Gaten Matarazzo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gaten Matarazzo
Matarazzo at the 2022 Tony Awards
Born	Gaetano John Matarazzo III (2002-09-08) September 8, 2002 (age 22) New London, Connecticut, U.S.
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

Television

Music videos

Theater

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Gaten Matarazzo para niños