A musical comedy that follows a hopeful teacher who attempts to save McKinley High’s glee club from obscurity while helping a group of talented kids realize their true star potential, but his new role puts him at odds with members of the faculty, including the head of the popular cheerleading team.
The Cast of GLEE:
DIANNA AGRON (“Quinn Fabray”)
During her budding career, Dianna Agron has appeared on numerous television shows, including Numb3rs, Shark, Close to Home and CSI NY. She also had a recurring role on the critically acclaimed series Veronica Mars and was seen as Debbie Marshall on the sci-fi hit Heroes. She appeared in It’s a Mall World, a series of short films directed by Milo Ventimiglia.
Agron starred in the feature film The Romantics opposite Josh Duhamel, Katie Holmes, Anna Paquin and Elijah Wood, and I Am Number Four, a sci-fi thriller produced by Steven Spielberg.
Agron grew up in San Francisco, and is a supporter of the animal rights organization PETA.
CHRIS COLFER (“Kurt Hummel”)
Made his television debut on Glee, was recognized for his work on the series with a Golden Globe® award in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Colfer was also nominated for a SAG award in the category of Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2010, he was honored with an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Colfer appears in the independent film Struck by Lightning, which he wrote and produced. Additionally, he adapted a pilot for the Disney Channel called The Little Leftover Witch. The pilot is based on a children’s book of the same name by Florence Laughlin. His children’s book, The Land of Stories, hit bookshelves summer 2012.
Colfer grew up performing in community theatre productions in his hometown of Clovis, California. In high school, he was active in drama, was president of the writers club, served as editor of the school literary magazine, was captain of the Destination ImagiNation team and was a speech and debate champion.
DARREN CRISS (“Blaine Anderson”)
In the course of one year – went from YouTube sensation to a multi-Billboard charting musician and composer.
Criss garnered the attention of millions and the musical theater world when he and his University of Michigan friends created A Very Potter Musical, which became a viral phenomenon. Thereafter, they started StarKid Productions, writing and producing subsequent online hits like Me and My Dick and A Very Potter Sequel, with Criss providing the music and lyrics for the latter. The Chicago-based theatre company enjoyed a two-week sold-out run of their project, Starship.
In 2009, Criss made his television debut as Josh Burton on Eastwick, with Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price and Jaime Ray Newman, and also appeared in Cold Case. The following year, his self-released album “Human” dropped, landing on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. His breakout performance of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” in his first episode as “Blaine” set a milestone for Glee, debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s digital track sales chart for the first time in the show’s history, selling over 200,000 tracks in its first week.
Criss co-stars with Kristen Wiig and Annette Bening in the film Imogene. A native of San Francisco, Criss plays a variety of instruments including violin, guitar, piano and drums.
JANE LYNCH (“Sue Sylvester”)
Jane cut her theatrical teeth at The Second City, Steppenwolf Theatre and in many church basements all over the greater Chicago area. In 2010, Lynch won an Emmy® Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Glee.
Lynch’s film credits include Julie & Julia, Shrek Forever After, Post Grad and Paul and Brownie Masters. Her past film work includes Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration, A Mighty Wind and Best in Show, as well as Role Models, The Rocker, Spring Breakdown, Space Chimps, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Margaret Cho’s Celeste and Bam Bam, Alan Cumming’s Suffering Man’s Charity, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Sleepover, Surviving Eden and the Three Stooges film.
In 2011, Lynch hosted the 63rd Primetime Emmy® Awards. Her other television credits include Party Down, Lovespring International, Desperate Housewives, Weeds and The L Word. Lynch has had recurring roles on Boston Legal, Criminal Minds, The New Adventures of Old Christine and Two and a Half Men, for which she received an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
Lynch’s play Oh Sister, My Sister! had runs at the Tamarind Theatre and Bang Theater, garnering the L.A. Weekly Comedy Ensemble of the Year Award.
JAYMA MAYS (“Emma Pillsbury”)
In 2004, Jayma Mays made her first television appearance on Joey, and the following year landed a role in Wes Craven’s Red Eye. Mays had recurring roles on the Emmy® Award-winning series Ugly Betty and the critically acclaimed Heroes, and she has guest-starred on numerous series, including House, Six Feet Under, The Comeback, Entourage, Stacked, How I Met Your Mother and Ghost Whisperer.
