In 2010, Bleu played Usnavi in the Broadway company ofIn the Heights.[5] In 2012, he returned to Broadway in the revival ofGodspell.[6] In 2013, he was cast asJeffrey King in the short-lived online revival of thedaytime soapOne Life to Live. In 2016, Bleu played Ted Hanover in the Broadway company ofHoliday Inn, the New Irving Berlin Musical.[7][8] He subsequently signed a recording contract withGhostlight Records,[A] to distribute hisHoliday Inn soundtrack music, released in 2017.[9] In 2019, he returned to play Bill Calhoun/Lucentio in the Broadway company ofKiss Me, Kate.[10] He subsequently signed a recording contract withGhostlight Records, to distribute hisKiss Me, Kate soundtrack music, released on June 7, 2019.[11]
Corbin Bleu was born inNew York City, in the borough ofBrooklyn, the son of Martha (née Callari) andDavid Reivers (born 1958), an actor.[12] His mother isItalian-American and his father isJamaican-American. He has three younger sisters. As a child, Bleu studied dance for several years, focusing onballet andjazz. His great-uncle is actor Joseph Callari.[13]
Bleu appeared in television commercials starting at age two, for products such asLife cereal,Bounty,Hasbro andNabisco.[14] He began taking jazz and ballet classes, usually as the only boy in the class. By age four he was a model with theFord Modeling Agency in New York. He appeared in print ads for stores such asMacy's,Gap,Target andToys R Us and in fashion spreads inChild,Parents, andAmerican Baby magazines, as well as having his image on toys and game packaging.[14]
At age six, Bleu appeared in his first professional theater production, atThe Town Hall.[15] This three-concert series, created, written, and hosted by Scott Siegel, took place over one weekend and included a tribute toDavid Merrick.[15] Bleu played an abandoned homeless mute in the playTiny Tim is Dead.[16]
Bleu moved with his family from New York toLos Angeles in 1996. He worked steadily in episodic television and feature film roles, including a recurring role on the short-livedABC police dramaHigh Incident and a guest star appearance onER. He also appeared in some films, likeBeach Movie (1998)[B] and the sci-fi thrillerSoldier (1998). His feature films from this period include theTim Allen comedyGalaxy Quest (1999), the comedyMystery Men (1999), and the dramaFamily Tree (1999), Bleu also had roles inMalcolm & Eddie, as Matthew, andCover Me: Based on the True Life of an FBI Family (2000), as Nick Elderby,[C][20] and smaller roles like in the comedy seriesNickelodeon's showThe Amanda Show.[21]
Additionally, Bleu was developing his dance skills and in 2001 began intensive training at the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. There he undertook a full gamut of dance instruction, includingballet,jazz,tap,modern,hip-hop, African,break dance,salsa,flamenco and ballroom.Debbie Allen, the choreographer who starred in the TV seriesFame, toldDance Spirit magazine: "I think [Bleu] really has a career. Success is one thing, but a career is a much longer, broader journey".[14]
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 seriesFame and which Bleu's mother attended.[22] During his freshman year, he won his first sizable film role in the teen action caperCatch That Kid (2004),[D] about a girl named Maddie Phillips and her friends Austin and Gus who decide to rob a bank after learning that money is needed to aid her ailing father Tom Phillips (Sam Robards), alongsideKristen Stewart andMax Thieriot. It was a box-office flop, grossing $10 million, but served as an important step for Bleu, who was still building his acting career. During high school, he performed in student productions ofFootloose andGrease, winning the honor of Theatre Student of the Year.[23]
In the summer of 2004 Bleu landed a starring role in the television seriesFlight 29 Down, alongside Allen Alvarado,Hallee Hirsh,Lauren Storm,Jeremy James Kissner,Johnny Pacar andKristy Wu, which aired for three seasons on theDiscovery Kids network. The program, a juvenile version of theABC seriesLost, concerned a group of teenagers stranded on a tropical island after their plane crashes. Bleu playedNathan McHugh, a Boy Scout whose leadership skills do not quite measure up to his self-confidence.[24]
He joined co-stars on the 51-dateHigh School Musical: The Concert (2006–2007) tour to promote the film,[26] work on the second film in the 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 over 17.2 million viewers in the U.S., almost 10 million more than its predecessor, making it the highest-ratedDisney Channel movie of all time.[27] Disney Channel aired a weekly program calledRoad to High School Musical 2, beginning on June 8, 2007, and leading up to the premiere ofHigh School Musical 2 in August. The show offered viewers a behind-the-scenes look into the movie's production. The world premiere of the opening number "What Time Is It" was onRadio Disney on May 25, 2007,[28] and "I Don't Dance" premiered on August 14, 2007.[29] The film was generally well received by critics, gaining a score of 77/100 atMetacritic[30] and 82% onRotten Tomatoes.[31] It broke opening-weekend records and grossed over $250 million worldwide.[32] Its soundtrack, featuring many contributions from Bleu, sold over three million copies in the U.S. alone.[33] "I Don't Dance", a duet with Lucas Grabeel, became his first top-40 hit on theBillboard Hot 100, and was certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[34] It was named the official theme song of the2007 Little League World Series.[35] During this time, Bleu began singing on soundtracks for the Disney Channel, and released a cover of "Two Worlds" (2007) to promoteTarzan.[36]
