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Gaten Matarazzo
Gaten Matarazzo.jpg
Matarazzo at the 2022 Tony Awards
Born
Gaetano John Matarazzo III

(2002-09-08) September 8, 2002 (age 22)
Occupation Actor
Years active 2011–present
Partner(s) Elizabeth Yu (2018–present)

Gaten Matarazzo (born September 8, 2002) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Dustin Henderson in the popular Netflix show Stranger Things. Before his big break on TV, Gaten started his acting career on the Broadway stage. He appeared in musicals like Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Les Misérables. He also hosted the Netflix show Prank Encounters. In 2022, he starred in the movie Honor Society and voiced a dragon in My Father's Dragon.

Early Life

Gaten Matarazzo was born on September 8, 2002. His full name is Gaetano John Matarazzo III. He was born in New London, Connecticut, and grew up in Little Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey. His family has Italian roots.

Gaten was born with a condition called cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD). This is a rare genetic condition that mainly affects the development of bones and teeth. He has an older sister named Sabrina and a younger brother named Carmen.

Since 2018, Gaten has been in a relationship with actress Elizabeth Yu.

Acting Career

Gaten began his journey in acting by taking vocal lessons. He trained at the Starlight Performing Arts Center in New Jersey. In 2011, he won third place in a national talent competition for his singing.

His first professional acting job was on Broadway. He joined the musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert in 2011. After that, he performed in a special youth show of Godspell in 2012. In 2013, he toured the United States in the musical Les Misérables. He played the role of Gavroche. The next year, he played the same role in the Broadway revival of the musical.

Gaten first appeared on screen in 2015 in an episode of The Blacklist. Soon after, he was cast as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things. The show's creators even changed Dustin's character to have CCD, just like Gaten. The first season of Stranger Things became very popular in 2016.

Over the years, Gaten has also appeared in music videos and various TV shows. In 2019, he started hosting Prank Encounters, a Netflix hidden camera show. He was also an executive producer for the show. That same year, he voiced the character Bubba in The Angry Birds Movie 2.

In 2022, Gaten returned to Broadway in the musical Dear Evan Hansen. He played Jared Kleinman. He also starred in the Paramount+ movie Honor Society and voiced Boris the Dragon in the animated film My Father's Dragon. In 2023, Gaten took on the role of Toby in the Broadway musical Sweeney Todd.

Helping Others

Gaten uses his fame to help others. He works to spread awareness about cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD). He also helps raise money for CCD Smiles. This organization helps people with CCD pay for their dental surgeries.

In 2020, Gaten took part in a Star Wars musical parody. This event raised money for NEXT for AUTISM. He also joined a virtual reading of the movie Elf to support a political campaign.

In 2021, Gaten played the video game Among Us online for charity. He played with Jimmy Fallon and other stars. The money raised went to Feeding America. Later that year, he played Dungeons & Dragons with Jack Black and other celebrities. This event helped raise money for Extra Life and Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.

In November 2022, Gaten performed in the musical Parade. He did this to help make performing arts affordable for everyone.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2019 The Angry Birds Movie 2 Bubba Voice role
2022 Honor Society Michael Dipnicky
My Father's Dragon Boris the Dragon Voice role
2023 Please Don't Destroy: The Treasure of Foggy Mountain Himself

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2015 The Blacklist Finn Episode: "The Kenyon Family (No. 71)"
2016–present Stranger Things Dustin Henderson Main role
2017 Ridiculousness Himself Episode: "Scarediculousness"
Lip Sync Battle Episode: "The Cast of Stranger Things"
2018 Drop the Mic Episode: "Darren Criss vs. Gaten Matarazzo / Chandler Riggs vs. Chad Coleman"
2019–2021 Prank Encounters Host and executive producer
2021 Nickelodeon's Unfiltered Episode: "Be My Valentine"
Waffles and Mochi Casey the Electrician Episode: "Mushroom"
2024 Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy Sig Greebling Main voice role

Music videos

Year Title Artist Ref.
2017 "Swish Swish" Katy Perry (feat. Nicki Minaj)
"Lost Boys Life" Computer Games (Darren & Chuck Criss)
2020 "Meet Me on the Roof" Green Day

Theater

Year Title Role Venue Notes Ref.
2011–2012 Priscilla, Queen of the Desert Benjamin Palace Theatre Broadway replacement
2012 Godspell Jesus Circle in the Square Theatre Special performance
Radio City Christmas Spectacular Ben US tour Rockettes' 85th Anniversary Celebration
2013 Les Misérables Gavroche North American tour 25th Anniversary
2014–2015 Gavroche / Petit Gervais Imperial Theatre Broadway
2019 Into the Woods Jack Hollywood Bowl Special performance
2022 Dear Evan Hansen Jared Kleinman Music Box Theatre Broadway replacement
Parade Frankie Epps New York City Center Encores!
2023 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Tobias Ragg Lunt-Fontanne Theatre Broadway
Gutenberg! The Musical! The Producer James Earl Jones Theatre Broadway
(One night only)

Awards and Nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2017 Young Artist Awards Best Performance in a Digital TV Series or Film – Teen Actor Stranger Things Nominated
2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Won
2017 Shorty Awards Best Actor Won
2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards Best On-Screen Team (with Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp and Sadie Sink) Nominated
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Summer TV Actor Nominated
2020 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Nominated
2022 Saturn Awards Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Streaming) Nominated
2023 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Male TV Star (Family) Nominated

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Gaten Matarazzo para niños

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