Matthew James Morrison (born October 30, 1978) is an American musical theater and television actor. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions and most notably for his role as Will Schuester on the Fox hit television show Glee.

Biography

After attending theater camp as a child, he decided that he wanted to become an actor. He was educated at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and the Orange County High School of the Arts, while at the Los Alamitos High School campus.

Career

Morrison's career began when he made his musical theater debut on Broadway in the musical version of Footloose, followed by a revival of the Rocky Horror Show. However, his big break came when he landed the role of Link Larkin in the Broadway production of John Waters' Hairspray. After performing in the role for some time, he started working in television, guest starring on shows such as Hack and Sex and the City. He also had small roles in films such as Marci X, Encino Man, Primary Colors, and
Simply Funk. He followed up by performing the role of Sir Harry in the ABC-TV production of Once Upon a Mattress, starring Tracey Ullman and Carol Burnett.

In 2005 Morrison changed gears, playing the role of Fabrizio Nacarelli in Adam Guettel's The Light in the Piazza. He was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance. He left the show September 1, 2005.

Morrison joined the cast of the CBS soap opera As the World Turns as Adam Munson on October 24, 2006,Adam Returning Home After 4 Year Absence but left abruptly soon after due to a "scheduling conflict", last airing on the soap on November 27.

Morrison appeared in a benefit performance celebrating Andrew Lippa, and the 25th Anniversary of the performing troupe 'The Kids Next Door' at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California in December 2006. The performance benefited The California Conservatory of the Arts, a non-profit arts education organization focusing on pre-professional training for young students, grades six through twelve, in Orange County, California.

He earned a Drama Desk Nomination for his role in the Off Broadway show 10 Million Miles which ran at the Atlantic Theater Company in 2007. That same year he appeared in two films: Dan in Real Life, followed by Music and Lyrics as Cora Corman's manager.

He recently finished starring in the Lincoln Center production of South Pacific as Lt. Cable.

Currently, Morrison plays "Will Schuester" in the FOX television series Glee pilot which had its television preview on May 19, 2009. He resumed his role in the show as the series premiered on September 9, 2009. He plays a high school Spanish teacher who takes on the task of restoring the school's glee club to its former glory.