Darren Criss

Darren Criss
Criss in 2023
Born
Darren Everett Criss

(1987-02-05) February 5, 1987 (age 37)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Michigan (BFA)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • singer
  • songwriter
Years active1997–present
Spouse
Mia Swier
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • guitar
  • violin
  • drums
  • mandolin
  • harmonica
Years active2005–present
Labels
Websitehttp://www.darrencriss.com/

Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987)[1] is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series Glee (2010–2015) 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 (2018). He has also appeared on Broadway and in film and has released several musical albums.

A founding member and co-owner of StarKid Productions, a musical theater company based in Los Angeles, Criss first garnered attention playing the lead role of Harry Potter in, and writing most of the music and lyrics for, StarKid's musical production of A Very Potter Musical. Criss has also starred on Broadway as a replacement in both How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. In 2015, Criss co-founded Elsie Fest which is touted as "New York City's first outdoor music festival celebrating tunes from the stage and screen".[2]

In March 2017, Criss debuted his indie pop band Computer Games along with his brother Chuck Criss. In addition to his music endeavors, Criss starred in the second installment of Ryan Murphy's American Crime Story. Subtitled The Assassination of Gianni Versace (2018),[3] Criss's portrayal of spree killer Andrew Cunanan received acclaim from critics, and earned him an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Miniseries, or Television Film.

  1. ^ "Darren Criss profile". TV Guide. Archived from the original on March 17, 2015. Retrieved March 12, 2015.
  2. ^ "Darren Criss - New Songs, Playlists & Latest News - BBC Music". BBC. Archived from the original on March 6, 2019. Retrieved March 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story". FX. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.