Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. One of the founding members and co-owners of
StarKid Productions, a musical theater company based in
Chicago, Criss first garnered attention playing the lead role of
Harry Potter in StarKid's musical production of
A Very Potter Musical. The theater troupe made
Billboard history when their original album,
Me and My Dick, became the first charting student-produced musical recording, debuting at number eleven on the
Top Cast Albums chart in 2010.