Jonathan Groff Biography

(American Film and Stage Actor & Singer)

Birthday: March 26, 1985 (Aries)

Born In: Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States

Jonathan Groff is an American actor and singer, best known for his role in the ‘Broadway’ production of the rock musical ‘Spring Awakening.’ After graduating from ‘Conestoga Valley High School,’ he took up the offer to join the national tour of the musical ‘The Sound of Music.’ This decision changed the course of his life. He moved to New York City and earned his ‘Actors’ Equity Association’ card soon after completing high school. He made his ‘Broadway’ debut in the musical ‘In My Life’ and made his first appearance on the big screen as ‘Michael Lang’ in the drama–comedy film ‘Taking Woodstock.’ He guest-starred in the musical comedy–drama ‘Glee’ with his co-star and good friend Lea Michele and made his ‘West End’ theater debut with the play ‘Deathtrap.’ He has won several awards for his work, including a ‘Grammy’ for the ‘Best Musical Theater Album’ for ‘Spring Awakening.’ He is openly gay and was dragged into a controversy created by a ‘Newsweek’ article by Ramin Setoodeh that argued that gay actors were incapable of portraying straight characters convincingly. He has been awarded the ‘Point Horizon Award’ for his “leadership role as an advocate of” the LGBT community. Jonathan has made his mark in the entertainment industry and has a large following on social media.

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Quick Facts

Boyfriend: Gavin Creel (2009–2010), Zachary Quinto - (2010–2013)

Also Known As: Jonathan Drew Groff

Age: 38 Years, 38 Year Old Males

Family:

father: Jim Groff

mother: Julie Groff (née Witmer)