Her feature film credits include Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers, Blind Guy Driving, Bar Starz and Epic Movie, where she met her husband, Adam Campbell. She also starred in The Smurfs movie opposite Neil Patrick Harris. Mays is from Grundy, Virginia, and graduated from Radford University with a degree in Performing Arts.
KEVIN McHALE (“Artie Abrams”)
Kevin McHale is a native of Plano, Texas, who moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in
acting, singing and dancing. As part of the pop/R&B/hip-hop group NLT, McHale toured with the Pussycat Dolls and produced songs with Timbaland. He also was featured on The X Factor as the Pepsi spokesperson and served as co-host of Teen Choice Awards 2012.
In addition to his onscreen career, McHale is actively involved in charity work, devoting much of his time to working with people with disabilities and to The Trevor Project. In his spare time, McHale writes original music.
LEA MICHELE (“Rachel Berry”)
Lea Michele made her Broadway debut at eight years old, playing ‘Young Cosette’ in Les Misérables. Since then, she has shared the stage with Broadway greats Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell in Ragtime, as well as with Alfred Molina in Fiddler on the Roof. She also played ‘Wendla’ in the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Spring Awakening, earning a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
For her work on Glee, Michele was honored with both an Emmy® nomination for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series” and two Golden Globe® nominations for Best Television Actress – Comedy or Musical along with a 2010 Teen Choice Award for Choice TV Actress – Comedy and a 2009 nomination for Choice TV: Breakout Star Female category. Michele was also chosen as one of Time Magazine’s “Time 100: The World’s Most Influential People” in 2010.
Michele’s first feature film was Gary Marshall’s New Year’s Eve. Also on the big screen, Michele lent her vocal talents to the animated 3D musical Dorothy of Oz, voicing the movie’s lead role and singing on several original numbers alongside Jim Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Kelsey Grammer.
CORY MONTEITH (“Finn Hudson”)
Cory Monteith starred in the film Monte Carlo opposite Leighton Meester, Selena Gomez and Katie Cassidy. His television credits included a lead role on the series Kaya and a recurring guest-star role on Kyle XY. He has also made numerous guest appearances on television shows including Smallville, Supernatural, Stargate, Flash Gordon and Interns. Additionally, he starred in the 2007 television movie Hybrid. Monteith’s film credits include Final Destination 3, The Invisible, Deck the Halls and Whisper.
Born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Monteith moved to Vancouver Island at a very young age. Throughout his life he has held jobs as a Wal-Mart greeter, a school bus driver, a roofer and a cab driver, before pursuing a career in acting.
HEATHER MORRIS (“Brittany Pierce”)
Heather Elizabeth Morris was born dancing. When her parents recognized her natural gift for movement, the California native was immediately enrolled in dance lessons.
In 2009, Heather was invited to join Beyoncé’s “I Am… Sasha Fierce” World Tour and also worked with choreographer Zach Woodlee on the film Fired Up!
Morris started studying acting at the famed Playhouse West with Robert Carnegie and continued to land dancing roles on hit television shows such as Eli Stone and Swingtown, as well as the feature film Bedtime Stories with Adam Sandler.
MATTHEW MORRISON (“Will Schuester”)
A star of stage and screen, Matthew Morrison has been nominated for Tony, Emmy® and Golden Globe® Awards. In 2012 Morrison starred opposite Cameron Diaz in the film What to Expect When You’re Expecting. He also has released his self-titled debut solo album with Mercury Records and went on tour with New Kids on the Block and The Backstreet Boys.
Morrison studied musical theater, vocal performance and dance at New York University’s renowned Tisch School of the Arts.
His big Broadway break came when he was cast as heartthrob ‘Link Larkin’ in the hit Hairspray. Morrison was later nominated for a Tony Award for his role in The Light in the Piazza, and received a Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for 10 Million Miles. He also starred in the Tony Award-winning revival of South Pacific at Lincoln Center Theater in New York.
CHORD OVERSTREET (“Sam Evans”)
Chord Overstreet was born in Nashville, Tennessee to makeup artist Julie Miller and country music singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet. Encouraged by his parents to pursue music, he started playing the mandolin at an early age, and moved on to the drums, flute, piano and guitar.
After graduating from high school, Overstreet pursued a career in acting, landing roles on the cable series iCarly and in the feature films The Hole and A Warrior’s Heart. In his first appearance as Sam Evans on Glee, he performed “Billionaire” and “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” and became an overnight sensation.
AMBER RILEY (“Mercedes Jones”)
Amber Riley got her first break when Ryan Murphy cast her in the pilot St. Sass. Although the pilot was not picked up, Riley was able to use that experience to land a role on the television series Cedric the Entertainer Presents.
Riley has performed in numerous theater productions, including Alice in Wonderland, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Into the Woods and Mystery on the Docks with the Los Angeles Opera.
Riley nominated for an individual NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. In 2010, she received the Most Popular Geek Award at AOL’s 1st Annual Geek Awards and was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for Choice TV: Female Scene Stealer.
Riley serves as an Ambassador for VH-1’s Save the Music Foundation and is a member of Seventeen Magazine’s Body Peace Council.
NAYA RIVERA
(“Santana Lopez”)
Naya Rivera landed her first series regular role at age 4 on the sitcom The Royal Family, starring Redd Foxx and Della Reese. Her other television credits include CSI: Miami, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Family Matters, Smart Guy, Even Stevens, 8 Simple Rules and The Bernie Mac Show.
When not on set, Rivera donates her time and talent to raising money for cancer research and for HIV/AIDS education, awareness and prevention; and to helping young women and girls overcome self-esteem issues and reach their full potential.
Rivera enjoys working out, writing, composing music and spending time with friends.
MARK SALLING (“Noah ‘Puck’ Puckerman”)
Dallas-born Mark Salling has always known that music is his destiny. A classically trained pianist who has also mastered the guitar, bass and drums, Salling grew up playing in various cover bands with friends. The Lonestar State native also caught the acting bug early on, starring in national commercials and films, including Children of the Corn IV: The Gathering, and Walker, Texas Ranger.
After graduating from high school, he made the move to Hollywood. Teaching guitar lessons on the side, Salling enrolled in the Los Angeles Music Academy in Pasadena. He refines his craft by writing new songs and performing original music. Salling launched his record label, “Pipe Dream Records,” with the release of his debut solo album, PIPE DREAMS.
When not on the set, the singer/songwriter spends much of his time with the Wildlife Care of Ventura County as well as the American Red Cross. Additionally, he spends his free time working on new music, playing frisbee golf, traveling, and advancing his unusual passion for ornithology.
HARRY SHUM JR. (“Mike Chang”)
Born in San Jose, Costa Rica and raised both in Northern and Southern California, Shum’s entertainment career began in high school when a friend of his dared him to join the school’s dance team, AGHS Dance Company. Despite having no formal training, he made the team and soon began dancing professionally, touring with Kaci, and dancing for world renowned artists such as Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Ashanti, T-Pain, Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez and Raven.
In 2004, Shum landed his first acting job on the popular FOX series, Boston Public. He followed that with guest-starring roles on Zoey 101, and Greek. He also starred in the hit TV movie iCarly: iGo to Japan as arch nemesis “Yuki.”
Shum has danced in feature films such as You Got Served, Fast & Furious 3: Tokyo Drift, Stomp the Yard, Center Stage 2 and Bewitched. In 2008, he landed an acting part in Step Up 2: The Streets. He reprised his role as “Cable” in Step Up 3D.
JENNA USHKOWITZ (“Tina Cohen-Chang”)
A seasoned theater actor, Jenna Ushkowitz starred in The King and I and the Tony Award-winning Broadway production of Spring Awakening.
Her television credits include Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow and As the World Turns, and her independent film credits include Babyface and Educated. Ushkowitz hosted Yankees on Deck, a behind-the-scenes sports show geared towards young audiences.
Ushkowitz graduated from Marymount Manhattan College.
RYAN MURPHY (Co-Creator/Executive Producer)
Ryan Murphy is the Golden Globe® Award-winning creator, writer, and director of FX’s original drama series Nip/Tuck and the Screen Actors Guild, Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winning smash hit series Glee. He is creator/executive producer/writer and director on American Horror Story: Asylum.
Glee has been honored with four Emmy® Awards, a Peabody Award, a Golden Globe® for Best Television Series, Comedy or Musical, a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series, and a People’s Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy. Murphy is also the executive producer of the wildly successful first and second Glee! Live tours.
Murphy began his career as a journalist writing for publications such as The Miami Herald, Los Angeles Times, The New York Daily News and Entertainment Weekly. His screenwriting career began in the late 1990s when Steven Spielberg purchased his romantic comedy Why Can’t I Be Audrey Hepburn? Murphy’s next effort was The WB’s Popular, an award-winning black comedy/satire which he created and produced with his fellow Nip/Tuck executive producers Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin.
In 2003, Murphy’s Nip/Tuck premiered on the FX Network and became one of the network’s most popular and well-known series. Nip/Tuck was recognized as one of the American Film Institute’s 10 Best Television Shows of 2003 and 2004 and was the only first-year drama series in 2004 to earn a Golden Globe® Award for Best Dramatic TV Series. In 2004 Murphy earned an Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.
In 2006 Murphy expanded to the big screen by writing, directing and producing his adaptation of the best-selling book Running with Scissors, starring Annette Bening and Gwyneth Paltrow.
In 2010 Murphy directed Julia Roberts in an adaptation of Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoir, Eat Pray Love. Murphy also co-wrote the screenplay with Jennifer Salt.
BRAD FALCHUK (Co-Creator/Executive Producer)
Brad Falchuk was an executive producer on the critically acclaimed cable series Nip/Tuck. He was a writer on the show from its inception and directed numerous episodes.
Falchuk was honored with an Emmy® Award nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for his work on Glee. Ryan Murphy and Falchuk are creators and executive producers of the Emmy®-Award-winning hit series American Horror Story, starring Jessica Lange. He has also written episodes of the syndicated dramas Earth: The Final Conflict and Mutant X, and was a staff writer on Veritas: The Quest.
Falchuk is one of the three founding members and currently sits on the board of directors of the Young Storytellers Program. This non-profit initiative, which currently runs in more than 100 schools in Los Angeles, New York City and Denmark, facilitates self-expression in underprivileged fourth graders by mentoring them through the process of writing their own short screenplays and having those screenplays performed by famous actors.
Falchuk earned his master’s degree from the American Film Institute. He would like to thank Bruce Springsteen and David Ortiz for making him into the man he is today.
IAN BRENNAN
(Co-Creator/Executive Producer)
Glee marked Ian Brennan’s first foray into television writing. He was honored with an Emmy® nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for his work on Glee.
Brennan began his acting career in Chicago working with the prestigious Steppenwolf and Goodman Theatres. He then moved to New York to work in Off-Broadway plays at the Vineyard, Playwrights Horizons and MCC Theatres.
A graduate of Loyola University in Chicago, Brennan was inspired to write Glee after participating in his high school’s show choir that never won anything and whose director was just released from prison.
DANTE Di LORETO (Executive Producer)
Dante Di Loreto serves as president of production for Ryan Murphy Television, executive producing Glee, the Emmy® Award-winning hit series American Horror Story: Asylum and the comedy The New Normal. Prior to joining Ryan Murphy Television, Di Loreto supervised film development and U.S. theatrical operations for Bill Kenwright Ltd., the U.K.’s largest production company, which was responsible for the London West End productions of Primo, Festen and the revival of The Glass Menagerie starring Jessica Lange, Christian Slater and Sarah Paulson.
Di Loreto has produced original scripted series for cable and broadcast television, as well as a variety of films. His production credits include Pretty/Handsome, the Emmy® Award-winning My Louisiana Sky, Temple Grandin and Die, Mommie, Die!, which took home the Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize.
Di Loreto’s interest in cinema crosses international borders; he helped bring the work of celebrated Cuban filmmakers to world audiences through a film distribution partnership with DDC Films. This endeavor helped foster the development of Viva Cuba, Cuba’s official foreign language selection for the 78th Academy Awards®.
A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, Di Loreto also holds an M.F.A. from the American Film Institute.
