Gary Michael "Garrett" Clayton (born March 19, 1991) is an American actor and singer. He is known for portraying Tanner in the 2013 Disney Channel movie Teen Beach Movie and its 2015 sequel Teen Beach 2, and other film, television, and stage roles.
Garrett Clayton | |
|---|---|
 Clayton at the 2015 MTV Movie Awards | |
| Born | Gary Michael Clayton March 19, 1991 Dearborn, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Spouse | Blake Knight (m. 2021) |
Life and career edit
Gary Michael Clayton[1] was born March 19, 1991,[2] in Dearborn, Michigan. He has Lebanese heritage.[3] He began acting at Crestwood High School in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, performing in many of the drama club's productions. He later attended Oakland University, where he studied musical theater.
After being told by casting directors that his name "sounded too old", he adopted the stage name of Garrett Clayton.[1]
In 2010, he made appearances on Days of Our Lives and Shake It Up. In December 2012, he appeared in the Lifetime movie Holiday Spin, co-starring Ralph Macchio, as Blake, a rebellious teen forced to live with his father after his mother is killed in a car accident.[4]
He was cast in 2013 in the role of Tanner in Disney's musical Teen Beach Movie, playing a cool but vacuous surfer who is "a mix between Frankie Avalon and Link from Hairspray".[5] The film was directed by Jeffrey Hornaday and was filmed in Puerto Rico and was first broadcast in July 2013. It co-stars Ross Lynch, Maia Mitchell, and Grace Phipps.
He had a recurring role in the latter half of the first season of The Fosters.[6] In 2016, he portrayed gay porn star Brent Corrigan in the film King Cobra, with James Franco and Christian Slater, and played the role of Link Larkin in the NBC television broadcast of Hairspray Live![7] He starred as Brady Mannion in the horror-thriller film Don't Hang Up, which was released in theaters in February 2017.[8][9] Also in 2017, Clayton appeared on stage at the Pasadena Playhouse as Luke alongside Al Pacino and Judith Light in a six-week run of Dotson Rader's play God Looked Away, about the later life of Tennessee Williams.[10]
Personal life edit
In 2018, Clayton revealed that he was gay and that he had been in a long-term relationship with boyfriend Blake Knight since 2011.[11][a]
In January 2019, Clayton announced that he and Knight had become engaged a year prior.[12] In September 2021, the couple married at an outdoor, garden party themed wedding in Los Angeles, which was officiated by Clayton's King Cobra co-star Alicia Silverstone.[13]
Filmography edit
Film edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | The Tower | Zombie | |
| 2009 | Magic Mentah | Sander | |
| 2010 | Virginia | Mormon boy #2 | |
| 2011 | Love, Gloria | Tad | |
| 2012 | The Oogieloves in the Big Balloon Adventure | Diner dancer | |
| 2016 | Welcome to Willits | Zack | |
| 2016 | Don't Hang Up | Brady Mannion | |
| King Cobra | Brent Corrigan | ||
| Alien Hunter | Zack | ||
| 2018 | Between Worlds[14] | Mike | |
| The Last Breakfast Club[15] | Brian | ||
| Reach[16] | Steven | ||
| 2019 | Peel | Chad | |
| 2021 | The Adventures of Bunny Bravo | Papaya | |
| 2023 | The Mattachine Family | Jake | |
| TBA | Our Man | Matthew | Post-production |
Television edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Days of Our Lives | Eli | Episode: "29 April 2010" |
| 2010 | Shake It Up | Dylan | Episode: "Party It Up" |
| 2012 | Holiday Spin | Blake | Television film |
| 2013 | The Client List | Billy | Episode: "What Kind of Fool Do You Think I Am" |
| 2013 | Jessie | Earl | Episode: "The Blind Date, the Cheapskate, and the Primate" |
| 2013 | Teen Beach Movie | Tanner | Television film |
| 2014; 2016 | The Fosters | Chase | Recurring role (season 1); guest role (season 3; episode: "The Show") |
| 2015 | 100 Things to Do Before High School | Stephen Powers | Episode: "Survive the Virus Attack Trapped in the Last Home Base Station on Earth Thing" |
| 2015 | Teen Beach 2 | Tanner | Television film |
| 2016 | The Real O'Neals | Ricky | Episode: "The Real Lent" |
| 2016 | Hairspray Live! | Link Larkin | Television special |
| 2020 | World's Funniest Animals | Guest | 1 episode |
| 2022 | The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder | Dustan Lumberlake | 3 episodes |
Stage edit
