Jonathan Groff Wiki: Top 5 Facts To Know About Holden From 'Mindhunter'

Meet Jonathan Groff, the star of Netflix's newest hit, "Mindhunter". Here you'll learn everything about the young up and coming actor, including his net worth and age!

By SCullen
Jonathan Groff Wiki: Top 5 Facts To Know About Holden From 'Mindhunter'

5 Facts To Know About Jonathan Groff From 'Mindhunter'

From net worth to how he got his start

While he may not be a household name yet, actor Jonathan Groff is certainly working his way towards becoming one. At only 32 years old, Groff has quite the impressive filmography, boasting roles in Broadway's "Hamilton" and "Spring Awakening", the hit series "Glee", "Frozen" and most recently Netflix's "Mindhunter." This Pennsylvania born actor was drawn to the world of acting at a young age, often dressing up in costume and singing show tunes when most boys his age were out playing sports. With the support of his family, dedication to his craft, and just the right amount of drive, Groff made his dream a reality. In this article you'll find the top five facts to know about Netflix's newest star, whose current net worth is $3 million and only continues to grow.

1. Broadway Baby

Look who came to visit me today! Saturday’s with Groff! 👯

A post shared by Lea Michele (@leamichele) on

Before he was winning over theater goers as Melchior Gabor in "Spring Awakening" or charming audiences as Holden Ford on "Mindhunter", Groff was simply a young boy with dreams of the stage. He'd dress up as Mary Poppins and Cinderella, and picture himself performing on Broadway. He's loved the stage for as long as he can remember. While still living in Pennsylvania, Groff became involved in lots of community theater. He played roles in multiple local productions including "The Sound of Music", "My Fair Lady" and "Peter Pan." Then he went on to land starring roles in "Honk!" and "Bat Boy: The Musical". At the ripe age of eighteen, Groff landed the role of Rolf in a touring production of "The Sound of Music" and while an acceptance to Carnegie Mellon University was in front of him, he deferred for a year to tour. Rather than continue on to school at the end of the tour, Groff decided to move to New York City, in hopes of starting his career. A risky move, but one that turned out for the best. He'd end up understudying and making his Broadway debut in 2005, only to land his starring role a year later.

2. Two-time Tony Nominee

Groff has seen incredible success on stage, earning himself two Tony Award nominations over the years. In 2006 Groff originated the role of Melchior Gabor in the coming of age rock musical "Spring Awakening". The musical tells the tale of several teenagers discovering their sexuality in 19th century Germany. Groff played the lead, a charismatic and rebellious teen who takes on the responsibility of educating his peers. Groff's stellar performance earned him a nomination for the "Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical" category at the 2007 Tony Awards. Groff was barely into his twenties at the time of his nomination. Nearly ten years later Groff found himself with another nomination on his hands, this time in the "Best Performance by a Featured Actor" category for his work in "Hamilton". Groff played the role of King George, who believed the American colonists would come crawling back after a failed revolution. While neither of Groff's nominations resulted in a win, they're very competitive categories, and in his second nomination he lost out to one of his own co-stars. Between his voice and his talent, it's only a matter of time before he's announced the winner for this very award.

3. Besties with Lea Michele

My side piece 😛

A post shared by Lea Michele (@leamichele) on

While working on "Spring Awakening" Groff struck up a friendship with his on-stage love interest, played by the one and only Lea Michele. Michele is known for her work on "Glee", a popular musical comedy on which Groff would have a recurring role, playing opposite Michele once again. Groff played the boyfriend of Michele's character, a cocky rival show choir captain, who'd often bust in just in time for a duet. Their chemistry on-screen and on-stage is partially because the two are so close in real life. Since starring together on Broadway, both Groff and Michele think of one another as their rocks and the one thing in their lives they know they can always count on.

4. Coming Out

As a young actor, Groff feared that coming out would harm his future success, so he kept that part of his life a secret. During his time on "Spring Awakening" playing such a sexually honest and open individual actually helped Groff gain the courage to be true to himself in real life. He decided that ultimately, even if his career would be harmed, he'd rather have love in his life and be true to himself than hiding. Much to Groff's surprise, things only got better for him both professionally and personally when he publicly came out at the age of 23. Before his work on "Mindhunter", Groff had the opportunity to play an openly gay character on the critically acclaimed HBO show "Looking". Groff considers his work on the LGBT involved show to be his most personal work yet, a role he's incredibly proud of, and something that helped him get more in touch with himself in a way he didn't expect. To be able to play the role of someone's boyfriend and express himself as a gay man so openly was life altering for Groff. It helped him become more comfortable in his own skin and he absolutely loved living in that world and being able to discuss gay issues and depicting a lifestyle that's criminally under-represented.

5. Frozen was his first voice-over work

Considering the massive success of "Frozen", it's surprising they'd go with a newbie to the voice-over world. Disney took a risk with Groff, who'd never done any sort of voice-over work before being cast as the role of Kristoff in the animated film, and the risk paid off! "Frozen" broke several records and is thought of as Disney's most successful modern hit. Groff turned in a brilliant performance as Kristoff, making the silly ice harvester who was best friends with his reindeer incredibly lovable! Groff also played around in the studio to find a voice for Sven, Kristoff's reindeer who he often spoke on behalf of. Since the success of "Frozen", Groff has voiced his character in the short film sequel "Frozen Fever", the upcoming short film "Olaf's Frozen Adventure" and is set to reprise his role in the full length feature film "Frozen 2".

Conclusion

Jonathan Groff is currently starring as Holden Ford in Netflix's new drama "Mindhunter", but he's no stranger to Hollywood. He's been a Broadway showstopper, a goofy cartoon and a television star. Groff is a versatile talent who's star is on the rise, look out for this actor, you'll be seeing a lot more of him in years to come.

RELATED POSTS