Cheyenne Jackson was one of those rare actors who channeled a conflicted childhood into an illustrious career on stage, television and in film. He first gained recognition for his headline-grabbing performances in the Broadway musicals "Thoroughly Modern Millie" (2002), "All Shook Up" (2005), "Xanadu" (2007), and in the revival of "Finian's Rainbow" (2009). After his meteoric rise on Broadway, Jackson delivered a memorable performance in the emotionally charged docu-drama "United 93" (2006), as one of the heroic passengers who foiled a terrorist plot. In 2010, he joined the ensemble cast of the critically acclaimed series "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006- ), his first high-profile role on TV in which he portrayed a Canadian actor hired off the street who has an affair with Tina Fey's character. The high-profile role led to a recurring part on Fox's popular series "Glee" (2009- ), where his character drove most of the season's plot lines, and set the stage for Jackson to be recognized as one of the most versatile and riveting actors across all genres.
Cheyenne David Jackson was born on July 12, 1975 in the rural town of Newport, WA. Named after his father's favorite Western series "Cheyenne" (ABC, 1955-1963), Jackson was raised in a devout born-again family that attended church twice a week and listened to mostly Christian music. When he was eight, he started singing in church. Growing up, Jackson told The Los Angeles Times that he always felt an emerging disconnect between what was expected of him - like playing football - and what he was really passionate about: music. After graduating from high school, Jackson moved first to Spokane and then Seattle, working a variety of odd jobs such as a bank teller, waiter and health club worker, while he honed his acting skills in regional theater. Shortly after he moved to Seattle, he met his future life partner, Monte Lapka, a physicist. In 2002, Jackson moved to New York City and made his Broadway debut as an understudy for both male leads in the Tony award-winning musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie," based on the 1967 film.
Since that time, he built up his résumé with successful roles in the hit off-Broadway musical "Altar Boyz" (2004), and a lead part in the Broadway production of "All Shook Up" as Chad, the Elvis doppelganger. He also earned rave reviews for playing Sonny Malone, a simple-minded artist and roller-disco entrepreneur in the box-office hit production, "Xanadu." As Broadway's newest "It" boy, questions about Jackson's sexuality started to surface, but he never publicly announced that he was gay, even though he came out to his family when he was 19. It was not until a New York Times interview in 2005 that Jackson spontaneously revealed that he was gay, which caused a flurry of phone calls from his manager, agent and close industry friends begging him to retract his announcement out of fear that it might cost him roles. Jackson later told The Los Angeles Times that coming out probably did result in him losing parts to straight actors, but that he did not regret doing so. In 2009, Jackson garnered critical praise for his performance on Broadway in the revival of the musical "Finian's Rainbow," as a small-town guy caught up in a hilarious plot revolving around a pot of gold.
Jackson made his film debt in the short film "Curiosity" (2005), a Hitchcockian thriller about a young man who watches a strange DVD he found on a New York street corner and experiences troubling consequences. In 2006, he starred in the Academy Award-nominated film "United 93," a real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 and crashed in Pennsylvania when some of its passengers foiled the terrorist plot. Jackson played Mark Bingham, the rugby-playing executive who helped fight the terrorists on board. He then set his eyes on television, guest starring on comedies such as "Lipstick Jungle" (NBC, 2008-09), "Ugly Betty" (ABC, 2006-2010) and the crime drama "Law & Order" (NBC, 1990-2010). In 2010, Jackson became a series regular on "30 Rock," opposite Tina Fey as Liz Lemon, the head writer of a fictional sketch comedy show titled "TGS with Tracy Jordan." Jackson played a Canadian actor on "TGS" and was Lemon's love interest during season five. That same year, he landed a recurring role on the Fox hit show "Glee" (2009- ), a musical comedy series about a high school glee club who are bullied for their social status rather than praised for their talent and school spirit. Jackson starred as the demanding new coach of the rival singing group Vocal Adrenaline.