History Creator / DarrenCriss

Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987 in San Francisco, California) started out in the surprise Website/{{Youtube}} hit and AffectionateParody ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', as the title character. He banded together with a few fellow University of Michigan student and formed Creator/TeamStarKid, a theater production company that is now Chicago-based. Among the [=StarKid=] projects that he's been in are ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', ''Theatre/AVeryPotterSequel'', and ''WebVideo/LittleWhiteLie''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersRobotsInDisguise2014'' as Sideswipe

[[quoteright:205:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/darren2_4181.png]]

Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987 in San Francisco, California) started out in the surprise Website/{{Youtube}} hit and AffectionateParody ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', as the title character. He banded together with a few fellow University of Michigan students and formed Creator/TeamStarKid, a theater production company that is now Chicago-based. Among the [=StarKid=] projects that he's been in are ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', ''Theatre/AVeryPotterSequel'', and ''WebVideo/LittleWhiteLie''.

Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987 in San Francisco, California) started out in the surprise Website/{{Youtube}} hit and AffectionateParody ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', as the title character. He banded together with a few fellow UsefulNotes/UniversityOfMichigan students and formed Creator/TeamStarKid, a theater production company that is now Chicago-based. Among the [=StarKid=] projects that he's been in are ''Theatre/AVeryPotterMusical'', ''Theatre/AVeryPotterSequel'', and ''WebVideo/LittleWhiteLie''.

* OlderThanTheyLook: He's currently in his mid-thirties, but he still manages to pass for his early-twenties.

* OlderThanTheyLook: No matter how old he gets each year, his appearance will arguably make him pass for a guy in his early-twenties.

* LyricalDissonance: "Jealousy", a sunny and energetic song about {{Envy}} so consuming that he can't stand looking in the mirror, and he tries unsuccessfully to [[DrowningMySorrows drown it out with alcohol.]]

** ''WesternAnimation/SupermanManOfTomorrow'' (2020)
** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeSocietyWorldWarII'' (2021)

* ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'' as Music Meister

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Tomorrowverse}}'' as ComicBook/{{Superman}}
** ''WesternAnimation/SupermanManOfTomorrow''
** ''WesternAnimation/JusticeSocietyWorldWarII''

* AmbiguouslyBrown: His father is white, his mother Filipino (Visayan, Cebuano to be precise; she's also of Spanish and Chinese descent which is not uncommon for Filipinos, and so he's said himself that it's just easier to say "half-Filipino"). He actually attracted ire for reportedly saying that he was happy he looked racially ambiguous or white rather than Filipino. However, things have gotten better as of late on this front. He finally played a Filipino-American in ''American Crime Story'' (with SeparatedAtBirthCasting at play, to boot) and even gave his mother's native Cebu a ShoutOut in some of his award acceptance speeches.

* CampStraight: He grew up in gay-friendly San Francisco and is a huge fan of musical theater. When asked about playing a gay character on ''Glee'', he often mentions that he had to "come out as straight" to his theater friends. Taken UpToEleven with his [[http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljv35omXrB1qegfeco1_500.png attire]] from the Coachella music festival, where he walked around shirtless covered in multicolored body paint and wearing clip-on earrings and rainbow nail polish.

* ''Series/TheFlash2014'' as Music Meister

Criss made his Broadway debut in the revival of ''Theatre/HowToSucceedInBusinessWithoutReallyTrying'' in January 2012. Whether CastingGag or just unintentional, he replaces the original [[Film/HarryPotter Harry Freakin' Potter]], Creator/DanielRadcliffe. He then got the lead as Hedwig in ''Theatre/HedwigAndTheAngryInch'' in 2015.

* OlderThanTheyLook: His appearance can arguably make him pass for a guy in his mid-twenties.

* DeadpanSnarker

* CreatorBacklash: Later regretted playing a gay character on ''Glee'' despite being straight in real life, feeling that doing so deprives actual gay actors of their potential roles.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: His father is white, his mother Visayan Filipino. He actually attracted ire for reportedly saying that he was happy he looked racially ambiguous or white rather than Filipino. However, things have gotten better as of late on this front. He finally played a Filipino-American in ''American Crime Story'' (with SeparatedAtBirthCasting at play, to boot) and even gave his mother's native Cebu a ShoutOut in some of his award acceptance speeches.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: His father is white, his mother Visayan Filipino. He actually attracted ire for reportedly saying that he was happy he looked racially ambiguous or white rather than Filipino. However, things have gotten better as of late on this front. He finally played a Filipino-American in ''American Crime Story'' (with SeparatedAtBirthCasting at play, to boot) and even gave his mother's native Cebu a ShoutOut in some of his award acceptance speeches, which is especially significant given that Visayans are a minority in the Philippines.

In 2018, Criss starred in ''Series/TheAssassinationOfGianniVersace'', as Andrew Cunanan, which earned him universal acclaim and resulted in Criss becoming the first Filipino Emmy winner.