Frankie James Grande

Frankie James Grande, born Frank James Michael Grande-Marchione on January 24, 1983, in Manhattan, New York City, grew up in Englewood, New Jersey, and later Boca Raton, Florida. He attended Pine Crest School in Boca Raton and graduated from Muhlenberg College in 2005 with triple majors in biology, theater, and dance. Grande initially considered a career in medicine before deciding to pursue theater. His professional performing career began around 2007, appearing as Boots the Monkey in a national tour of “Dora the Explorer Live!” and in various regional theater productions. He then joined the Broadway cast of “Mamma Mia!” in 2007, performing in the ensemble and as an understudy for Eddie for three years.

Grande expanded his career into production, notably producing Broadway shows such as “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 performed in numerous cabaret acts in New York City, including his own one-man show “Livin’ la Vida Grande.” In 2014, he gained wider recognition as a contestant on the US reality television series “Big Brother 16,” where he placed 5th. Following this, he returned to Broadway as Franz in “Rock of Ages” (2014-2015). Beyond the stage and reality TV, Grande became a judge on “America’s Best Dance Crew” in 2015 and co-hosted Amazon’s live fashion and shopping show, “Style Code Live,” from 2016 to 2017. He also competed in the UK reality show “Celebrity Big Brother 18” in mid-2016, finishing in 6th place.

His acting career has also included recurring roles as the villain Frankini in Nickelodeon’s “Henry Danger” (2017–2019) and “Danger Force” (2020–2022). In 2023, he played Nico in the film “Summoning Sylvia” and returned to the “Big Brother” franchise for “Big Brother Reindeer Games,” where he placed 3rd. Grande has continued his theatrical work, reprising roles in “The Rocky Horror Show” and “Titanique,” while also releasing his debut studio album, “Hotel Rock Bottom,” in 2025. He maintains a significant social media presence and is actively involved in philanthropy, co-founding “Broadway in South Africa” and working with buildOn and GLAAD.