Darren Criss

As Darren Criss portrayed a gay character in ‘Glee’, there have been rumors of him being homosexual. However, he is a straight male. He has been dating his girlfriend Mia Swier since 2011.

He is an active supporter of LGBT rights. He has also performed at several charity events.

Darren Criss was born on 5th February 1987 in San Francisco, California, in the US to parents Cerina and Charles William Criss. He has an older brother named Charles Criss who is a member of the indie rock band Freelance Whales.

He primarily grew up in San Francisco and also spent some time in Honolulu. Criss developed an interest in music at a very early age. When he was only five years old, he began taking violin lessons. He also learnt to play other instruments such as the guitar and the piano.

Along with music, he also showed a keen interest in performing arts. He was accepted into the American Conservatory Theater at the age of ten. He appeared in theater classics such as ‘The Music Man’ and ‘Diary of Anne Frank’.

After he completed his graduation from Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, he attended the University of Michigan, from where he got his Bachelor of Fine Arts. His major was in Theater Performance, with minor in Musicology and Italian. While studying there, he was also active as an actor and a director in ‘Basement Arts’, the university’s student-run theater program.

Darren Criss made his professional stage debut at the early age of ten. His first appearance was in 42nd Street Moon’s production of the play ‘Fanny’ (1997) where he portrayed Cesario. He next appeared in the musical named ‘Do I Hear a Waltz’ (1998) and ‘Babes in Arms’ (1999).

Over the next few years he appeared in several American Conservatory Theater plays, including ‘A Christmas Carol’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. The plays he performed at the University of Michigan include ‘Pride and Prejudice’ and ‘The Cripple of Inishmaan’.

After finishing his graduation, Criss co-founded a musical theater company ‘StarKid Productions’ along with a few friends and classmates. It gained prominence for the musical comedy ‘A Very Potter Musical’, which was based on the famous Harry Potter novel by JK Rowling.

In January 2012, he made his Broadway debut, appearing in a revival of the popular play ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’. His work proved to be very successful. In 2015, he appeared in the play ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’, playing the role of Hedwig.

Darren Criss became quite well- known after his work in the American musical comedy drama TV series ‘Glee’. The series featured him in one of the main roles. His performance in the show was quite appreciated and won him multiple awards.

His first significant role on the big screen was in the 2012 comedy film ‘Girl Most Likely’. The film was directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. It was met with negative reviews.

In 2017, he started appearing in the third season of the popular American anthology series ‘American Crime Story’. In the series created by Ryan Murphy, Criss portrayed a character named Andrew Cunanan. The series has earned critical acclaim so far, and has also won several awards.