriter and composer, contributing to productions that reached the Billboard charts, including Me and My Dick, which became the first student-produced college musical to chart, debuting at number 11 on the Top Cast Albums chart.

Darren Everett Criss Career

Early Career (2005–2010)

Criss began 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 Cold Case. However, his artistic output extended beyond acting during this period. In 2009, he released his independently produced EP titled Human, describing the album as “soul-folk” to Entertainment Weekly. The EP peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums chart. He also composed his first song at age fifteen, which became the title track of the EP.

Breakthrough (2010–2015)

Criss portrayed Blaine Anderson on the Fox television series Glee, making his first appearance in season two in the episode “Never Been Kissed” on November 9, 2010. Blaine attended Dalton Academy and was lead singer of its glee club, The Dalton Academy Warblers. His first performance, a cover of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling song in the US that week, selling 214,000 copies.

The chemistry between Blaine and Kurt, combined with strong fan support, led series co-creator Ryan Murphy to pair the characters romantically. At the beginning of the third season, Blaine transferred to McKinley High and joined New Directions. Criss was promoted from recurring guest star to main cast member. From May to July 2011, he toured with Glee Live! In Concert! across the US, Canada, England, and Ireland. According to Billboard, the tour grossed more than $40 million with total attendance topping 485,000, making it the 16th most successful concert tour of 2011.

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. His three-week engagement proved successful, with the musical having its three most lucrative weeks of its 11-month run with Criss in the lead role, grossing more than $4 million. That same year, he performed for US President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden at the inaugural balls of the 57th Presidential Inauguration.

Notable Works and Milestones

Glee became a cultural phenomenon during Criss’s tenure, with Warbler tracks selling over 1.3 million copies as singles. Criss composed “Rise” and “This Time” for the series, earning a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for the latter. He released his first solo music tour across 17 cities in the US, Canada, and France in 2013. His feature film debut came in Girl Most Likely, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released nationwide in July 2013.

Continued Success (2016–Present)

In 2017, Criss reunited with Glee creator Ryan Murphy to portray serial killer Andrew Cunanan in the second season of American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. His performance received widespread critical acclaim, earning him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film.

The same year, Criss formed the indie pop band Computer Games with his brother Chuck Criss. Their first EP, Lost Boys Life, featured four songs written by the duo, with the lead single “Every Single Night” debuting at number two on Billboard’s Hot Singles Sales chart. In December 2017, he released a five-track solo EP titled Homework, which debuted atop the Billboard Heatseekers Chart and at number seven on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.

Criss took on the titular role of Hedwig in Hedwig and the Angry Inch from April to July 2015 at the Belasco Theater, later headlining the national tour in San Francisco and Los Angeles in 2016. He starred in the Broadway revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo alongside Sam Rockwell and Laurence Fishburne from April to July 2022. He has starred in the Broadway production of Maybe Happy Ending at the Belasco Theatre since November 2024. In October 2021, he released his first Christmas-themed album through Decca Records and toured across the US that December.

Darren Everett Criss Award Nominations

Throughout his career, Criss has received multiple prestigious award nominations spanning television, music, and theater. His work on Glee earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for “This Time.” His portrayal in The Assassination of Gianni Versace garnered additional recognition beyond his wins.

Darren Everett Criss Awards Won

Criss has won several major awards across film, television, and theater. In 2018, he received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his performance in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The following year, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film for the same role. In 2025, Criss achieved a historic milestone by winning two Tony Awards: Best Actor in a Musical for his role in Maybe Happy Ending, making him the first Asian American actor to win in that category, and Best Musical as co-producer.

Family

Criss is the son of Charles William Criss, an investment banker and arts patron, and Cerina Criss, who is of Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish descent. His father is of English, German, and Irish heritage. He has an older brother, Charles “Chuck” Criss, who was a member of the band Freelance Whales and later co-founded the indie pop band Computer Games with Darren.

Personal Life

Criss married Mia Swier, his girlfriend of seven and a half years, on February 16, 2019. The couple’s first child, a daughter named Bluesy Belle Criss, was born on April 14, 2022. Their second child, a son named Brother László Criss, was born on June 3, 2024. Criss is an advocate for LGBTQ rights and an active supporter of The Trevor Project, the leading national organization focused on suicide prevention among LGBTQ youth. He received Variety’s Power of Youth Philanthropy award for his contributions to the organization.