Biography

It took a summer of acting in a children's theater group to convince Matthew Morrison that he wanted to become an actor. He auditioned and attended Orange County High School of the Arts, and followed that with NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, although he didn't enjoy his college foray. Despite a regulation that students couldn't audition in the first two years at NYU, he got himself an agent and dropped out from NYU. His musical debut was in the musical version of Footloose (1984), which was then followed by "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." His big break, however, was in "Hairspray" when he landed the part of "Link Larkin." It was after this role that he made a debut into the television and film world, with small roles in Sex and the City (1998), Le justicier de l'ombre (2002), California Man (1992), and others. His self-proclaimed favorite role he did in television was in Once Upon a Mattress (2005), a musical for TV that starred Carol Burnett. He was nominated for a Tony for his role in "The Light in the Piazza" and eventually left the show in late 2005. He dabbled some more in roles among the television, film, and theater world. After starring in the Lincoln Center production of "South Pacific" as "Lieutenant Cable" in 2008, he took on the role of "Will Schuester" in the upcoming Fox series Glee (2009), which premiers in fall 2009.

- IMDb mini biography by: Brianna E

Matthew Morrison is a versatile actor who is recognized for his work on-stage and on-screen. He has been nominated for Tony, Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. Morrison's most recent Broadway credit is starring as "J.M Barrie" in the musical "Finding Neverland" through January, 2016. Morrison received two Drama Desk nominations for his role, and won the category of Favorite Actor in a Musical in the Broadway Audience Awards. In addition to his Broadway tenure in 2016, Morrison performed as a guest star on the CBS hit show The Good Wife, where he played the role of U.S. Attorney, Conor Fox, through the series finale. Morrison performed as a guest star throughout Season 13 and 14 of ABC's show Grey's Anatomy. In 2015, Morrison wrapped the final season of Fox's musical comedy series "Glee," where he starred as the director of the glee club, "Mr. Schuester." The show was created by Ryan Murphy and received the Golden Globe award "Best Television Series - Comedy or Musical" in 2010 and 2011. In June, 2013, Morrison released his latest studio album, "Where It All Began," which is a Broadway standards record that was produced by the legendary Phil Ramone. Prior to this album, Morrison released his debut, self-titled album through Mercury Records in 2011, which featured an A-list lineup of guest artists including Sting, Gwyneth Paltrow and Sir Elton John. In 2012, Morrison starred in the Lionsgate film, "What to Expect When You're Expecting," which was based on the book of the same name, directed by Kirk Jones. The film also starred Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Dennis Quaid among others. Morrison played a famous dance show star who is faced with the unexpected demands of fatherhood. The film was released on May 18, 2012. In March 2012, Morrison hosted and narrated the PBS special entitled "Oscar Hammerstein II- Out of My Dreams," which focused on the Broadway producer's life and career. Also in March 2012, Morrison was featured in a performance of Dustin Lance Black's play, '8' - a staged reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California's Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage. The performance raised money for the American Foundation for Equal Rights. Morrison studied musical theater, vocal performance and dance at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He made his debut on Broadway in "Footloose" but his big 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-winning revival of "South Pacific" at Lincoln Center Theater in New York. In addition to his film, television, music and theater credits, Morrison launched Sherpapa in 2017, with friend and colleague Zach McDuffie. The lifestyle and retail company provides heirloom quality goods and collections for new dads, that encourage shared experiences and family adventure. You can find the company online at sherpapa.

Morrison currently resides in New York.

- IMDb mini biography by: Paul George