Frankie Grande

Frankie James Grande was born Frank James Michael Grande-Marchione on January 24, 1983, in Manhattan, New York City. He was raised in Englewood, New Jersey, and Boca Raton, Florida. His mother, Joan Grande, is a chief executive officer for Hose-McCann Communications, and his father, Victor Louis Marchione, is a physician. Grande attended Pine Crest School in Boca Raton before graduating from Muhlenberg College in 2005, where he triple-majored in biology, theater, and dance. He initially considered a career in medicine but decided to pursue theatre, marking a significant turning point in his early professional development.

Grande began his performing career by 2007, appearing as Boots the Monkey in a national tour of “Dora the Explorer Live! (Dora’s Pirate Adventure)” and in regional theatre productions such as “George M!” and “A Chorus Line.” In 2007, he joined the Broadway cast of “Mamma Mia!” in the ensemble and as an understudy for Eddie, performing in the production for three years. His foray into production began with Broadway shows like “Hamlet” (2009) starring Jude Law and revivals of “La Bête” (2010–2011) and “Born Yesterday” (2011). He also produced Brooke Shields’ one-woman cabaret show in 2011 and showcased his own one-man show, “Livin’ la Vida Grande.” His career gained broader recognition in 2014 as a contestant on “Big Brother 16,” where he placed 5th, followed by a Broadway return in “Rock of Ages” (2014-2015) as Franz.

From 2015 onwards, Grande continued to expand his presence across television and digital media. He served as a judge on the 8th season of “America’s Best Dance Crew” in 2015 and co-hosted Amazon’s live fashion and shopping show, “Style Code Live,” from 2016 to 2017. In 2016, he competed in the UK reality show “Celebrity Big Brother 18,” finishing in 6th place. His acting roles include the recurring villain Frankini in Nickelodeon’s “Henry Danger” (2017–2019) and “Danger Force” (2020–2022), and appearances in “Haters Back Off” (2017) and “Summoning Sylvia” (2023). He released a music single “Queen” in 2017 and his debut studio album, “Hotel Rock Bottom,” in 2025. Grande is also a noted philanthropist, co-founding “Broadway in South Africa” and actively supporting buildOn, for which he received a Global Impact Award in 2014.