Jonathan Groff

Early life and education

Jonathan Drew Groff was born into a Mennonite family on March 26, 1985, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Julie and Jim Groff, a standardbred horse trainer and driver. He has an older brother, David, who is president and COO of WebstaurantStore.

Groff's roots in theater and acting began at an early age. When he was three years old, Groff fell in love with Julie Andrews' performance as the title character in the film Mary Poppins (1964), and growing up, he and his brother put on childhood home productions, such as a performance of The Wizard of Oz in his father's barn, where he played Dorothy. Groff credits Sutton Foster as one of his greatest influences and idols, and as a young aspiring actor, he would wait at the stage door after her performances to get her autograph. Groff joined his middle school and high school drama departments, and it was there that he became inspired to pursue a career in theater.

In his teens, Groff took part in many community productions in his hometown of Lancaster. At seventeen, he directed and starred in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown at a high school theater festival at the Fulton Opera House, for which he won a community award. He also performed in The Sound of Music, Ragtime, Cyrano, Evita, My Fair Lady, Peter Pan, The Pirates of Penzance, and Rags at the Fulton Opera House, as well as starring as Edgar in Bat Boy: The Musical and Ugly in Honk! at The Ephrata Performing Arts Center.

Groff graduated from Conestoga Valley High School in 2003 and intended to attend Carnegie Mellon University, but he deferred his admission for a year when he was cast as Rolf in a Non-Equity national tour of The Sound of Music. After the tour, Groff decided to move to New York City instead of attending college and begin his career.

Career

2005–09: Early roles and Spring Awakening

Groff started out waiting tables at the Chelsea Grill in New York City before earning his Actors' Equity Association card in 2005, with the musical Fame at the North Shore Music Theatre, where he played Nick Piazza. That same year, he made his Broadway debut as an understudy for the lead role (played by Christopher Hanke), swing, and dance captain for the musical In My Life by Joseph Brooks, opening on October 20 and closing on December 11, 2005, after 61 performances. The musical was panned by critics, with a review from Broadway.com calling the production "undoubtedly the most bizarre, misguided Broadway musical of the millennium".

His breakout performance occurred in 2006, when Groff originated the lead role of Melchior Gabor in the Broadway production of the rock musical Spring Awakening. The musical tells the story of repressed adolescents in late nineteenth century Germany discovering their sexuality, adapted from Frank Wedekind's original 1891 play by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater and directed by Michael Mayer. Groff was first cast in a workshop of Spring Awakening at Baruch College with Lea Michele, John Gallagher Jr., and the rest of the original cast, and the production then moved to the Atlantic Theater Company for its original off-Broadway run from May 19 through August 5, 2006, before transferring to Broadway. During the Broadway production at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Groff played the role from its debut on December 10, 2006, through May 18, 2008, when he departed the production with co-star and best friend Lea Michele. The musical achieved great critical acclaim, garnering eleven nominations and winning eight awards, including Best Musical, at the 61st Tony Awards. The musical was also awarded the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, which the Grammys did not award to vocalists at that time. Charles Isherwood of The New York Times called the show a "brave new musical, haunting and electrifying by turns" and praised Groff's "ardency and thoughtfulness". Variety wrote that the performances of "Michele, Groff and Gallagher dominate the young ensemble". Groff was nominated for a Drama Desk Award, a Drama League Award, and a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical for his performance. He received the Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance.

In 2007, Groff played the recurring role of Henry Mackler for eleven episodes on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live. His character's storyline about a school shooting was cut due to the Virginia Tech shooting in April 2007. In November 2007, Groff was cast in the FX series Pretty/Handsome, directed and written by Ryan Murphy, and filmed a pilot, but the series was not picked up. In 2007, Groff also lent his vocal talents to record the roles of Rolf Gruber & Friedrich von Trapp in the Salzburg Marionette Theatre's production of The Sound of Music, which premiered on November 7 in Dallas, Texas. This recording is still used by the company for their performances in Salzburg, Austria.

2010–16: Glee, Frozen and Hamilton

Starting in 2010, Groff rose to greater prominence as a recurring guest star in the Fox musical comedy-drama Glee as Jesse St. James, lead performer in rival glee club Vocal Adrenaline and love interest to Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele. He appeared in a total of fifteen episodes over the first, second, third, and sixth seasons of the series. Groff was featured in four of Glee's soundtrack albums and made a special appearance in the concert tour Glee Live! In Concert! with Michele at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Los Angeles and at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

From August 21, 2010, to January 15, 2011, Groff made his West End debut in the London revival of Deathtrap, a play written by Ira Levin and directed by Matthew Warchus at the Noël Coward Theatre. Groff played Clifford Anderson, a young brilliant playwright, starring alongside Simon Russell Beale as Sidney Bruhl, his professor. The play received positive critical reception; The Spectator called Groff's performance "magnetic" and "deeply charismatic" but found the "relationship between student and professor [to be] unconvincing".

Groff also starred in the off-Broadway world premiere of the play The Submission by Jeff Talbott with MCC Theater. The production was directed by Walter Bobbie and performed at the Lucille Lortel Theatre from September 8 to October 22, 2011. He portrayed Danny Larsen, a white playwright who submits his play under the pen name of an African-American woman, alongside Rutina Wesley, who played an actress he hires to pose as the writer. The production was met with mostly positive reviews, with The New York Times praising the script for its "self-awareness" but also finding it "too theatrical" and lacking "real emotions". Groff's acting was widely praised, however, with critics calling his performance "exceptional", "deft", and "disarming".

From August to October 2012, Groff appeared as Ian Todd, a ruthless political aide, in the second and final season of the Starz political drama series Boss. The series was not renewed for a third season due to low ratings. Groff then played Ken, an artist's assistant, opposite Alfred Molina in the Center Theatre Group production of John Logan's play Red. The production ran from August 1 through September 9, 2012, and was directed by Matthew Warchus. From March 14 to 17, 2013, Groff and Molina reprised their roles for six more performances of the play, this time through L.A. Theatre Works and directed by Rosalind Ayres. Charles McNulty of the Los Angeles Times praised Groff's performance for its "admirable clarity" and wrote that "he is every bit as effective in revealing the delicate nuances of [his character]."

2017–present: Career expansion

In October 2017, Groff starred in the Netflix crime thriller series Mindhunter, created by Joe Penhall and executive produced by David Fincher and Charlize Theron. In the series, Groff portrays Federal Bureau of Investigation agent Holden Ford, a serial killer profiler in the Behavioral Science Unit interviewing and investigating real-life serial killers and murder cases. His character is loosely based on the real-life John E. Douglas, one of the first criminal profilers in FBI history. Groff and co-stars Holt McCallany and Anna Torv also starred in the second season of the series, which premiered on August 16, 2019. The series and Groff's performance were critically acclaimed. RogerEbert.com called it "Netflix's best drama", and Collider wrote that Groff's performance was "exceptionally affecting as Holden" and that "Groff has always had a talent for making his characters empathetic." For his performance, Groff won a Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. Season three has since been put on hold indefinitely as Fincher, who directed and produced much of the series, elected to focus on other projects, although he may one day revisit the project.

In July 2017, Groff starred as Jase Connolly in the first podcast musical, 36 Questions, written by Chris Littler and Ellen Winter based on The New York Times article "The 36 Questions That Lead to Love" and a 1997 psychological study on interpersonal closeness. The three-act podcast, released by Two-Up Productions, follows the story of an estranged husband (Groff) and wife (played by Jessie Shelton) trying to salvage their marriage with the titular set of 36 questions. On July 23, 2017, Groff performed in a one-night only symphonic concert production of Sondheim on Sondheim at the Hollywood Bowl. From January 20 to 22, 2018, Groff starred as the titular character in the off-Broadway production of The Bobby Darin Story, a three-day concert and biographical retelling of the life of 1950s singing icon Bobby Darin, presented as part of the Lyrics & Lyricists series at 92nd Street Y and directed by Alex Timbers. The production was met with great critical reception, with Michael Ridel writing in the New York Post that Groff "moves with the ease and slyness of Darin".

From September 17, 2019, to January 19, 2020, Groff starred in the off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre as Seymour Krelborn, a florist who raises a plant with a thirst for human flesh, alongside Christian Borle and Tammy Blanchard. The revival, directed by Michael Mayer, received rave reviews; The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Groff was "never-better ... hilarious, endearing and in tremendous voice" and that he "disappears into a role he was born to play". Groff was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album as part of the cast recording of Little Shop of Horrors. Groff also won an Outer Critics Circle Award, and he received a Lucille Lortel Award nomination and Drama League Award nomination for his performance.

Personal life

In 2019, Groff purchased a home next to his father's horse farm in Christiana, Pennsylvania. He splits his time between Pennsylvania and New York City.

Health

Groff was diagnosed with melanoma in his early 20s and underwent surgery for removal. He abstains from using social media and is a practitioner of Transcendental Meditation.

Coming out and LGBTQ+ activism

Groff publicly came out as gay when asked by a Broadway.com reporter during the National Equality March in October 2009. He later shared his experience with coming out, discussing the pain of being closeted and the knowledge that disclosing his sexuality could have negative ramifications on his career. He has also expressed how much he values being a role model for young people as an out actor, and has advocated the importance of sharing coming-out stories.

Groff was initially hesitant to accept the lead role in the gay television series Looking, citing insecurities around being typecast in gay roles, but he ultimately found the experience rewarding: "Living in that world and talking about gay issues was truly life-altering for me and made me so much more comfortable in my own skin". On June 29, 2014, Groff was a grand marshal at the New York City Gay Pride Parade.

In April 2015, Groff was honored by the Point Foundation with the Point Horizon Award honoring a "trailblazer who has taken a leadership role as an advocate" of LGBTQIA communities. In December 2015, he was honored by Equality Pennsylvania with the Bayard Rustin Award, which "recognizes a Pennsylvanian who is continuing the work to ensure that the LGBT community will be visible, accepted, and celebrated in our society". In 2017, Groff was named Out100's Entertainer of the Year, celebrating impactful LGBTQ+ public figures.

Relationships

In 2009, Groff dated actor Gavin Creel. From 2010 to 2013, Groff was in a relationship with actor Zachary Quinto. Groff dated New Zealand choreographer Corey Baker from 2018 to 2020. As of 2026, Groff is in a relationship with someone who is outside the acting industry.

Charity and community work

While Groff was beginning his professional career in theater, he volunteered for the nonprofit Broadway Cares, and he has continued to perform in and support fundraisers for the organization throughout his career. Groff is a longtime supporter of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, serving as an Event Chair for the charity's 14th Annual New York Benefit Gala in 2015. Other charities he has supported include the Point Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Actors Fund of America, Theatre Development Fund, Hispanic Federation Emergency Assistance Fund, and Color of Change, through which he participates in benefit performances and fundraisers, often recording personal voicemails as his Frozen characters Kristoff and Sven for auction winners. In August 2020, Groff joined the Hamilton cast in organizing the virtual fundraiser event Ham4Change for organizations working to end systemic racism, raising over $1 million for the Equal Justice Initiative, African American Policy Forum, Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective, Black AIDS Institute, Color of Change, Dance4Hope, Know Your Rights Camp, Law Enforcement Accountability Project, Until Freedom, and When We All Vote.

Groff has performed in numerous charity benefits for theater institutions, including the 52nd Street Project, Tectonic Theater Project, Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, Playwrights Horizons, and more. He has expressed a passion in encouraging youth theater; Groff has taught master classes in acting and musical theatre for young actors with the New York Film Academy, Broadway Workshop, Temple University, Young Actors' Theatre Camp, and the National YoungArts Foundation, among others.

On October 3, 2020, Groff participated in a virtual event for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. On October 16, 2020, Groff, along with the rest of the original Hamilton cast, participated in a virtual fundraiser event for the Biden Victory Fund, in support of Democratic candidate Joe Biden for the 2020 presidential election. On December 13, 2020, Groff and fellow Hamilton cast-member Sasha Hutchings hosted a virtual holiday concert fundraiser to support the campaigns of Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in the Georgia Senate runoff elections. In October 2024, it was announced that Groff had joined the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees.

Acting credits

Discography

Cast recordings

2006: Spring Awakening (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

2010: Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna

2010: Glee: The Music, Volume 3 Showstoppers

2010: Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals

2011: Glee: The Music, Volume 6

2013: Frozen (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

2015: Hamilton (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

2016: A New Brain (2015 New York Cast Recording)

2017: 36 Questions: Songs from Act 1 – EP

2017: 36 Questions: Songs from Act 2 – EP

2017: 36 Questions: Songs from Act 3 – EP

2017: Olaf's Frozen Adventure

2019: Frozen 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

2019: Little Shop of Horrors (The New Off-Broadway Cast Album)

2023: Merrily We Roll Along (New Broadway Cast Recording)

2025: Just in Time (Original Broadway Cast Recording)

Other recordings

2007: "Now" from Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan

2015: "Prayer" from A View of the River: 7 Songs by Will Van Dyke & Jeff Talbott

2015: "Making Today a Perfect Day" from Frozen Fever

2019: "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Lea Michele

2021: "Love Me for an Hour" from Some Lovers (World Premiere Recording)

Audiobooks

2008: Broadway Nights by Seth Rudetsky

2013: Red by John Logan

2015: Frozen Fever by VA

2019: The Killer Across the Table by John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker

2022: Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical Follies by Ted Chapin

Featured singles

Footnotes