Derek Klena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Derek Klena
Klena at the 2022 Tony Awards
Born	Derek Anthony Klena (1991-10-03) October 3, 1991 (age 33) San Dimas, California, U.S.
Education	South Hills High School
Alma mater	University of California, Los Angeles
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	2009-present
Known for	Anastasia Moulin Rouge! Jagged Little Pill
Spouse(s)	Elycia Scriven ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	2

Derek Anthony Klena (born October 3, 1991) is an American actor and singer. He is famous for his work on Broadway, which is the highest level of theater in the United States. He created important roles in popular musicals. These include Nick Healy in Jagged Little Pill (2019–2021) and Dmitry in Anastasia (2017–2018). He also played Michael in The Bridges of Madison County (2014).

Derek first became well-known in an Off-Broadway show called Dogfight. He also played Fiyero in the 10th anniversary show of Wicked on Broadway. More recently, he played Christian in the Broadway show Moulin Rouge! from 2022 to 2024. You might have also seen him on TV shows like Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. In 2020, Derek was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical. This award is one of the biggest honors in theater.

Life and Career

Derek Klena was born in San Dimas, California. He grew up in West Covina, California, near Los Angeles. He has two younger siblings. His brother, Dillon, is also an actor. Derek went to South Hills High School.

He later attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He first studied theater but then changed his major to psychology. In his first year, he played baseball. However, he soon decided to focus on acting. From 2009 to 2011, he performed in local theater shows in Southern California. He even tried out for American Idol in its ninth season.

Around 2010, Derek was invited to audition for a Broadway musical. This was for Catch Me If You Can'. He didn't get the part. But he was then asked to audition for a workshop of the musical Carrie. He took time off from UCLA in his junior year. This was to be part of the 2012 Off-Broadway show of Carrie. Off-Broadway shows are professional theater productions in New York City, but they are smaller than Broadway shows.

Derek created the role of Eddie Birdlace in the musical Dogfight. In 2013, he played Fiyero in the 10th anniversary production of Wicked on Broadway. After that, he played Michael Johnson in the original Broadway musical The Bridges of Madison County.

In 2016, Derek was chosen to play Dmitry in the first production of Anastasia. This musical is based on the animated movie. It first opened in Hartford, Connecticut, in March 2016. Then, it moved to Broadway in April 2017. After a year, he left Anastasia. He then joined the original production of Jagged Little Pill. This musical uses the songs of Alanis Morissette.

The Broadway production of Jagged Little Pill opened in December 2019. Derek was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his role as Nick Healy. The show paused in March 2020 due to the pandemic. It reopened in October 2021 but closed a few months later due to health concerns in New York City.

In May 2022, he took over the role of Christian in Moulin Rouge! on Broadway. He left the show in January 2023 but returned in April for three months. In February 2023, he starred as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard at the Kennedy Center. Derek returned to Moulin Rouge! again on February 6, 2024, and left on July 21.

Derek married his longtime girlfriend, Elycia Scriven, in 2018. In April 2022, they announced they were expecting their first child. Their son, Dax Arthur Klena, was born on September 8, 2022.

Stage Roles

Here are some of Derek Klena's stage performances:

TV Shows

Here are some TV shows Derek Klena has appeared in:

Awards

Here are some awards and nominations Derek Klena has received: