Biography

Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken, who wrote the scores for The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992) and many more, once handed a hundred dollar tip to Darren Criss doing an acappella medley of his songs at a coffee shop.

Before the show Glee (2009), he sang his own rendition of some Disney songs at a Maggiano's restaurant every Thursday.

Appears in the music video for Katy Perry's single, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", alongside Rebecca Black, Corey Feldman, Kenny G, Debbie Gibson, Kevin McHale, Isaac Hanson, Taylor Hanson and Zac Hanson.

Darren's mother is from Cebu in the Philippines, and has Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish ancestry. Darren's father is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has English, and some German and Northern Irish, ancestry. Darren's patrilineal line can be traced back to Johanne Jorge Nicholas Crist, who was born, c. 1690, in Germany.

Graduated from the University of Michigan in 2009, a month after the premier of A Very Potter Musical (2009).

There's not a damn thing that I do on my own that's not for my fans or for people that have supported me. So, I don't really care about my agenda, I wanna be on yours.

That which makes you different is what makes you strong. Whether you're gay, straight, purple, orange, dinosaur, I don't care.

No matter what, I will always prefer a live performance. Whether it be a play or a musical, or playing music live. As long as it's live, it's the best because there's sort of an immediacy to connection between an audience and a performer, whereas where you do film or television, you're at the whim of so many different forces.

Pink. Because it would be really funny. 'Cause then really mean people wouldn't look so mean.

There's nothing more badass than being yourself.