Matthew Morrison

Matthew Morrison was born on October 30, 1978, in Fort Ord, California. His interest in performing began with a summer children’s theater group, leading him to attend the Orange County High School of the Arts. He later enrolled at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts before securing an agent and making his professional debut in the musical version of “Footloose” in 1998, prompting him to leave college. His early career on Broadway included a role in “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” A pivotal moment came with his casting as Link Larkin in the original Broadway production of “Hairspray” in 2002, where he performed until 2004. This stage success paved the way for small roles in television and film, including appearances in “Sex and the City,” “Hack,” and “Encino Man.” His performance in the 2005 TV musical “Once Upon a Mattress,” alongside Carol Burnett, was a self-proclaimed favorite. Morrison received a Tony Award nomination for his role as Fabrizio Nacarelli in “The Light in the Piazza” in 2005, further establishing his presence in musical theater.

Morrison’s career expanded significantly with his casting as Will Schuester in the Fox series “Glee,” which premiered in 2009. This role brought him widespread recognition and earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination, three Screen Actors Guild Awards (shared with the cast), and two Golden Globe nominations. He remained a central figure on “Glee” until its conclusion in 2015, also making his directorial debut on one episode during the show’s third season. Concurrently with his television work, Morrison pursued a solo music career, signing with Mercury Records in 2010 and releasing his self-titled debut album in 2011, which included collaborations with Elton John and Gwyneth Paltrow. His second album, “Where It All Began,” released in 2013, featured show tunes and jazz standards. He returned to Broadway in 2015 to originate the role of J.M. Barrie in “Finding Neverland,” receiving a Broadway.com Audience Award for his performance.

More recently, Morrison has continued to diversify his career. He served as a “dance captain” on BBC One’s “The Greatest Dancer” for two seasons (2019-2020) and took on the role of Trevor Kirchner in the ninth season of “American Horror Story” in 2019. In 2020, he starred as The Grinch in NBC’s “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical Live!” In 2022, he was a judge for the seventeenth season of “So You Think You Can Dance,” though his tenure was brief. His recent projects include the TV film “Paris Christmas Waltz” in 2023 and the independent thriller “From Embers” in 2024. He also performed as Billy Flynn in a limited engagement of “Chicago” in Japan in 2024.