siblings: David Groff

Born Country: United States

Actors Singers

Height: 5'11" (180 cm), 5'11" Males

Ancestry: Swiss American, German American, British American

U.S. State: Pennsylvania

Childhood & Early Life
Jonathan Drew Groff was born on March 26, 1985, in Lancaster Pennsylvania, US, to Julie and Jim Groff. His mother was a physical education teacher, and his father was a horse trainer. He was raised in the farming community of Ronks, Pennsylvania, with his elder brother, David.
Although his father was a Mennonite, Jonathan was raised in a conservative Methodist environment by his mother. Both his parents were athletes in their younger days, but they did not put any pressure on their children to pursue any particular profession. Jonathan was interested in performing arts and appeared in several musicals at the ‘Fulton Opera House’ during his school days.
He graduated from the ‘Conestoga Valley High School’ in 2003 and was planning to join ‘Carnegie Mellon University.’ However, the offer to join the national tour of the musical ‘The Sound of Music’ changed the course of his life. Soon, he moved to New York City to join the entertainment industry.
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Career
In 2005, he appeared in the musical ‘Fame’ at the ‘North Shore Music Theatre,’ Beverly, Massachusetts, and earned his ‘Actors’ Equity Association’ card. He made his ‘Broadway’ debut with the musical ‘In My Life’ by Joseph Brooks.
From 2006 to 2008, he appeared in the ‘Broadway’ production of the rock musical ‘Spring Awakening’ with Lea Michele. His performance in the musical earned him nominations for a ‘Drama Desk Award’ and the ‘Tony Award’ for the ‘Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.’
He was also seen in the ‘ABC’ soap opera ‘One Life to Live’ and the ‘Shakespeare in the Park’ production of the rock musical ‘Hair’ during this period. He made his big-screen debut with the role of ‘Michael Lang’ in the drama–comedy film ‘Taking Woodstock’ in 2009.
Jonathan guest-starred in the musical comedy–drama ‘Glee’ with his co-star and good friend Lea Michele in 2010. He made his ‘West End’ debut with the play ‘Deathtrap’ the same year.
He appeared as himself in the web series ‘The Battery’s Down.’ He also appeared as ‘Jase’ in the podcast musical ‘36 Questions.’
He lent his voice to ‘Kristoff,’ one of the lead characters in ‘Disney’s animated feature film ‘Frozen,’ in 2013. The film became the highest-grossing animated film of all time and earned him a number of awards and nominations.
He starred in the ‘HBO’ gay comedy series ‘Looking’ in 2014–2015. He was also seen in the biographical war film ‘American Sniper’ and the TV drama ‘The Normal Heart’ during this period. His voice role in the short animated film ‘Frozen Fever’ received positive reviews.
He was cast in the ‘Off-Broadway’ show of the musical ‘Hamilton,’ which was a massive success. The show won a ‘Grammy’ award for the ‘Best Musical Theater Album’ and earned him a nomination for the ‘Tony Award’ for the ‘Best Featured Actor in a Musical’ in 2016.
Of late, he has played the lead role in the crime-drama series ‘Mindhunter.’ He has also been featured as ‘Kristoff’ in the video game ‘Kingdom Hearts III’ in 2018. He has also lent his voice to the short film ‘Olaf’s Frozen Adventure’ and the upcoming animated film ‘Frozen 2.’
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Major Works
Some of his noteworthy films are ‘Taking Woodstock’ (2009), ‘The Conspirator’ (2010), ‘Frozen’ (2013), ‘American Sniper’ (2014), ‘Frozen Fever’ (2015), and the upcoming film ‘Frozen 2’ (2019).
His most notable TV projects are ‘One Life to Live’ (2007), ‘Glee’ (2010–2015), ‘The Good Wife’ (2012), ‘Looking’ (2014–2015), ‘The Normal Heart’ (2014), ‘Looking: The Movie’ (2016), and ‘Mindhunter’ (2017–present).
He has appeared in the web series ‘The Battery’s Down’ (2008–2009) and ‘One True Pairing’ (2015–2016). He was also part of the podcast musical ‘36 Questions’ (2017).
Some of his notable stage performances have been for the plays ‘Honk!’ (2002), ‘Fame’ (2005), ‘Spring Awakening’ (2006–2008), ‘Hair’ (2007), ‘Deathtrap’ (2010–2011), ‘The Pirates of Penzance’ (2013), ‘Hamilton’ (2015–2016), and ‘The Bobby Darin Story’ (2018).
Awards & Achievements
His performance in ‘Spring Awakening’ in 2007 won him the ‘Theatre World Award’ for ‘Outstanding Debut Performance.’ The same role also won him the ‘Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards’ for the ‘Favorite Leading Actor in a Broadway Musical’ and the ‘Favorite Male Breakthrough Performance.’ The show also won the ‘Grammy’ for the ‘Best Musical Theater Album.’ It also received the awards for the ‘Favorite Ensemble Cast’ and the ‘Favorite Onstage Pair’ at the ‘Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards.’
In 2009, he won the ‘Obie Award’ for ‘Outstanding Performance’ for his role in ‘Prayer for My Enemy.’
His performance in ‘Deathtrap’ won him a ‘London Newcomer of the Year’ award at the 2011 ‘WhatsOnStage.com Theatregoers’ Choice Awards.’
He, along with the cast of ‘Frozen,’ won the ‘Behind the Voice Actors People's Choice Voice Acting Award’ for the ‘Best Vocal Ensemble in a Feature Film’ in 2013. He won the ‘NewNowNext Award’ for the ‘Best New Television Actor’ for ‘Looking’ in 2014.
His performance in ‘Hamilton’ won him the ‘Broadway.com Audience Choice Awards’ for the ‘Favorite Funny Performance’ award, the ‘Favorite Featured Actor in a Musical’ award, and ‘Favorite Diva Performance’ in 2016.
He won the ‘Satellite Award’ for the ‘Best Actor in a Drama/Genre Series’ in 2017.
Personal Life
In 2009, Jonathan revealed he was gay. He dated actor Gavin Creel from 2009 to 2010. From 2010 to 2013, he was in a relationship with actor Zachary Quinto. He has been a close friend of actor Lea Michele since they worked together.
In April 2015, he was awarded the ‘Point Horizon Award’ for his role in leading the LGBT community. This was closely followed by the ‘Bayard Rustin Award’ in December 2015 for the same cause.
He suffered from melanoma, a type of skin cancer, for which he was successfully treated when he was in his early 20s.
Trivia
In April 2010, a ‘Newsweek’ article by Ramin Setoodeh created a huge controversy, as it stated that gay actors such as Groff were incapable of portraying straight characters in films and on stage convincingly.

Awards

Grammy Awards
2016 Best Musical Theater Album Winner

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