Grant Gustin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grant Gustin
Gustin in 2023
Born	Thomas Grant Gustin (1990-01-14) January 14, 1990 (age 35) Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2003–present
Spouse(s)	Andrea "LA" Thoma ​ (m. 2018)​
Children	2

Thomas Grant Gustin (born January 14, 1990) is an American actor. He is super well-known for playing Barry Allen, also known as The Flash, in the TV show The Flash on The CW. This show was part of a group of superhero shows called the Arrowverse. He also played Sebastian Smythe on the Fox show Glee. Grant Gustin trained in musical theater. His first big acting job was in the 2010 national tour of West Side Story. Later, he returned to the stage in the original Broadway show Water for Elephants, where he played the main character, Jacob Jankowski.

Growing Up

Thomas Grant Gustin was born on January 14, 1990, in Norfolk, Virginia. His mom, Tina Haney, was a nurse for kids, and his dad, Thomas Gustin, was a college professor. When he was in high school, he studied musical theater at the Governor's School for the Arts in Norfolk. He also joined a theater group called Hurrah Players Incorporated in Virginia. After graduating from Granby High School in 2008, he studied musical theater at Elon University in North Carolina for two years. He has been friends with actor Chris Wood since college.

His Acting Journey

Grant Gustin's first known acting role was in a student film called Rain (2004) when he was still in high school. In this movie, he played a young boy who couldn't speak. This boy had dreams about a man's sad loss of his wife. Later, he met the man, and his visions helped the man solve the mystery of who killed his wife. The director, Neil Grochmal, said Grant showed amazing natural talent and believed he would become a successful actor.

In 2010, Grant left college to join the Broadway Revival Tour of West Side Story. He played the role of Baby John. He performed with the tour from September 30, 2010, until September 23, 2011.

Grant Gustin in 2014.

Starring in Glee

On November 8, 2011, Grant Gustin first appeared on the TV show Glee. He played Sebastian Smythe, a character who was part of the Dalton Academy Warblers. Grant got the part of Sebastian, a bit of a tricky character, after a long search for the right actor. He had actually first tried out for a small role as a tap dancer, but didn't get it. However, the show's producer, Ryan Murphy, remembered him. Grant started filming his role on September 26, 2011, right after finishing his last West Side Story show.

In January 2012, Naya Rivera (as her character Santana Lopez) and Grant Gustin (as Sebastian Smythe) sang "Smooth Criminal" together in the episode "Michael". They were joined by the musical group 2Cellos. This performance was filmed to look like the 2Cellos music video, in a room with empty chairs. The song became very popular, reaching number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In 2012, Grant Gustin started filming A Mother's Nightmare, a movie for the Lifetime channel. He filmed it in West Kelowna, Canada. On July 11, 2012, it was announced that Grant would also have a big role in an independent film called Affluenza.

Becoming The Flash

On September 13, 2013, it was announced that Grant Gustin would play Barry Allen in the second season of Arrow. He was first planned to appear in three episodes. The last of these was meant to be a special episode to introduce a possible spin-off show about The Flash. However, they decided to make a separate pilot episode instead, called The Flash.

The show was ordered for thirteen episodes and first aired on October 7, 2014. It had 4.8 million viewers, which was the most for a new show on The CW in five years! The Flash ran for nine seasons, with 184 episodes in total, and ended on May 24, 2023. As part of the larger Arrowverse (a shared universe of superhero shows), Grant Gustin also played Barry Allen in other shows like Arrow, Supergirl, and Legends of Tomorrow. He also voiced the character in the web series Vixen.

Other Roles

On March 30, 2016, it was announced that Grant Gustin would star in William H. Macy's movie Krystal. The movie first showed in 2017 and was released to the public on April 13, 2018. In March 2020, Grant was chosen to play Barry Keenan in a movie called Operation Blue Eyes.

Personal Life

Grant Gustin shared that he was engaged to Andrea "LA" Thoma on April 29, 2017. They got married on December 15, 2018. They have two children: a daughter born in 2021 and a son born in 2024.

Movies and TV Shows

Movies

Television Shows

Web Series

Theater Performances

Music He's Sung

Grant Gustin has sung many songs, especially on Glee and The Flash. Here are some of them:

Awards and Nominations

Grant Gustin has won and been nominated for many awards for his acting, especially for his role as The Flash!

See also

In Spanish: Grant Gustin para niños