Corbin Bleu

Early life and education

Bleu was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Martha (née Callari) and David Reivers (born 1958), an actor. His mother is Italian American and his father is Jamaican American. He has three sisters: Jag, Phoenix, and Hunter. As a child, Bleu studied dance for several years, focusing on ballet and jazz.

Bleu appeared in television commercials starting at the age of two, for products such as Life cereal, Bounty, Hasbro, and Nabisco. He began taking jazz and ballet classes, usually being the only boy in the class. By the age of four he was a model with the Ford Modeling Agency in New York. He appeared in print ads for stores such as Macy's, Gap, Target, and Toys R Us, and appeared in fashion spreads in Child, Parents, and American Baby magazines, as well as having his image on toys and game packaging. At age six Corbin appeared in his first professional theater production off Broadway, at The Town Hall. This three-concert series, created, written, and hosted by Scott Siegel, took place over one weekend and included a tribute to David Merrick. Corbin Bleu played an abandoned homeless mute in the play Tiny Tim is Dead.

Bleu graduated from Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. He trained in dancing at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. He attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York as a theater major, following in his mother's footsteps. Bleu presents an appealing combination of star quality and adolescent normality. He graduated from high school in 2007 and was admitted to Stanford University, but declined to matriculate because of scheduling commitments. As of 2007 he continued to live at home with his parents and three younger sisters.

1996–2005: Early career

Bleu moved with his family from New York to Los Angeles in 1996. He worked steadily in episodic television and feature film roles, including a recurring role on the short-lived ABC police drama High Incident and a guest star appearance on ER. He also appeared in some films Beach Movie (1998), the sci-fi thriller Soldier (1998). His feature films from this period include the Tim Allen comedy Galaxy Quest (1999), and the comedy Mystery Men (1999), which starred Ben Stiller, and the drama Family Tree (1999). Bleu also had roles in Malcolm & Eddie, as Matthew, and Cover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (2000), as Nick Elderby. He also had small role in television series like The Amanda Show. Additionally, Bleu was developing his dance skills and in 2001 began intensive training at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy in the Los Angeles area. There he undertook a full gamut of dance instruction, including ballet, jazz, tap, modern, hip-hop, African, break dance, salsa, flamenco, and ballroom. Allen, the famous choreographer who starred in the TV series Fame, told Dance Spirit magazine, "I think [Bleu] really has a career. Success is one thing, but a career is a much longer, broader journey."

Bleu attended the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, a magnet school like the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, which was portrayed in the movie and television series Fame, and which Bleu's mother had attended. During his freshman year, he won his first sizable film role in the teen action caper Catch That Kid (2004), alongside Kristen Stewart and Max Thieriot. A remake of a Danish movie in 2002, it revolved around a girl and her friends who decide to rob a bank after learning that money is needed to aid her dying father. While Kristen Stewart played the role of female protagonist Maddy Phillips, Bleu played the part of her friend Austin while Max Thieriot played the part of her other friend, Gus. Released in theatres on February 6, 2004, Catch That Kid was met with less-than-ideal reviews, many having criticized it for its lack of originality. Although it was a box office flop, having only grossed $10 million, it served as an important step for Bleu, who was still building his acting career at the time. During high school, he performed in such student productions as Footloose and Grease, winning the honor of Theatre Student of the Year.

In the summer of 2004 Bleu landed a starring role in the television series Flight 29 Down, alongside Allen Alvarado, Hallee Hirsh, Lauren Storm, Jeremy James Kissner, Johnny Pacar and Kristy Wu, which aired for three seasons on the Discovery Kids network. The program, a juvenile version of the ABC series Lost, concerned a group of teenagers stranded on a tropical island after their plane crashes. Bleu played as Nathan McHugh, a Boy Scout whose leadership skills do not quite measure up to his self-confidence.