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2014–2015; 2017 | Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight[17][18][19] | Prince Phillip |
| 2015 | Cruel Intentions: The Musical[20] | Greg |
| 2017 | God Looked Away[21] | Luke |
| 2019, 2022 | It: A Musical Parody[22] | Pennywise |
| 2023 | The Rocky Horror Show[23] | Dr. Frank N. Furter |
Footnotes edit
- ^ "When I read the script for REACH, I immediately knew it was a film I had to be a part of. I have personally dealt with suicide within my own family, intense bullying in high school, and – on top of it all – myself and the man I've been in a relationship with for a long time (@hrhblakeknight) have both experienced shootings within our hometown school systems, and have witnessed the heartache that takes place in affected communities after such tragic events." — Garrett Clayton[11]
References edit
- ^ a b Kaan, Gil (June 11, 2019). "Interview: The Hard Working Garrett Clayton On Friends, Giving His Heart & Doing What He Loves". Broadway World. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
- ^ "Famous birthdays for March 19: Bruce Willis, Glenn Close". UPI. March 19, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ Clayton, Garrett [@garrettclayton1] (December 26, 2013). "@AmnehS14 I eat middle eastern food all the time. I'm Lebanese" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (June 4, 2012). "Ralph Macchio to star in Lifetime Christmas movie". Exclusive. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ^ Takeda-Morrison, Marsha (November 9, 2012). "Garrett Clayton takes us on a Holiday Spin". Celebrity Teen Scoop. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2012.
- ^ Ng, Philiana (October 14, 2013). "Teen Beach Movie star joins ABC Family's The Fosters". Exclusive. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Gioia, Michael (December 7, 2016). "'Hairspray Live!' hits television December 7". Playbill. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
- ^ Commonwealth, Thomas (October 30, 2013). "Joe Johnson begs you – Don't Hang Up". Exclusive. The Tracking Board. Retrieved March 19, 2015.
- ^ "Don't Hang Up (2017)". Financial information. The Numbers. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
- ^ "God Looked Away from Garrett Clayton, but can you?". Instinct. February 12, 2017. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
- ^ a b Clayton, Garrett (2018). "With the release of my new movie REACH coming up, I thought it was important to explain why I took on this project in the first place. ..."". Instagram. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Disney Channel star Garrett Clayton reveals he's engaged to boyfriend Blake Knight". People. January 10, 2019.
- ^ Falcone, Dana Rose (September 8, 2021). "Alicia Silverstone officiates Teen Beach movie star Garrett Clayton's wedding to Blake Knight". People. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
- ^ "Nicolas Cage To Topline Indie Thriller 'Between Worlds' From Director Maria Pulera". Deadline. August 23, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
- ^ ""The Last Breakfast Club" Gives Classic Film Lots of New Shine". LA Ex Cites. June 5, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
- ^ "Trio To Topline High School Bully Dramedy 'Reach'". Deadline. April 5, 2017. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
- ^ "Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight enters final week at Pasadena Playhouse". Broadway World. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight adds ½ performance at Pasadena Playhouse". Broadway World. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Disney's Garrett Clayton to reprise tole in Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight at Theatre Under the STars". Broadway World. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "Cruel Intentions at Rockwell – a true homage to the '90s". BWW reviews. Broadway World. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
- ^ "God Looked Away groomed for Broadway with Al Pacino as Tennessee Williams". New Now Next. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
- ^ "Actor-singer Garrett Clayton talks It: A Musical Parody". Yahoo News. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ "'It's pretty special': Actor Garrett Clayton talks preparation for OFC Creations' Rocky Horror Picture Show". Rochester First. October 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