In 2007, Bleu starred in his next film, the Disney Channel originalJump In!,[E] which aired on January 12, 2007. Directed byPaul Hoen, the movie revolves around a young boy, Izzy Daniels, who trains regularly to try to follow in his father's Kenneth Daniels (David Reivers)' footsteps and win the Golden Glove, an amateur boxing tournament. Bleu played Izzy andKeke Palmer portrayed Mary Thomas, his friend who has a crush on him. Again, Disney scored a crossover hit with theJump In! soundtrack album, released in January 2007, on which Bleu sings the track "Push It to the Limit".[37] Reaching the screens on the Disney Channel that January,Jump In! was a major hit among young viewers and quickly became the network's highest-rated premiere, breaking the record set byThe Cheetah Girls 2 in 2006. Its soundtrack was also a commercial hit, achieving gold status from the RIAA three months after its release.[12] Bleu appeared in the Atlanta group Small Change's music video "Don't Be Shy", featuring Chani andLil' JJ.[38]
Bleu went on to reprise his role of Chad Danforth inHigh School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008), the first film in theHigh 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 byMamma Mia! for the biggest opening by a musical.[45] The film finished with $252 million worldwide, which exceeded Disney's expectations.[46] The song "The Boys Are Back" (2008), a duet with Zac Efron, became his second top forty hit on theBillboard Hot 100, and was certified gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) andAustralian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).[47][48] For his role as Chad Danforth, the team captain of the school's basketball team, he was nominated for anNAACP Image Award, aYoung Artist Award andTeen Choice Awards in 2007 and 2009 respectively.[49] Bleu lent his voice for the role of Chad Danforth in variousHigh School Musical video games.[50][51][52][53][54][55]
The following year, Bleu played the lead role in the film calledFree Style (2009).[56] It concerns Cale Bryant, an eighteen-year-old man who tries to find himself by winning the Amateur National Motocross Championships.Free Style performed poorly in the box office, having only grossed $720,000 from a $10 million budget. Over the next few years, Bleu's television roles included the drama seriesThe CW Television Network's showThe Beautiful Life: TBL.[57] The series was subsequently cancelled on September 25, 2009 after televising 2 episodes.[58] In December 2009, the technology companyHP became the show's sponsor and began airing the show's five episodes onYouTube.[59][60] Also in 2009, he was a voice actor inBeyond All Boundaries, and appeared onEntertainment Tonight andThe Morning Show with Mike and Juliet. Also in 2009, he was the voice of Coltrane in the premiere two episodes of Disney'sPhineas and Ferb.[61]
Bleu's only release in 2015 was the moderately successfulMegachurch Murder (2015), in which he played a Marcus King, withTamala Jones,Shanica Knowles andRomeo Miller.[88] In addition, Bleu appeared inFamily Shots with The Human Race Theatre Company. In 2016, he also made a guest appearance in an episode of the family drama,The Fosters, playing the role of Mercutio, a character who appears in a school musical production ofRomeo and Juliet.[89] Bleu and fellow guest-starAshley Argota also co-starred in a production ofRomeo and Juliet: Love Is a Battlefield at Rockwell Table and Stage, produced byThe Fosters co-creator Bradley Bredeweg.[90] He also had a small role as Hunter onCastle in 2016.[91]
In January 2016, he joined the cast ofThe Dodgers as Simon, the rational voice amid the habitually stoned chatter, and beginning January 21 at the Hudson Mainstage Theatre.[92] In October 2016, he took part in Broadway productions notably the leading role inHoliday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical (originally titledHoliday Inn), a musical based on the 1942Academy Award-winningfilm of the same name.[93] Returning to his tap dancing roots was "like riding a bike".[94] His former Disney co-stars attended a performance in October 2016.[95] Bleu began vlogging during his tenure inHoliday Inn,[96] resulting inBleu Skies: Backstage atHoliday Inn with Corbin Bleu. Bleu, who played Ted Hanover in the newIrving Berlin musical, gave a glimpse of backstage life atStudio 54, where he and his co-stars (including former vloggerBryce Pinkham,Lora Lee Gayer,Megan Lawrence andMegan Sikora) celebrated an entire year's worth of special occasions eight times a week.Bleu Skies launched off on August 23 and ran every Tuesday for eight weeks.[97] with Bleu being nominated for aChita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography in 2017, for outstanding dancing in a Broadway show[98] and eventually winning a Chita Rivera Award for his performance.[99][100]
In November 2017, Bleu returned to25th season ofDancing with the Stars and in Week 8,[106] he performed in a triosalsa withJordan Fisher and his professional partnerLindsay Arnold.[107] After the trio delivered their salsa to audiences, they ended with a score of 30 from the judges,[108]
In January 2018, he guest starred in one episode ofThe Middle as Luke, a handsome drummer that catches Brad Bottig (Brock Ciarlelli)'s attention.[109][110] In 2018 he also appeared as a guest star inChicago Med, theNBC television series inseason 3, as Tommy Oliver. From June 27 – July 3, Bleu performed in the musicalSingin' in the Rain as Don Lockwood at theSt. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre,[H][111] a musical based on the 1952BAFTA Film Award-winningfilm of the same name.[112] The theatre premiered on June 27, 2018.[113][114] with Bleu being nominated for a St. Louis Theater Circle Awards in 2019, for Outstanding Actor in a Musical.[115] Near the end of 2018, Bleu played Billy Crocker inAnything Goes,[116] which was performed in-the-round atArena Stage in D.C. Washington from November 2, 2018 to December 23, 2018.[117] with Bleu being winnin aHelen Hayes Award in 2019, for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical.[118][119]
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 withHollywood Records, aDisney-owned label.[O] His debut albumAnother Side, was released in May 2007.[1][151] The album debuted at No. 36 on theBillboard 200 album charts, selling 18,000 in its first week. Bleu, who admiresPrince,Michael Jackson, andJustin Timberlake, cowrote five songs on the album. One of those tracks was titled "Shake It Off", an ode to the musician Prince.[152] In 2007 he toured in support ofAnother Side with the teen sister duoAly & AJ.[153]
Bleu worked withNe-Yo on "I Get Lonely", and with other performers such asMatthew Gerrard andEric Hudson. A music video for his first single, "Push It to the Limit" premiered on the Disney Channel, and was used to promote the movieJump In! "Push It to the Limit" reached the Top 20 on theBillboard Hot 100, and his second single, "Deal With It",[P] was originally written and sung byJay Sean. He later gave it to Bleu, whose version of the song features background vocals by Sean. The song went on to earn Sean aBMI Songwriter Award. Bleu sang the duet "Still There for Me" with Vanessa Hudgens for his debut albumAnother Side.
Bleu toured with fellowHigh School Musical cast members from late November 2006 to late January 2007 inHigh School Musical: The Concert, and withDrake Bell and Aly & AJ[154] performing in about 40 different cities.[155] To promote his debut album, Bleu performed at theNextfest Summer Tour with Aly & AJ and Drake Bell and special guestBianca Ryan.
His debut single "Run It Back Again" was featured in the movieMinutemen, on January 22, 2008. The song is also featured onRadio Disney Jams, Vol. 10.[156] Bleu performed at the Crawford County Fair Grandstand with Vanessa Hudgens, on August 18, 2008.[157] A week later, on August 25, Bleu performed at theMichigan State Fair withRaven-Symoné.[158]
In 2017, Bleu signed a one-album recording contract withGhostlight Records to distribute hisHoliday Inn, The New Irving Berlin Musical soundtrack music,[9] was released digitally on June 2, 2017.[160] The album featured twenty-one songs, and was produced byKurt Deutsch with Todd Whitelock serving as coproducer and Universal Stage Productions as executive producer.[161]
Bleu later signed a two-album recording contract with Ghostlight Records to distribute hisKiss Me, Kate soundtrack music,[162] the 24th cast album recording forRoundabout Theatre Company, since launching the musical theatre program withShe Loves Me in 1993.[163]
Bleu has been a supporter ofDo Something.[165] On March 16, 2010, he was added to the "Broadway Wall of Fame". His portrait was unveiled at Tony's Di Napoli Restaurant in New York City.[166]
In 2011, Bleu began dating actressSasha Clements.[167][168] On October 15, 2014, they became engaged, and they married on July 23, 2016.[169]
In 2013, anMIT study discovered that Bleu was the third most-common biography article subject among all the differentlanguage versions of Wikipedia; pages on him were available in 194 languages, placing below onlyJesus (214) andBarack Obama (200), and aboveConfucius (192) andIsaac Newton (191). The contradiction between Bleu's high notability on Wikipedia and low real-life notability comparative to the aforementioned historical figures made the creation of these pages unusual.[170][171] Years later, aReddit user found that these translations were likely done by a single user whoseIP addresses on Wikipedia locate toSaudi Arabia. By 2019, Bleu had dropped to #5 on the list of biographies, but increased in Wikipedia notability, by then being available in 213 languages.[172]
^The film premiered on December 24, 2008 inMexico, and released inUnited States on October 9, 2009. and was eventually releasedDirect-to-DVD on March 10, 2010.
^The film premiered on September to October 2011 inToronto, and released inSwitzerland on September 28, 2013. and was eventually releasedDirect-to-DVD on February 7, 2014.
^The film premiered on November 30, 2010 inVenice, Los Angeles, and was released theatrically on September 6, 2013.
^The film premiered on March 11, 2012 at theOmaha Film Festival, and was eventually releasedDirect-to-DVD on March 3, 2015.
^Principal photography began inNew Mexico in July 2018.
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