2006–2008: High School Musical and breakthrough

Although popular with its young audience, the success of Flight 29 Down pales in comparison to Bleu's next television project the Disney Channel original films High School Musical (2006). The youngest of the six lead actors who were catapulted to fame by the film, Bleu portrayed the basketball player Chad Danforth, who tries to persuade his teammate Troy Bolton (Zac Efron) to give up his interest in theater and focus on winning the basketball championship. High School Musical premiered on January 20, 2006; with an audience of 7.7 million television viewers, it was the Disney Channel's most successful TV movie up to that point. The film, which also starred Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel, Vanessa Hudgens, and Monique Coleman in pivotal roles, became a major success and helped Bleu gain recognition among teenage audiences. The film’s soundtrack was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). He joined co-stars Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel and Monique Coleman on the 51-date High School Musical: The Concert. In 2007, work on the second film in the High School Musical series began, and Bleu was confirmed to be returning for the sequel. High School Musical 2 (2007) was released on August 17, 2007. The premiere was seen by a total of over 17.2 million viewers in the U.S., which is almost 10 million more than its predecessor, making it the highest-rated Disney Channel Movie of all time. Disney Channel aired a weekly program called Road to High School Musical 2, beginning on June 8, 2007, and leading up to the premiere of High School Musical 2 in August. The show offered viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the production of the movie. The world premiere of the opening number "What Time Is It" was on Radio Disney May 25, 2007, and similarly The song "I Don't Dance" premiered on August 14, 2007. The film was generally well received by critics, gaining a score of 77/100 at Metacritic, while it received a generally mixed response of 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film broke opening weekend records and grossed over $250 million worldwide. The soundtrack for the film, featuring numerous contributions from Bleu, went on to sell over three million copies in the United States alone. The song "I Don't Dance" (2007), a duet with Lucas Grabeel, became him first top forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). During this time, Bleu began song on soundtracks for the Disney Channel, and released a cover of "Two Worlds" (2007) to promote Tarzan.

In 2007, Bleu starred in his next film, another Disney Channel original entitled Jump In! (2007), which aired on January 12, 2007. Directed by Paul Hoen, the television movie revolved around a young boy named Izzy Daniels who trains regularly in order to try to follow in his fathers footsteps and win the Golden Glove, an amateur boxing tournament. While Bleu played the lead role of Daniels, Keke Palmer portrayed the role of Mary, his friend who has a crush on Daniels. Again, Disney scored a crossover hit with the bouncy Jump In! soundtrack album, on which Bleu sings the track, Push It to the Limit. Reaching the screens on the Disney Channel that January, Jump In! was a major hit amongst young viewers and quickly became the highest rated premiere the network has ever since, breaking the previous record set by The Cheetah Girls 2 in 2006. Similar to High School Musical, its soundtrack was also a commercial hit, having achieved gold status from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) three months after its release. He guest starred as Johnny Collins in the premiere two episode of Disney's Hannah Montana. He also had a small role as Spencer on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, appearing in the episodes entitled Guide to: The School Play and Guide to: Revenge & School Records. and Mother Goose Parade as Grand Marshal in 2006 and 2007. While with Disney Channel, Bleu also participated in the first ever Disney Channel Games and co-captained the blue team along with Jake T. Austin, Maiara Walsh, Cole Sprouse and Kiely Williams. A year before, he returned to repeat his captaincy of the blue team with Brenda Song, Vanessa Hudgens, Monique Coleman and Jason Earles. In August 2007, Bleu starred in Flight 29 Down: The Hotel Tango, an teen drama film version of the television series of the same name. Also in 2007, he is Voice in The Secret of the Magic Gourd (2007), He appeared on The Tyra Banks Show in 2008.

Bleu went on to reprise his role of Chad Danforth in High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008), the first film in the High School Musical franchise to receive a theatrical release. It opened at number one at the North American box office in October 2008, earning $42 million in its first weekend, which broke the record previously held by Mamma Mia! for the biggest opening by a musical. The film finished with $252 million worldwide, which exceeded Disney's expectations. The song "The Boys Are Back" (2008), a duet with Zac Efron, became him second top forty hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The phenomenon of High School Musical has changed Bleu's life, delivering him to the heights of media celebrity while still in his teens. He told TV Guide, "Well, I used to be able to go to a mall, and now I can't!" On the other hand, he has prepared well for this success "I know for me, as a person, I've pretty much stayed the same. I still have a great background. My dad comes with me everywhere I go and I wouldn't be able to do it without him, and [I'm] just glad to have him there to keep me grounded". For his role as Chad Danforth, the team captain of the school’s basketball team, he was nominated for an NAACP Image Award and a Young Artist Award and Teen Choice Awards in 2007 and 2009 respectively. Bleu's 2008 commercial for Activision's Guitar Hero on Tour: Decades was deemed too sexy to dance.

2009–2014: Free Style and One Life to Live

The following year, Bleu played the lead role in yet another film called Free Style (2009). Opened in theatres in October 2009, the coming of age movie revolved around Cale Bryant, an eighteen-year-old man who tries to find himself by winning the Amateur National Motocross Championships. Other members of the cast list include Sandra Echeverría, Jesse Moss, Penelope Ann Miller and Madison Pettis. Disappointingly however, Free Style did not perform ideally in the box office, having only grossed $720,000 from a $10 million budget. Over the next few years, Bleu continued to appear regularly on television, although he seemed to have taken a break from film. Some of his stand out roles during this period include the drama series The CW Television Network's new show The Beautiful Life: TBL. He joined co-stars Sara Paxton, Mischa Barton, Ben Hollingsworth, Ashley Madekwe, Nico Tortorella and Elle Macpherson. The series was subsequently cancelled on 25 September 2009 after televising 2 episodes. In December 2009, the technology company HP became the show's sponsor and began airing the show's five episodes on YouTube. Also in 2009, he is Voice in Beyond All Boundaries, and appeared on Entertainment Tonight and The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet.

Corbin Bleu made his Broadway stage debut in 2010 as the lead character, bodega-owner Usnavi, in the critically acclaimed musical In the Heights. and guest starred in one episode of The Good Wife as DJ Javier Berlin in October 2010. in 2010, Corbin starred in the short comedy film I Owe My Life to Corbin Bleu, alongside Andrew Caldwell, Drake Bell, Sarah Hyland, Ryan Pinkston, Sterling Knight, Matt Prokop, Matt Shively and Josh Sussman. In 2011, he performed the voice Lou in The Little Engine That Could (2011), From August 5–7, Bleu performed in the musical Hairspray as Seaweed at the Hollywood Bowl, alongside Nick Jonas, Harvey Fierstein, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Drew Carey and Darlene Love. and he performed the voice Flip in Tonka Chuck and Friends: Big Air Dare. In 2012, Bleu also has a role in the indie horror anthology Scary or Die (2012), a collection of five short horror films sure to please genre junkies. The actor, who also co-produced the project, appears in the short called "Clowned" which finds him transforming into a flesh-hungry circus-dweller after being bitten by a face-painted vagrant. In 2012, he join the cast of Godspell as Jesus beginning April 17 at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Bleu takes over the role from original star Hunter Parrish, who will play his final performance on April 15. and guest starred in one episode of Blue Bloods as Officer Blake in 2012. In 2012, he performed the voice Drew in Twinkle Toes, Bleu starred in the drama film To Write Love on Her Arms (originally titled Renee) in 2012, with Kat Dennings, Chad Michael Murray and Rupert Friend. The film began production in Orlando, Florida, in February 2011.

In March 2013, Bleu also has a role in the horror film The Monkey's Paw (2013). Adapted by Macon Blair from W. W. Jacobs’s story, The Monkey’s Paw will air on Chiller, the cable network dedicated to horror programming, in 2013. Directed by Brett Simmons, the movie will co-star C. J. Thomason and Stephen Lang. and guest starred in one episode of Franklin & Bash as Jordan Allen French in 2013. In April 2013, Bleu was cast in the role of Jeffrey King on the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live, alongside Erika Slezak and Laura Harrier. In 2013, Bleu starred in the film Sugar (2013), alongside Shenae Grimes, Marshall Allman, Austin Williams, Will Peltz and Nastassja Kinski. about a runaway girl living on the streets of Venice, Los Angeles. Also in 2013, Bleu appeared in the horror films Nurse 3D (2013), alongside Paz de la Huerta and Katrina Bowden. In 2014 he also appeared as a guest star in Psych, the USA Network television series in Season 8. and guest starred in one episode of Drop Dead Diva as Michael in 2014.

2015–present: Further success

Bleu’s only release in 2015 was the moderately successful Megachurch Murder (2015), in which he played a Marcus King, with Tamala Jones, Shanica Knowles and Romeo Miller. In addition, Bleu appeared in Family Shots with The Human Race Theatre Company. Although he hasn’t starred in any new major roles on television lately, Bleu did make a guest appearance in an episode of the family drama, The Fosters in 2016, alongside David Lambert, Maia Mitchell, Cierra Ramirez and Denyse Tontz. Bleu made his appearance in episode nineteen of the third season, playing the role of Mercutio, a character who appears in Brandon’s (the oldest child of the Fosters family) school musical production of Romeo and Juliet, Bleu and fellow guest-star Ashley Argota recently also co-starred in a production of Romeo and Juliet: Love Is a Battlefield at Rockwell Table and Stage, Produced by The Fosters co-creator Bradley Bredeweg. He also had a small role as Spencer on Castle in 2016.

