Gaten Matarazzo
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Born on September 8th, 2002, Gaetano John "Gaten" Matarazzo III, is an American actor and singer who's captured hearts on both the Broadway stage and the screen. His journey began with electrifying performances as Benjamin in "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" and Gavroche in "Les Misérables," before he truly exploded into public consciousness as the lovable, quick-witted Dustin Henderson in Netflix's sci-fi horror phenomenon, "Stranger Things." But Gaten's talents don't stop there; he's also charmed audiences as the host of the hidden camera show "Prank Encounters" and lent his voice to memorable characters in films like "Honor Society" and "My Father's Dragon."
Raised in Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, Gaten's Italian heritage from Avellino is a proud part of his identity. He was born with cleidocranial dysplasia, a condition he openly embraces and uses his platform to raise awareness for, supporting organizations like CCD Smiles that help cover oral surgery costs for those affected. He's also got a loving family, including an older sister, Sabrina, and a younger brother, Carmen, and has been in a relationship with actress Elizabeth Yu since 2018.
Gaten honed his vocal talents at Starlight Performing Arts Center, even winning third place at the Starpower Talent Competition Nationals with his rendition of "Ben." His professional debut on Broadway in "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" was just the beginning. He went on to grace the stage in "Godspell" and then reprised his role as Gavroche in "Les Misérables" on its 25th Anniversary Tour and in the Tony-nominated Broadway revival.
His transition to the screen was marked by an appearance on "The Blacklist" before landing the iconic role of Dustin Henderson. The show's creators even incorporated Gaten's cleidocranial dysplasia into the character, making Dustin's journey even more relatable. Beyond "Stranger Things," Gaten has lent his voice to "The Angry Birds Movie 2" and has been a part of various music videos and reality shows. He also took on the executive producer role for "Prank Encounters" and appeared in the Hollywood Bowl production of "Into the Woods."
In 2022, Gaten made a triumphant return to Broadway, first in the final cast of "Dear Evan Hansen" and later in the highly anticipated revival of "Sweeney Todd" alongside stellar talent like Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. He also starred in the coming-of-age comedy "Honor Society" and voiced Boris the dragon in "My Father's Dragon."
Gaten is a passionate advocate for cleidocranial dysplasia, using his voice to raise awareness and fundraise for CCD Smiles. He's also been involved in numerous charitable endeavors, including fundraisers for NEXT for AUTISM, support for the Democratic Party of Georgia, and a "Tonight Show" "Among Us" charity stream benefiting Feeding America. He's even Dungeons and Dragons with the likes of Jack Black for Extra Life and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, and performed in the musical "Parade" to ensure affordable access to the performing arts. Gaten Matarazzo is more than just an actor; he's a talented artist and a compassionate advocate.
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Gaetano John "Gaten" Matarazzo III ( GAY-tən MAT-ə-RAZ-oh, Italian: [ɡaeˈtaːno mataˈrattso]; born September 8, 2002) is an American actor and singer. He began his career on the Broadway stage as Benjamin in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (2011–12) and as Gavroche in Les Misérables (2014–15). Matarazzo gained recognition for playing Dustin Henderson in the Netflix science-fiction-horror drama series Stranger Things (2016–2025). He also hosted the Netflix show Prank Encounters (2019–2021). In 2022, he co-starred in the coming-of-age comedy film Honor Society and voiced Boris the Dragon on the animated fantasy comedy film My Father's Dragon.
== Early and personal life ==
Gaetano John Matarazzo III was born on September 8, 2002, in New London, Connecticut, to Heather (no relation to the actress of the same name) and Gaetano John Matarazzo Jr., and was raised in Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. His family is of Italian descent from Avellino. Matarazzo was born with cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD). He has an older sister, Sabrina, and a younger brother, Carmen.
Since 2018, Matarazzo has been in a relationship with actress Elizabeth Yu.
== Career ==
He pursued vocal training at Starlight Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. In 2011, he competed and won third place with his vocal solo titled "Ben" at the Starpower Talent Competition Nationals in Uncasville, Connecticut. His first professional credit was in the Broadway musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, for which he was cast as a replacement in 2011. Following the production, he took part in a special "Cast of 2032" professional youth performance of Godspell at Circle in the Square Theatre in 2012. In 2013, he joined the Les Misérables 25th Anniversary Tour in the United States in the role of Gavroche; the following year, he played the same role in the Tony-nominated 2014 Broadway revival of the musical.
Matarazzo made his screen acting debut in a 2015 episode of The Blacklist. After he was cast as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things, the character's background was modified to have CCD as well. The show's first season premiered in July 2016 to critical acclaim. Over the next several years, Matarazzo also appeared in music videos and various reality and competition shows. On May 11, 2018, it was announced that he was cast in the animated film, Hump.
He began hosting the Netflix hidden camera series Prank Encounters in 2019; he also served as an executive producer. That year, he also appeared in the Hollywood Bowl production of Into the Woods. He provided the voice of Bubba in The Angry Birds Movie 2.
In May 2022, it was announced that Matarazzo would return to Broadway, joining the final cast of the musical Dear Evan Hansen as Jared Kleinman. He starred in the Paramount+ film Honor Society with Angourie Rice, which was released on July 29, 2022. He voiced Boris the dragon in Cartoon Saloon's film adaptation of Ruth Stiles Gannett's
My Father's Dragon novel series. It was announced in December 2022 that Matarazzo would be returning to Broadway as Toby Ragg in Thomas Kail's revival of Sondheim and Wheeler's Sweeney Todd, alongside Josh Groban, Annaleigh Ashford and Jordan Fisher.
== Philanthropy ==
He uses his platform to raise awareness of CCD and fundraise for CCD Smiles, an organization that helps cover costs of oral surgeries for people with CCD.
In February 2020, he was as part of Andrew Barth Feldman and Adrian Dickson's Star Wars musical parody fundraiser SW: A New(sical) Hope to help raise funding for NEXT for AUTISM. Matarazzo joined the cast of Elf for a virtual table reading on December 13, 2020, in support of the Democratic Party of Georgia's campaign in the 2021 Georgia runoff elections.
On April 6, 2021, Matarazzo participated in an hour-long charity Among Us stream on The Tonight Show's Twitch account with Jimmy Fallon, Questlove, Tariq Trotter, Captain Kirk Douglas, Sykkuno, Valkyrae, Corpse Husband, and his Stranger Things co-star Noah Schnapp, with proceeds going towards Feeding America. In December 2021, he played Dungeons and Dragons with Jack Black and other stars in the Lost Odyssey: Promised Gold livestream event that benefited Extra Life and the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
During the first week of November 2022, he performed in the musical Parade to ensure that the performing arts can be enjoyed at an affordable rate for fans at the New York City Center.
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
=== Television ===
=== Music videos ===
== Theater ==
== Awards and nominations ==
== References ==
== External links ==
Gaten Matarazzo at IMDb
Gaten Matarazzo at the Internet Broadway Database
Gaten Matarazzo on Playbill
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