Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987is an American television actor, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, internet personality, and one of the founding members of Team StarKid, a theater production company. He is best known for his portrayals of Harry Potter in the musicals A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel, as well as playing the role of Blaine Anderson, an openly gay student, in the second season of Glee2 Career 2.1 Acting 2.2 Team StarKid 2.3 Glee 2.4 Life of Leopold 2.5 Music 3 Filmography 3.1 Theater 3.2 Web Series 3.3 Music Videos 4 Discography 4.1 Team StarKid 4.2 Independent 4.3 Solo 4.4 Glee 5 References 6 External linksCriss was born in San Francisco, California. His mother, a native of Cebu, is a Filipina of Chinese, Spanish, and Filipino descentand his father has Irish ancestry He attended Stuart Hall for Boys and then later graduated from Saint Ignatius College Preparatory In 2009, Criss obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Performance degree from the University of MichiganCriss is a classically trained violinist who began playing at the age of five. He later taught himself guitar, piano, cello, mandolin, and drums. He played drums in a band with his brother, Chuck, until Chuck moved to New York City to develop his music career (and subsequently joined the indie rock group Freelance WhalesCriss made his professional stage debut at the age of ten, in 42nd Street Moon's 1997 production of Fanny in the role of Cesario.[citation needed] The next year, Criss played Mauro in the same company's production of the Richard Rodgers and Stephen Sondheim musical Do I Hear a Waltz followed by Babes in Arms in 1999, in which he played Beauregard CalhounCareerCriss in November 2010Criss started out as the host of That Media Show, a San Francisco production which discussed Hollywood, filmmaking and visual effects.ActingCriss's early acting career includes roles on the television series Eastwick and Cold CaseTeam StarKidCriss is part of the theater company Team StarKid, formed by theater students at the University of Michigan. His most popular role with Team StarKid was as Harry Potter in the YouTube viral musicals A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel. Both productions are musical-comedies based on the Harry Potter series by J.K. RowlingDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren CrissDarren Criss