In January 2016, he join the cast of The Dodgers as Simon, the rational voice amid the habitually stoned chatter, and beginning January 21 at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre. In October 2016, Broadway is also where Bleu currently hangs his hat. The actor originated the leading role in Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical (originally titled Holiday Inn), a musical based on the 1942 Academy Award-winning film of the same name. The production includes an incredibly complicated tap number with fireworks built into the stage. Returning to his tap dancing roots was "like riding a bike". Bleu told The New York Times in 2016, "It just felt so good to have everything released through my feet again." His former Disney co-stars appear to be big fans of Bleu's new endeavor Lucas Grabeel and Zac Efron sent '90s kids' hearts aflutter when they stopped by a performance in October 2016. The Broadway alum and High School Musical favorite is grabbing a camera as Broadway websites’s newest vlogger. Get ready for Bleu Skies: Backstage at Holiday Inn with Corbin Bleu. Bleu, who plays Ted in the new Irving Berlin musical, will give us a glimpse of backstage life at Studio 54, where he and his co-stars (including former vlogger Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer, Megan Lawrence and Megan Sikora) celebrate an entire year’s worth of special occasions eight times a week. Bleu Skies will launch off on August 23 and run every Tuesday for eight weeks. and he was nominated for an Chita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography in 2017, for his outstanding dancer in a broadway show. While with ABC, Bleu also participated in the first ever Battle of the Network Stars, and he joined the red team along with Joey Lawrence, Nolan Gould, Lisa Whelchel and Kim Fields, the series premiered on June 29, 2017. From July 28–30, Bleu performed in the musical Mamma Mia! as Sky at the Hollywood Bowl, alongside Dove Cameron, Lea DeLaria and Jennifer Nettles, the theatre premiered on July 28, 2017.

Upcoming projects

Corbin Bleu has gotten himself involved with latelyーthe actor has also been working on an upcoming independent movie entitled, Ovid and the Art of Love. Filmed partially at the old St. Agnus Church in Michigan, the project also stars John Savage, Tamara Feldman and Tara Summers. According to online sources, filming for Ovid and the Art of Love has just recently endedーputting it in the post production stage. Although no official release date for the movie has been announced as of yet, it’s speculated that the movie will be making its way to the theatres sometime by the end of 2016. Bleu also working on an upcoming passion project, The Day I Died. The movie is going to be a very real and raw depiction of a story we see in the news way too many times. The movie want to show the consequences of bullying and both sides of the crossroads taken by the bullied, and really want it to be an inspiration to stand strong, because their lives are way more important than what their bully may make it seem.

Dancing with the Stars

In September 2013, Bleu runners-up the seventeenth-season of ABC's dancing competition Dancing with the Stars. He partnered with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff. Bleu and Smirnoff are one of six couples still in the running to be crowned Dancing with the Stars, seventeenth-season champions. Bleu wrote in his People blog. "It's nice to be able to see the finish line, but it's also very motivating. We don't want to lose any moment. We really want to make sure we end strong."

Bleu dancing a Viennese waltz to the Game of Thrones theme music — while dressed as the Dothraki, Khal Drogo. Bleu revealed during rehearsals that Game of Thrones is his very favorite show, and his passion came through in his performance. However, while the judges liked the intense, epic feeling of the dance, Len felt there was not enough technical substance in the routine 23 Score. Bleu noted the jazz dance should be "pretty sick" and has hints of Michael Jackson in it. Bleu also revealed it will feature a little "tap section" at the end, and because Smirnoff had never tapped before, he was thrilled to be able to teach her something for once. On October 18, 2013, appeared with his professional dancer Karina Smirnoff on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, to give a fiery performance-and take a turn in the splash tank, will then perform a Cha-cha-cha, Foxtrot or Contemporary routine, vying for America's vote for the first time. The partners scored high with the judges, earning a 27/30, making them the first safe couple of the night. Keyshawn Johnson and Sharna Burgess, however, were the first to be eliminated this week, leaving 11 couples in the ballroom. Bleu and Smirnoff also won the week's "Dance-Off Challenge" and therefore received three bonus points. Corbin and his partner made it to the finals, but became the runners-up behind Amber Riley.

2006–2007: Another Side

Bleu's first professionally recorded song was titled "Circles" or "Circles in My Mind" for his then TV show, Flight 29 Down. Bleu signed a contract with Hollywood Records, a Disney-owned label. His debut album Another Side, was released in May 2007. The album debuted at No. 36 on the Billboard 200 album charts, selling 18,000 in its first week. The album fuses rhythm and blues with hip-hop and other pop genres in an upbeat, wholesome commercial blend. Bleu, who admires Prince, Michael Jackson, and Justin Timberlake, cowrote five songs on the album. In 2007 he toured in support of Another Side with the teen sister duo Aly & AJ.

