Jonathan Groff

Jonathan Drew Groff was born on March 26, 1985, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. His theatrical journey began early, inspired by Julie Andrews’ “Mary Poppins” and childhood home productions. He actively participated in community theater in Lancaster during his adolescence, directing and starring in “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at the Fulton Opera House, for which he received a community award. After graduating from Conestoga Valley High School in 2003, Groff deferred admission to Carnegie Mellon University to join a national tour of “The Sound of Music.” He then moved to New York City to pursue his performing career.

Groff made his Broadway debut in 2005 as an understudy in “In My Life.” His breakout role came in 2006 as Melchior Gabor in the rock musical “Spring Awakening.” This performance earned him nominations for a Drama Desk Award, a Drama League Award, and a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical, along with a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance. From 2010 to 2015, Groff gained wider recognition for his recurring role as Jesse St. James in the Fox musical comedy-drama “Glee.” He also lent his voice to Kristoff in Disney’s animated film “Frozen” (2013), a role he reprised in sequels and short films.

In 2015, Groff joined the cast of “Hamilton” as King George III, a role for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. He later starred as Patrick Murray in the HBO series “Looking” (2014-2015) and FBI Special Agent Holden Ford in Netflix’s “Mindhunter” (2017-2019), earning a Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series for the latter. In 2024, Groff won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance as Franklin Shepard in the Broadway revival of “Merrily We Roll Along.”