Jonathan Groff

Jonathan Drew Groff is an American actor and singer known for his performances on stage, television, and film. He has earned several major accolades throughout his career, including a Tony Award and a Grammy Award, alongside a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. In 2026, he was named to Time magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Groff was born on March 26, 1985, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Julie and Jim Groff, a standardbred horse trainer and driver. Raised in a Mennonite family alongside his older brother David, he developed an early interest in theater. He participated in drama programs and community theater productions during his youth, graduating from Conestoga Valley High School in 2003. After touring as Rolf in a national production of The Sound of Music, he chose to move to New York City to begin his professional acting career.

After making his Broadway debut in 2005 as an understudy in the musical In My Life, Groff achieved his breakout role in 2006 originating the lead character Melchior Gabor in the Broadway production of Spring Awakening. His performance brought him nominations for a Tony Award, a Drama Desk Award, and a Drama League Award, as well as a Theatre World Award. During this period, he also performed in off-Broadway productions of Hair, Prayer for My Enemy, and The Singing Forest, winning an Obie Award for his work in the latter two plays. He made his feature film debut in 2009 in Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock.

From 2009 to 2015, Groff reached wider television audiences in a recurring guest role as Jesse St. James on the musical comedy series Glee. During the early 2010s, he made his London West End debut in a revival of Deathtrap and starred in off-Broadway and regional stage productions including The Submission and Red. On screen, he appeared in the political drama series Boss and starred in the 2013 comedy-drama film C.O.G.

Groff voiced the characters Kristoff and Sven in the 2013 Disney animated film Frozen, later returning for Frozen II in 2019. From 2014 to 2015, he played Patrick Murray in the HBO series Looking, subsequently starring in Looking: The Movie in 2016. In 2015, he originated the role of King George III in the Broadway musical Hamilton, earning a Tony Award nomination as well as a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for its 2020 live stage recording.

From 2017 to 2019, Groff starred as FBI Special Agent Holden Ford in the Netflix crime drama Mindhunter. In 2019, he portrayed Seymour Krelborn in an off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors. His film work continued with roles in The Matrix Resurrections in 2021 and Knock at the Cabin in 2023, and he executive produced the 2022 documentary film Spring Awakening: Those You've Known.

Groff achieved further acclaim on Broadway in the 2020s. In 2024, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for playing Franklin Shepard in a revival of Merrily We Roll Along. He subsequently received a Tony Award nomination for portraying Bobby Darin in the 2025 jukebox musical Just in Time.