Criss was born in San Francisco, California, the youngest child of Cerina and Charles William Criss, an investment banker and a patron of the arts.[1][4][5][6] He had an older brother, Charles "Chuck" Criss, who was a member of the band Freelance Whales.[4] 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.[7] 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.[6] Criss 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 parents' house.[8]
Darren Criss at Northalsted Market Days in Chicago
Criss' interest in music started in early childhood; at age five, he began taking violin lessons and was classically trained for the next fifteen years.[9][11] Criss taught himself how to play other instruments, including guitar, piano, mandolin, harmonica, and drums.[12][13] In high school, Criss 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.[14][15] When he was fifteen, 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.[16]
Criss 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.[17] 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,[18] and Fiddler on the Roof.[19] He was active as both an actor and director in the University of Michigan's student-run theater organization Basement ArtsArchived August 2, 2011, at the Wayback Machine.[20] In 2008, he spent a semester abroad studying Italian theater at the Accademia dell'Arte in Arezzo, Italy.[21]
Criss as Blaine Anderson, performing solo (left) and with The Dalton Academy Warblers
Glee
Criss portrayed Blaine Anderson, on the Fox television series Glee.[34] He made his first appearance in season two in the episode "Never Been Kissed", which aired on November 9, 2010.[35] Blaine attended Dalton Academy and was lead singer of its glee club, The Dalton Academy Warblers. His first performance, "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry, was featured on the soundtrack album Glee: The Music, Volume 4.[36] It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week ending November 27, 2010,[37] and number one on the Billboard Digital Songs chart.[38] It was the best-selling song in the US that week, selling 214,000 copies, the largest figure for a Glee title.[38] It was only the second US-certified gold single in the show's history.[39]
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.[40][41] 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.[42] The performance was nominated for the Best Gay Moment of the Year and Favorite Music Video awards at the 2010 AfterElton.com Visibility Awards.[43] A Billboard cover-feature on Criss noted that the performance "arguably ushered in the trend of more current pop hits being reworked by the [Glee] cast."[44]
Later songs performed by Blaine and the Warblers became popular enough to warrant a Warbler soundtrack album, Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers.[45] It debuted at No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 1 on Billboard's Soundtracks chart, selling 86,000 copies in its first week.[46][47] The Warbler tracks had sold over 1.3 million copies as singles by the time the album was released.[48]
Blaine initially served as a friend and mentor for Kurt, the bullied gay member of the Warblers' rival glee club, New Directions. Chemistry between the two characters, combined with fan support for the potential couple, led series co-creator Ryan Murphy to pair them romantically onscreen. At the beginning of the third season, Blaine transfers to McKinley High and joins New Directions; concurrently, Criss was promoted from recurring guest star to the show's main cast.[49] In the subsequent seasons, Blaine goes off to college and later returns to Dalton to become the vocal director of the Warblers.[citation needed] From May 21–July 3, 2011, Criss 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.[50][51]
In the final season, he marries his long-time love, Kurt. 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."[52] Criss composed "Rise" for the episode "The Rise and Fall of Sue Sylvester" and "This Time" for the series finale.[53][54] Criss was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for writing "This Time".[55]
Criss signing autographs during the premiere of Girl Most Likely
In November 2011, 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.[61][62]
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.[72] He headlined the national tour in San Francisco and Los Angeles, from October 2 to November 27, 2016.[73]
In 2017, 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.[74] His performance received acclaim from critics, and earned Criss a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie.[75] He also earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television. Criss formed the indie pop band Computer Games with his brother, Chuck Criss the same year. Their first album, Lost Boys Life EP features four songs written by the duo.[76] The lead single "Every Single Night" debuted at number two on Billboard's Hot Singles Sales chart.[77] In December 2017, Criss released a five-track solo EP titled Homework.[78] The EP debuted atop the Billboard Heatseekers Chart[79] and at number seven on Billboard's Independent Albums chart.[80]
On July 10, 2019, it was announced that Criss would be an actor, executive producer, and creator for Royalties, a new show on the streaming service Quibi. Criss worked with previous collaborators Matt and Nick Lang of Team StarKid, who co-wrote the series as well as executive produce.[81][82] The show was released on June 1, 2020. On September 6, 2019, it was announced that Criss would be an actor and executive producer for Hollywood, released on Netflix on May 1, 2020. In October 2021, Criss portrayed The Caretaker in Muppets Haunted Mansion.[83]
In March 2021, singer Brandy released the single "Starting Now", which Criss co-wrote.[84][85][86][87][88][89] 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+.[90]
Criss is an investor and partner of The Motley, a California-based men's grooming e-tailer.[110]
Criss is a co-founder of Elsie Fest, a music festival which features Broadway and pop music acts. The first annual show was held on September 27, 2015, in New York City.[111]
Advocacy and charity work
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 (LGBTQ) youth. Criss is the recipient of Variety's Power of Youth Philanthropy award for his contributions to The Trevor Project.[112][97][113]
Criss has been a spokesperson for various organizations, including Rock the Vote and the Foundation for New American Musicals.[114][115]
In January 2018, Criss announced he was engaged to Mia Swier, his girlfriend of seven and a half years.[117][118] They married on February 16, 2019.[119] In October 2021, they announced they were expecting their first child,[120] a daughter who was born in April 2022.[121][122]
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.[50][51]
Criss headlined his first solo music tour, which visited 18 cities from May 29–June 30. The set included songs from Glee, StarKid, his Human EP, and new material from his upcoming solo album.[70][71]
^ abDonahue, Ann (November 20, 2010). "Darren Criss crosses over". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 25, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2012.
^Young, Deborah (September 7, 2012). "Imogene: Toronto Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2022.
^ abcdefg"Darren Criss (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 28, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
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