Cheyenne Jackson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cheyenne Jackson
Jackson in 2010
Born	Cheyenne David Jackson (1975-07-12) July 12, 1975 (age 49) Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Occupation	Actor singer
Years active	2002–present
Spouse(s)	Monte Lapka ​ ​ (m. 2011; div. 2013)​ Jason Landau ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	2

Cheyenne David Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is a talented American actor and singer. He is famous for his main roles in Broadway musicals, movies, and TV shows. He also performs in concerts and records music.

Cheyenne started his acting journey in local theaters in Seattle, Washington. Later, he moved to New York City to pursue his dream. He began as a backup actor, ready to step in, for Broadway shows like Thoroughly Modern Millie and Aida. His first big role on Broadway was in the musical All Shook Up in 2005. This role won him a Theatre World Award for being an amazing new Broadway actor.

He has also appeared in many movies. One notable film was United 93 (2006), which was nominated for an Academy Award. In this movie, he played Mark Bingham, a hero from the 9/11 events. His acting helped the cast win an award for Best Ensemble Cast. Cheyenne also had a main role in the movie Mutual Friends (2014). He has been a guest star on popular TV shows like 30 Rock and Glee. Since 2015, Cheyenne has been a regular on the horror TV series American Horror Story. He played different characters in its fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons.

Cheyenne Jackson is also a successful concert performer. He has performed at the famous Carnegie Hall twice, selling out both shows. He also sings in smaller, more personal cabaret shows. Besides his Broadway cast albums, he has released three albums of popular music. One of these was a joint album with Michael Feinstein called The Power of Two. He also plays Hades in the Disney Channel movie Descendants 3. In 2020, he worked again with the director of Descendants in the Netflix show Julie and the Phantoms.

Early Life and Career Start

Cheyenne Jackson was born in Spokane, Washington, on July 12, 1975. His parents are David and Sherri Jackson. He was named after a 1950s TV show called Cheyenne. He grew up in Oldtown, Idaho, a small town near the Washington border. His father was a veteran. His mother taught Cheyenne and his siblings to sing. She often played music by artists like Joan Baez and Elvis Presley at home.

As a teenager, Cheyenne moved to Spokane. In Seattle, he worked in advertising for a magazine. He also did some theater acting on the side. He earned his Equity card, which is needed to work professionally in theater. Cheyenne realized that acting was what he wanted to do with his life. After the events of September 11 attacks, he felt a strong urge to follow his dream. He moved to New York City to become an actor.

Acting Career

On Stage

Cheyenne Jackson made his Broadway debut in the musical Thoroughly Modern Millie. He was a backup actor for the main male roles. Later, he was a standby for the character Radames in Aida. In 2005, he got his first main role on Broadway in All Shook Up. This musical was a tribute to Elvis Presley. His performance earned him the Theatre World Award.

In 2007, Cheyenne took over the lead role of Sonny in the Broadway show Xanadu. He stepped in just before the show opened because the original actor was injured. His performance in Xanadu earned him nominations for top theater awards. Cheyenne also performed in a concert version of Finian's Rainbow in 2009. He later starred in the Broadway revival of Finian's Rainbow from 2009 to 2010. Critics praised his singing in the show.

In 2011, Cheyenne joined a special Broadway cast for the play 8. This play was directed by Joe Mantello. In 2012, he starred with Krysten Ritter in the play The Heart of The Matter. He also appeared in the Broadway play The Performers in 2012. In 2016, Cheyenne was part of the 25th Anniversary Concert of The Secret Garden.

In 2019, Cheyenne made his debut at the Hollywood Bowl. He played the roles of the Wolf and Cinderella's Prince in Into the Woods. He later played these roles again in the Broadway revival of the show in 2022. In 2024, he performed in Once Upon A Mattress and La Cage aux Folles.

In Movies

Cheyenne Jackson is well-known for playing Mark Bingham in the movie United 93 (2006). This film was about the events of 9/11. He also appeared in other films like Curiosity (2005) and Hysteria (2010). He starred in The Green (2011) and Price Check (2012). In 2012, he played Roger in the film Lola Versus.

