Chris Colfer

Having been a victim of bullying as a child, Colfer actively supports It Gets Better Campaign and The Trevor Project. In 2011, he dedicated his Golden Globe Award to bullied kids in the LGBT community. Later in 2013, he filmed a PSA with Elmo about anti-bullying for Sesame Street in Communities and participated in the Course of the Force run benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He donated his Hollywood Game Night winning amount to Make-a-Wish Foundation of America.

He co-chaired Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Award Party in 2013 and 2014. He is also a coalition member of Uprising of Love, an organization which supports the safety and dignity of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex (LGBTI) Russians.

Colfer is an active supporter of animal rights as well and stresses on the importance of adopting animals from shelters.

Chris Colfer was born on May 27, 1990 in Clovis, California to Karyn and Timothy Colfer. He has an Irish ancestry. He has a younger sister Hannah who suffers from severe epilepsy.

Early in his life, Colfer suffered from lymph-node surgery, which left a scar on his neck. Bedridden, he found the world of fiction as his only vent of emotion. Soon, it ignited the passion for writing and acting in Colfer which was encouraged by his grandmother.

After completing middle school, Colfer attended Clovis East High School. It was therein that Colfer’s talent for writing, speaking and acting augmented considerably. He won numerous debate championships, and served as the president of Writer’s Club. He was also active in drama club.

Chris Colfer’s career kickstarted when he became involved in community theatre. The first show of which he was a part of was ‘West Side Story’. His next appearance was for the production ‘The Sound of Music’ in which he capped the role of Kurt von Trapp.

At the age of 18, he essayed the titular role of Russel Fish in the short story ‘Russel Fish: The Sausage and Eggs Incident’. In it, he played an awkward teenager who was at a risk of losing his Harvard admission if he did not pass the physical test.

Colfer’s first major breakthrough came in 2009 when he was cast for the character of Kurt Hummel on Fox’s ‘Glee’. Colfer was initially auditioned for the role of Artie Abrams but eventually ended up starring as Hummel. Interestingly, the character of Kurt Hummel wasn’t a full-fledged one, but Colfer’s incredible talent and brilliant onscreen portrayal led show creator, Ryan Murphy, to expand the role of Hummel so that Colfer could have greater screen space.

In the series, Hummel is a fashionable gay countertenor who is routinely bullied at school, not just for being gay, but also for being part of the very unpopular Glee Club. Quite a lot of things that Hummel portrays on screen are directly related to Colfer’s real life incidents and experiences.

Having made his mark as an actor, he turned to his other ‘love’ writing in June 2011. He signed a book deal with Little, Brown and Company to come up with two children novels. The series would follow twin brothers Alex and Conner who travel through a magical land. They not just have adventure but also tend to meet fairy tale characters.

The magnum opus of Colfer’s career came in when he starred as Kurt Hummel in ‘Glee’. He was so incredible in his role portrayal that the character was created specifically for him. Interestingly, Colfer did not intend to essay the role of Hummel. He intended to play the role of Artie Abrams but his amazing talent earned him the character of Hummel. His brilliance won him a Golden Globe and Screen Guild Award and three People’s Choice Award.