Childhood & Early Life
Lucas Grabeel was born on November 23, 1984, in Springfield, Missouri, to Jean and Stephen Grabeel. He was enrolled at the ‘Logan–Rogersville School.’ He went on to finish high school from the institute. However, he was not too interested in academics. Instead, he was largely involved with extra-curricular activities, especially music and other performing arts.
As a child, he was addicted to music. Lucas initially played drums at a local church that his family visited regularly. Soon, he grew fond of the guitar and the accordion and continued playing at school musicals. At the age of 12, he finally embarked into acting by venturing into school productions. As a child, he dreamt of becoming a musician. However, after appearing on stage for the first time, with the musical ‘Secret Garden,’ he realized that acting was where his talent lay.
For the next few years, he continued acting and playing music in school productions. He also devoted time to dancing and soon turned into an all-round performer. He was enrolled at the ‘Kickapoo High School’ and started an all-boy “a capella” group named ‘No Treble.’ In order to hone his skills, he attended the ‘MFAA’ and started learning the basics of acting.
When he attained significant fame a few years later, Lucas wrote a letter to the ‘MFAA’ and credited them with his phenomenal success. Following his graduation from college, Lucas arrived in Los Angeles to give his acting career a real shot. Although he struggled to find any role for his initial two months in Los Angeles, he soon started receiving offers for commercials. Some of his earlier commercials were for ‘Lego,’ ‘Hot Wheels,’ and a toothpaste brand.
Continue Reading Below
Career
The 2004 TV film ‘Halloweentown High’ became Lucas’s launching vehicle into the US entertainment industry. Lucas played a major role in the TV film, which was the third instalment of the successful film franchise. He reprised his role of ‘Ethan Dalloway’ in the fourth instalment of the film, ‘Return to Halloweentown.’
He made several guest appearances in series such as ‘Boston Legal,’ ‘’Til Death,’ and ‘Veronica Mars.’ In addition, he made his big-screen debut with the 2005 film ‘Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot’s Macbeth.’ Such smaller roles aside, he was on the lookout for a big career breakthrough, which eventually fell into his lap the very next year.
In 2006, he appeared in the highly anticipated ‘Disney’ TV teen-drama ‘High School Musical.’ Lucas portrayed the role of ‘Ryan Evans,’ the younger twin brother of the character portrayed by Ashley Tisdale. ‘Ryan’ was portrayed as a dim-witted, talented musician and sportsman and his character turned out to be one of the most-loved characters in the film.
Lucas reprised his role in two more instalments of the highly successful ‘Disney’ franchise. He also lent his voice to a few of the songs in the film. He was praised for his acting and singing skills. ‘Billboard’ suggested that one of the songs performed by him for the franchise, titled ‘I Want It All,’ be nominated for the ‘Academy Award’ for the ‘Best Original Song.’ Although the song did not receive a nomination, it was widely loved by the audiences around the globe. In total, six songs from the ‘High School Musical’ series performed by Lucas were on several ‘Billboard Hot 100’ lists.
In 2007, Lucas appeared as a leading character, ‘Lester McKinley,’ in the comedy–drama film ‘Alice Upside Down.’ His performance in this straight-to-DVD film received moderate reviews.
In 2008, Lucas played lead roles in the short films ‘The Real Son’ and ‘Smoke Break.’ In the same year, he played a major role in the film ‘Lock and Roll Forever’ and voiced the lead character of ‘Jericho’ in the animated film ‘At Jesus’ Side.’ Lucas was also seen playing a pivotal role in the Sean Penn-starrer drama ‘Milk,’ a film which ended up winning two ‘Academy Awards.’
In 2009, Lucas played the lead role in the web series ‘I Kissed a Vampire.’ The series received tremendous reviews and was later converted into a full-length feature film, which was released in 2012. The vampire rock-musical premiered at the ‘Seattle International Film Festival’ and was appreciated for its unique approach to the vampire theme.
In 2011, Lucas began playing one of the main roles in the teen-drama series ‘Switched at Birth.’ The series depicted the lives of two teenagers who were born around the same time but were switched with one another. This was ‘ABC’s best-rated series when it debuted in June 2011. Lucas played the role of ‘Toby Kennish’ in the series, which ran for five successful seasons. Lucas was nominated for a ‘Teen Choice Award’ for his performance.
In 2013, Lucas lent his voice to the character of ‘Gustav’ in the animated series ‘DreamWorks Dragons.’ ‘Gustav’ appeared in 12 episodes of the series.
Continue Reading Below
In 2014, Lucas became the voice of leading character ‘Deputy Peck’ in the musical comedy series ‘Sheriff Callie’s Wild West.’ Lucas also voiced guest characters in a number of animated series, such as ‘Elena of Avalor,’ ‘Phineas and Ferb,’ and ‘Doraemon.’ In 2018, an announcement stated that Lucas would be voicing the main character in the animated series ‘Pinky Malinky.’
Lucas has appeared in two short films of late: ‘Chocolate Milk’ (2013) and ‘Pilot Season’ (2014).
Lucas runs his own production house, ‘14341 Productions.’ Several of the short films made under his banner have won honors in film festivals around the globe.
Personal Life
Despite being regarded as a teen heartthrob, Lucas Grabeel wants to shed that image and wants to appear in dark, twisted, and edgy films to exhibit his diverse acting skills.
Lucas has been in relationships with many of his co-stars. Some of his most talked-about relationships were with Sara Paxton, Brittany Snow, Emily Morris, Pamela Saunders II, and Hannah Heart.