In 2013, Cheyenne was in the HBO movie Behind the Candelabra. This film was about the life of Liberace. He also appeared in independent films like Mutual Friends (2013) and A Beautiful Now (2015). In 2019, he played Hades in the Disney Channel movie Descendants 3.

Cheyenne had a main role in the 2014 movie Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks. He played Michael Minetti, a dance instructor. Michael is hired by a retired woman, Lily Harrison, for private dance lessons.

On Television

From 2009 to 2013, Cheyenne Jackson had a recurring role on the TV series 30 Rock. He played the character Danny Baker. He also played Dustin Goolsby on the show Glee. Dustin was the coach of "Vocal Adrenaline," a rival group to the main characters.

He has been a guest star on several TV shows. These include Lipstick Jungle, Life on Mars, and Ugly Betty. He also had a notable guest role on Curb Your Enthusiasm. In 2010, he appeared on the NBC series Law & Order.

In 2012, Cheyenne guest starred in the pilot episode of Mockingbird Lane. This show was a new version of The Munsters. Cheyenne played Scout Master Steve.

Cheyenne also appeared in the fifth season of American Horror Story. He was one of the main actors alongside Lady Gaga. He returned for the show's sixth, seventh, and eighth seasons. In these seasons, he played different characters like a network executive, a psychiatrist, and a warlock.

Cheyenne has made several appearances on RuPaul's Drag Race. He also appeared in an episode of Sense8. In 2019, he played Hades, Mal's father, in the Disney Channel Original Movie Descendants 3. Since 2020, Cheyenne has been a main actor in the Fox comedy series Call Me Kat. In 2022, Cheyenne competed on The Masked Singer as "Prince" and finished in third place.

Music Career

Early in his career, Cheyenne Jackson worked as a backup singer for famous artists like Vanessa Williams.

In 2009, he performed his first solo show called Back to the Start. He later teamed up with Michael Feinstein for a show called "The Power of Two." They released a CD of this show in 2009. Cheyenne and Feinstein performed "The Power of Two" at Carnegie Hall in 2010. Cheyenne also performed with the New York Pops orchestra in 2011. This concert was called Cheyenne Jackson's Cocktail Hour: Music of the Mad Men Era.

In 2012, Cheyenne signed a deal with Sony/ATV to write songs and release music. On May 10, 2012, he released his first non-theater song, "Drive." This was also his first music video. He released another song, "Before You," in July 2012. This song reached No. 31 on the Hot 100 AC chart.

In 2013, he released three more songs: "She's Pretty, She Lies," "Look at Me," and "I'm Blue, Skies." Each song had a music video. In 2015, he released the song "Don't Wanna Know." On June 3, 2016, Cheyenne released his album Renaissance. This album was based on his concert Music of the Mad Men Era.

Charity Work

Cheyenne Jackson is a strong supporter of LGBT rights. He is an international ambassador for amfAR, which is a foundation for AIDS research.

He is also a national ambassador and spokesperson for the Hetrick-Martin Institute. This organization helps young people who are part of the LGBT community.

Personal Life

Cheyenne Jackson is openly gay. He started dating Monte Lapka, a physicist, in 2000. They got married in New York City in 2011. In 2013, they announced their plans to divorce.

In October 2013, Cheyenne shared that he was dating actor Jason Landau. They got engaged in February 2014 and married in September 2014. Cheyenne and Jason became parents to twins, a girl named Willow and a boy named Ethan, in October 2016.

Discography

Studio albums

Original Broadway cast albums

• All Shook Up (2005)
• Xanadu (2007)
• Finian's Rainbow (2009)

Soundtrack appearances

• Descendents 3 (2019)
• Julie and the Phantoms: Music from the Netflix Original Series (2020)

Singles

• 2012: "Drive"
• 2012: "Before You"
• 2013: "Don't Wanna Know"
• 2015: "Find the Best of Me"

Music videos

• 2012: "Drive"
• 2012: "Before You"
• 2013: "Don't Wanna Know"
• 2013: "Don't Look at Me"
• 2013: "She's Pretty, She Lies"
• 2013: "I'm Blue, Skies"

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage credits

Awards and Honors

Images for kids

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