Jonathan Groff gained popularity after playing Patrick in the comedy series Looking; with gentle humor, the series tells about three young gay friends living in San Francisco and searching for love. In 2017 Groff starred as a young FBI agent in a series which was named among the best TV shows of the year.
American actor Jonathan Groff
Childhood
Jonathan is the youngest of Jim and Julie Groff’s two sons. He was born on March 26, 1986, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Jonathan and his elder brother were raised in the town Ronks; his mother worked at school and his father was a harness horse trainer.
Jonathan Groff as a child
The Groffs belonged to the Methodist church and were a religious family. Jonathan later admitted that he was grateful to his parents for teaching him humility and how to respect all people as God’s children.
Jonathan Groff with his parents
Both Jim Groff and his wife Julie were keen on sports, they had been star basketball players at university. Since Jonathan was a little boy, he wanted to be an actor; his parents encouraged his passion for drama, attended all his school performances, and took great pride in him. In high school, he performed at the Fulton Opera House in the lead roles in The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Peter Pan, and other productions.
Career. The Beginning
In 2005 Jonathan joined one of the Broadway theatres and worked there for a while as an understudy. In 2006 Groff became the act of the season in the rock musical production Spring Awakening; he received the Tony Award in the category Best Actor in a Musical.
Jonathan Groff in the Spring Awakening production
In 2007 the actor made his big-screen debut in the TV series One Life to Live. The following year, he played a few episodic roles: in the drama Pretty/Handsome starring Joseph Fiennes, and the comedy Taking Woodstock alongside Henry Goodman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Liev Schreiber, and Paul Dano.
Jonathan Groff in the Glee series
Groff starred in a few TV series between 2008 and 2013. He played Jesse St. James in 4 seasons of the Fox musical series Glee and left the show after his character married Rachel (Lea Michele). He played the lead roles in the series The Good Wife and Boss, which made him a recognized and popular actor.
Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele
Best Roles
In 2014 the actor managed to rise above the cohort of promising young actors when he played in the comedy series Looking telling about the life of two gay friends. Due to its nice humor, the absence of vulgarity, and the charming and skillful actors, this story of three friends was well received around the world, despite the controversial topic chosen by the producers.
Jonathan Groff in the movie Looking
In 2014 Jonathan played in Ryan Murphy’s movie The Normal Heart addressing the spread of AIDS. The plot of the movie is based on a true story that happened in the ‘90s in New York and was later described by Larry Kramer in his play of the same name. In this heavy drama, Ryan Murphy’s message to the audience is that when death strikes, we are all the same, and indifference is the only sin that cannot be forgiven. In The Normal, Heart Jonathan plays a small but moving and tragic role of Craig Donner, one of the gays.
Jonathan Groff in The Normal Heart
The leading cast of The Normal Heart includes Mark Ruffalo, Jim Parsons and Matt Bomer; Julia Roberts also stars in the movie. Both the movie and the actors were nominated for Emmy and Golden Globe awards.
The Normal Heart - Trailer
In 2015 Groff voiced Kristoff in the first part of the Disney animation Frozen.
The Looking movie came out in 2017, bringing a conclusion to the story told in the eponymous series. Groff’s fans started associating the actor with his character Patrick, the embodiment of goodness and humanity.
In David Fincher’s 2017 psychological thriller series Mindhunter, comparable to the movies Seven and Zodiac by the same director, Groff plays one of the two FBI agents exploring factors that turn an ordinary person into a violent criminal. The other agent is played by Holt McCallany.
Jonathan Groff in the Mindhunter series
The series’ popularity was the result of the plot and excellent camera work, which recreated the atmosphere of the ‘80s, as well as the contrast between the tough and uncouth agent Tench (Holt McCallany) and the refined and cultured agent Ford (Jonathan Groff).
Jonathan Groff’s Personal Life
In 2006 Jonathan was diagnosed with melanoma cancer; however, early-stage surgery and his family’s support helped Jonathan to heal.
In 2009 Groff publicly came out as gay and stopped hiding his relationship with actor Gavin Creel whom he dated for over a year.
Jonathan Groff and his ex-boyfriend Gavin Creel
Groff’s next partner was Zachary Quinto, their relationship lasted three years. The couple split up in 2013.
Jonathan Groff and Zachary Quinto
Since 2018, Jonathan Groff has been dating choreographer Corey Baker.
Jonathan Groff and Corey Baker
Jonathan is famous for his active support in campaigning for LGBT rights. In 2015 he was honored by Equality Pennsylvania Award.
Jonathan Groff Now
In 2019, Jonathan voiced Christophe in the second part of the cartoon "Frozen". At the same time, it became known that Groff will take part in the filming of Matrix 4. In 2020, the premiere of the musical "Hamilton" with the participation of the actor will take place.
Hamilton: Official trailer
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Shirley Holt
Well done, Jonathan, played in the theater since childhood. Yes, and respect to his parents, which encouraged his craving for art.
