Donald Glover

"Don Glover" and "Donny Glover" redirect here. For the Arkansas politician, see Don Edward Glover. For the similarly named actor, see Danny Glover.

Donald Glover
Glover at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival
Born
Donald McKinley Glover Jr.

(1983-09-25) September 25, 1983 (age 41)
Edwards, California, U.S.
Other names
  • Childish Gambino
  • mcDJ
EducationNew York University (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • singer
  • rapper
  • writer
  • producer
  • director
Years active2004–present
Works
Spouse
Michelle White
​
(m. 2024)​
Children3
RelativesStephen Glover (brother)
AwardsFull list
Comedy career
Medium
  • Stand-up
  • television
  • film
  • music
Genres
Subject(s)
Musical career
OriginStone Mountain, Georgia, U.S.
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Labels
Websitedonaldgloverpresents.com

Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (/ˈɡlʌvər/; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical name Childish Gambino (/ɡæmˈbiːnoʊ/), is an American actor, comedian, singer, rapper, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick Comedy, a comedy group, Glover was hired by Tina Fey to write for the NBC sitcom 30 Rock at age 23. He gained fame for portraying college student Troy Barnes on the NBC sitcom Community from 2009 to 2014. From 2016 to 2022, he starred in the FX series Atlanta, which he created and occasionally directed.[1] For his work on Atlanta, he won various accolades including two Primetime Emmy Awards,[2] as well as two Golden Globe Awards.[3]

Glover has appeared in several films, including the supernatural horror The Lazarus Effect (2015), the comedy-drama Magic Mike XXL (2015), and the science fiction film The Martian (2015). He played Aaron Davis in the superhero film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), as well as Lando Calrissian in the space western Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).[4] He provided the voice of adult Simba in The Lion King (2019),[5] and produced the short film Guava Island (2019), in which he starred.[6] He co-created the comedy thriller television series Swarm (2023–present). Glover is also credited as a principal inspiration for the creation of the Marvel Comics superhero Miles Morales / Spider-Man, whom Glover himself briefly voiced in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man.[7][8] In 2024, he created and starred in the Prime Video series Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

After a number of independently released projects, Glover signed with Glassnote Records in 2011,[9] and released his debut studio album, Camp, in November of that year to critical and commercial success.[10] His second album, Because the Internet (2013) was supported by the single "3005", which became his first Billboard Hot 100 entry.[11] His psychedelic funk-inspired 2016 single, "Redbone" peaked at number 12 on the chart, won a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance, and preceded the release of his third album "Awaken, My Love!" (2016), which saw continued success.[12][13] Glover's 2018 single, "This Is America" debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100,[14] and won in all of the categories for which it was nominated at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Rap/Sung Performance, and Best Music Video; it won a Guinness World Record as the first hip hop song to win in the former two categories.[15][16] His fourth album, 3.15.20, was released in 2020.[17] In 2024, he released Atavista, a reworking of 3.15.20, and later his fifth album Bando Stone & the New World.

  1. ^ Wilstein, Matt (September 6, 2016). "Donald Glover stars in a new TV show about rappers in the Atlanta scene". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on September 7, 2016. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
  2. ^ "Donald Glover | Television Academy". Television Academy. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  3. ^ Berg, Madeline. "Donald Glover Wins Big For 'Atlanta' At The Golden Globes". Forbes. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  4. ^ "Donald Glover cast as young Lando Calrissian in upcoming Han Solo Star Wars stand-alone film". Star Wars. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference USAToday was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Moreau, Jordan (April 16, 2019). "'Guava Island' Explained: Understanding Donald Glover and Rihanna's Surprise Film". Variety. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  7. ^ Truitt, Brian (August 2, 2011). "A TV comedy assured new Spidey's creator". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
  8. ^ Babos, John (August 6, 2011). "Marvel's New Ultimate Spider-Man Miles Morales: A Significant And Safe Leap Forward" Archived September 1, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Comics Nexus.
  9. ^ Wick, Megan (September 6, 2011). "Childish Gambino Signs with Glassnote Records". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  10. ^ Stover, Michael (December 5, 2016). "Why 5 years later Childish Gambino's 'Camp' is still a genius album". Blavity.
  11. ^ Lynch, Joe (December 5, 2014). "Grammys 2015: And the Nominees Are…". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  12. ^ "Childish Gambino – Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  13. ^ Hodge, Kyle (January 29, 2018). "Childish Gambino Wins First-Ever Grammy With "Redbone"". Highsnobiety.
  14. ^ Trust, Gary (May 14, 2018). "Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' Blasts in at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  15. ^ "First rap song to win the Grammy Award for Song of the Year". Guinessworldrecords.com.
  16. ^ "Childish Gambino". GRAMMY.com. November 19, 2019. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  17. ^ Monroe, Jazz; Bloom, Madison (March 22, 2020). "Childish Gambino Officially Releases New Album 3.15.20: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 23, 2020.