Blue worked with Ne-Yo on "I Get Lonely," and with other performers such as Matthew Gerrard and Eric Hudson. A music video for his first single, "Push It to the Limit", premiered on the Disney Channel, and was used to promote the movie Jump In! "Push It to the Limit" reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, and his second single, "Deal With It", was originally written and sung by Jay Sean. He later gave it to Corbin Bleu, whose version of the song features background vocals by Jay Sean. The song earned Jay Sean a BMI Songwriter Award. peaking at No. 15. He sings the duet "Still There For Me" with Vanessa Hudgens for him debut album. Bleu toured with fellow High School Musical cast members from late November 2006 to late January 2007 in High School Musical: The Concert, and with Drake Bell and Ally & AJ performing in about 40 different cities. To promote his debut album, Bleu performed at the Nextfest tour with the teen sister duo Aly & AJ and Drake Bell with Special Guest Bianca Ryan.

On Another Side, he wrote or co-wrote five of the album's twelve songs. He wrote two songs that appear as bonus tracks on the European version. One of those tracks was titled "Shake It Off", an ode to the musician Prince.

2008–present: Speed of Light and Holiday Inn

And his second album Speed of Light was released on March 10, 2009, via Hollywood Records. In an interview with Billboard, Bleu stated:

"that he had begun working on his follow-up album. "There will be a lot of differences with the second album. First of all, it's just more personal. I'm involved in every aspect of the writing. As far as the direction of the music, it's very different. I wanted this album to have something that was a little bit of rock, a little bit of R&B and a little bit of pop."

The album's first single, "Moments That Matter", was performed by Bleu at Kids' Inaugural: "We Are the Future". It was released a teaser from the music video. The song has been featured in Bleu's movie Free Style. and which was released with a music video.

The album failed to debut on Billboard Top 200 album charts. Producer Eric Hudson was attached to the project, along with songwriter/lyricist Claude Kelly. Bleu performed the planned tracks "Close", "Whatever It Takes", and "Champion" on a summer concert tour with singer/actor Justin Stein. According to sources, the album sold less than 4,000 in its first week, despite promotion from Myspace. The album spawned the singles "Celebrate You", was released in January 2009. Bleu performed that song at Disneyland as part of the 25th anniversary of the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. The song is the official song of the "Year of Celebration" at the Disneyland Resort and the "What Will You Celebrate?" campaign at the Walt Disney World. In 2009, he sings the duet "If We Were a Movie" with Miley Cyrus for the Hannah Montana 3 soundtrack album.

In 2017, Bleu signed a one-album recording contract with The Ghostlight Records to distribute his Holiday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical soundtrack music, will be released digitally in June 2, 2017. The album will feature a twenty-one song, the album is produced by Kurt Deutsch with Todd Whitelock serving as coproducer and Universal Stage Productions as executive producer.

Voice and musical ability

According to his interview with Paul Wontorek, Bleu discusses that he is naturally a Lyric Baritone. His trained voice has been described as being "decent and pleasant which fits well into both pop and R&B". As a musical theatre performer, Bleu has claimed that he is a huge fan of Brian d'Arcy James and says that he gets vocal influences from him. Due to his dancing, songwriting, and dance-influenced sound, Corbin Bleu has earned comparisons to Justin Timberlake.

Personal life

In December 2005, Bleu served Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas Eve lunch at a Los Angeles homeless shelter with Jennifer Love Hewitt. In 2008, Bleu's net worth was $5 million. In January 2009, Bleu had Wavefront Lasik Surgery with celebrity Lasik surgeon Dr. Rajesh Khanna. In 2013, his personal wealth equaled about $10 million. In 2016, Bleu's net worth was $4 million.

In 2011, Bleu was a frequent volunteer worker, working for charities such as Starlight Children's Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, and served Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas Eve lunch at a Los Angeles homeless shelter with Debby Ryan in 2008. Bleu has been a supporter of Do Something, hosting the sixth annual Do Something Awards in 2009. In May 2011, Bleu also attended the Do Something Awards kick-off event. He teamed up with Aimee Teegarden, Kevin Jonas and JoJo during the event to honor the thirteen nominees for the Do Something Award and to award $100,000 in recognition of their outstanding activism.

In 2011, Bleu began dating actress Sasha Clements, who he first met in a Toronto grocery store. On October 15, 2014, Bleu proposed to Clements in front of Cinderella's Castle at Orlando's Disney World with an engagement ring placed inside a glass slipper. They later appeared on TLC reality series Say Yes to the Dress, which documented the bride-to-be's search for the perfect wedding gown. They married in front of 160 guests at Hummingbird Nest in Santa Susana, California on July 23, 2016.

Discography

Concert tours